Built His Empire Then Watched It Burn When He Cheated novel Chapter 796

His other hand tangled deep into her hair, cradling the back of her head. As he massaged her scalp with his dry palm, he seemed to lose a bit of control; she felt a faint, sharp sting at the roots of her hair.

Unable to take much more, she reached down and slid her small hand under the hem of his shirt, giving the skin at his waist a firm, warning pinch—a mix of protest and a plea for mercy.

Only then did Jonathan release her.

He looked down at his young wife as she leaned weakly against his chest, panting for air, the corners of her eyes flushed red. His gaze was dark with an overwhelming intensity.

"What has gotten into you?"

Anneliese finally caught her breath and looked up to glare at the culprit.

Jonathan leaned his forehead against hers. "Does my girl not like it intense and exciting?"

Anneliese's face heated up again.

She moved her lips, which were swollen from the kiss, and found she couldn't bring herself to lie and say she didn't like it. After a moment of silence, she managed, "I just feel like you're acting... off."

Jonathan raised an eyebrow and chuckled softly. He was definitely acting "off."

The thought that Anneliese might be Steven's sister—the realization that if nothing had gone wrong at her birth, they might have known each other since they were children and grown up together—haunted him.

He would have known her even earlier than Zacharias, claiming the title of childhood sweetheart for himself.

He felt a surge of emotions he couldn't quite vent: a mix of lingering regret, melancholy, and a chilling sense of "what if."

He was terrified by the thought that if the person who swapped her had made a different choice, she might have actually died.

He was terrified that any single variation in those events would have meant they never met, never reached this moment where the truth was surfacing...

She was like an emotional switch for him. Whenever it concerned her, he was always stirred into states of mind that were entirely foreign to him.

Jonathan pressed another kiss to her forehead before speaking. "Honey, it seems you really don't love me as much as I love you."

Anneliese didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "Where is this coming from?"

Jonathan smirked. "I came looking for you because I missed you, I kissed you, and your response is that I'm acting 'off.' Isn't that proof enough?"

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