Chapter 55 That Was In
The Past
Immediately after Ryder’s departure, William entered the hospital room. As he neared the bed, Renee, who was seated beside it, abruptly commanded, “Stop right there.”
Her head remained bowed, her expression dark and severe.
William halted, his gaze fixed on her face, as he tried to discern if this scene was merely a figment of his own imagination.
“What is it that you want, William?” she inquired.
With a playful arch of his brow, William responded, “So, you’re dropping the
formalities with ‘Mr. Mitchell‘ now?”
She rose to her feet, eyes blazing with anger.
William had etched the image of those eyes into his memory, whether he was awake or asleep, over the last three years. He had toyed with countless scenarios in his mind, yet he had never envisioned her returning one day accompanied by another man and
their child.
In a moment of lost control, he stepped closer, placed his hand on the back of her head, and drew her into a passionate kiss.
Renee swiftly attempted to push him away, but he firmly held her steady with his other hand. Embarrassed and angry, she threw a punch with all her strength–Ryder once remarked that her punch packed the force of a standard soldier.
She had exerted her full power. Yet, he merely grunted, continuing to kiss her aggressively.
Indeed, he was not merely kissing. He seemed intent on biting her lips off.
From the sheer physical pain, tears welled up and rolled down her cheeks.
Only at the sight of her tears did William release her. He impulsively licked the tears from her face, recoiling instantly as if his tongue had touched fire.
“Does it hurt?” he queried.
With a scornful sneer, she retorted coldly, “Did that hurt?”
She was skeptical that he was unfazed by her punch.
While she doubted his readiness to concede defeat, he eventually admitted, “Yes, it did.”
The pain he referred to was more than physical. It was a deep, aching pain in his heart from missing her like
crazy.
Renee was taken aback, sensing that something was amiss.
William’s demeanor was strikingly different from what she remembered. He had always been emotionally aloof. When had he become so tender?
“You deserved it,” she declared, turning her gaze away as her instincts warned her against looking into his eyes any longer.
“Nene,” he called out softly.
Her reaction was a subtle stiffening. Previously, he would only use that name in the throes of passion. Initially, she cherished how tenderly he spoke it, but post–intimacy, he would transform, addressing her as “Renee” in a detached manner.
As time went on, desiring to hear him whisper that name again, she would entice him, leading to their encounters.
Back when he first enlisted in the army, she would find him during his leaves, and they would seclude themselves in hotels for days, lost in each other’s company.
She had never thought there would come a day when she would dread hearing that once endearing pet name from his lips–until she did, yet here he was, saying it
willingly.
She scoffed at the irony.
“Do not use that name,” she stated icily.
“Didn’t you use to cherish it when I called you that?”
Her smile was sardonic as she locked eyes with William. Her look mirrored the aloofness he once showed her.
“As you yourself noted, that was in the past.”
