I Am Trying to Divorce My Villain Husband, But We Had a Child - chapter 30

**Chapter 30**

 

 

 

Tap, tap…

 

 

 

Elisa opened her eyes, hearing the crackling sound of a bonfire.

 

 

 

“Where… where am I?”

 

 

 

Between the darkness that surrounded her, the flickering light of the bonfire illuminated the ceiling.

 

 

 

Elisa looked up and was startled.

 

 

 

Instead of the elegant ceiling of the mansion she was accustomed to, it was a worn-out wooden ceiling covered in cobwebs.

 

 

 

As she turned her gaze, she was even more surprised by what she saw in front of her.

 

 

 

“W-what is this?”

 

 

 

A strong man’s body was holding her. Moreover, he was shirtless. Startled, Elisa tried to wriggle out of his embrace, but then she heard a deep voice above her head.

 

 

 

“Looks like you’ve finally come.”

 

 

 

Looking up with wide eyes filled with surprise, she saw Richard looking down at her with a worried expression.

 

 

 

“How’s your body feeling?”

 

 

 

Blinking her eyes dazedly, Elisa finally recalled the situation before she lost consciousness.

 

 

 

“I fell off a cliff, and someone must have held me… Richard?”

 

 

 

She couldn’t remember anything after that. She probably lost consciousness due to the shock, and the person who held her must have been Richard.

 

 

 

Only now did Elisa realize why both she and Richard were half-naked.

 

 

 

“We must have fallen into the river below the cliff.”

 

 

 

Avoiding looking at Richard’s chest, Elisa fixed her gaze on his face and replied, “I-I’m fine.”

 

 

 

But she could feel it even without looking.

 

 

 

His breath close to her, the warmth that she could feel with just a slight movement…

 

 

 

Moreover, meeting his eyes flickering in the firelight made her feelings even more complicated.

 

 

 

Elisa shyly lowered her gaze back to his neck.

 

 

 

But his sturdy and smooth neck, the prominent Adam’s apple, and the straight collarbone underneath only emphasized his sexiness even more.

 

 

 

Every time his breath touched her forehead, every cell in her body tensed with anticipation.

 

 

 

“Ugh…”

 

 

 

Lost in confusion about where to place her gaze, Elisa slowly distanced herself from him.

 

 

 

Sensing her discomfort, Richard gently pulled Elisa back into his embrace and said, “Even if you don’t like it, let’s stay like this for tonight. You’re still cold.”

 

 

 

Elisa understood.

 

 

 

How much he must have struggled to save her.

 

 

 

And who was the person who stayed by her side, sharing warmth with her all this time.

 

 

 

“I don’t mind. I like it.”

 

 

 

Richard’s face showed a rare hint of confusion at Elisa’s response.

 

 

 

Realizing that her answer sounded strange, Elisa suddenly understood.

 

 

 

“T-that’s not what I meant to say!”

 

 

 

Saying that being half-naked and holding each other was comfortable! It was just meant to express gratitude and appreciation!

 

 

 

But it was too late to clarify that it didn’t mean anything like that anymore.

 

 

 

Elisa, feeling awkward about where to direct her gaze, wandered aimlessly for a while before simply closing her eyes. But she couldn’t fall asleep in this state.

 

 

 

Richard’s firm and broad chest kept appearing in her mind.

 

 

 

Every time she felt the warmth emanating from him, her heart raced uncontrollably. It felt as if her heartbeat was resonating in her ears.

 

 

 

“Stay calm, think good thoughts.”

 

 

 

But no matter how hard she tried to calm herself down, it didn’t work. It was no longer just warmth; it was becoming unbearably hot. She even felt thirsty.

 

 

 

Eventually, Elisa shrugged off the blanket and got up from her spot.

 

 

 

Richard looked at her with a puzzled expression. “Why?”

 

 

 

“I-I’m thirsty. I’ll look for something to drink.”

 

 

 

“I checked earlier, but there was nothing.”

 

 

 

Elisa realized how foolish her words were.

 

 

 

There was unlikely to be anything to drink in an abandoned house, and even if there was, it wouldn’t be drinkable.

 

 

 

Then, as if he remembered something, Richard found a leather flask from the discarded pile of clothes.

 

 

 

“We have alcohol.”

 

 

 

Northern men always carried strong liquor with them. It served as a survival item for maintaining body temperature during the cold winters.

 

 

 

“Do you want some?”

 

 

 

Elisa took the flask from Richard and gulped down the contents. As the strong liquor flowed down her throat, she felt a burning sensation from her throat to her stomach.

 

 

 

Handing the flask back to Richard, Elisa crossed her legs and leaned her head against her knees.

 

 

 

“Phew…”

 

 

 

Staring absentmindedly at the fire in the fireplace, Elisa suddenly hiccupped.

 

 

 

Her face was already flushed from the alcohol. Her usually lively eyes were half-lidded.

 

 

 

She had gotten drunk from just a few sips of alcohol.

 

 

 

Seeing Elisa in that state, Richard couldn’t help but chuckle.

 

 

 

“You can drink it like water sometimes.”

 

 

 

“That was beer, and this is different…”

 

 

 

Elisa pouted, expressing her dissatisfaction with Richard’s words with a twisted tongue.

 

 

 

Worried about Elisa, who was still cold, Richard sat down beside her and wrapped another layer of blanket around her.

 

 

 

Elisa’s half-open eyes turned to Richard.

 

 

 

“Thank you, Richard.”

 

 

 

“…”

 

 

 

“For saving me.”

 

 

 

“…”

 

 

 

“For taking care of me so well. And…”

 

 

 

Looking at Richard with a smile, Elisa’s eyes crinkled into crescents.

 

 

 

“Thank you for bringing me back safely.”

 

 

 

Richard’s eyes wavered as he looked at Elisa.

 

 

 

Unaware of the impact of her words, Elisa took another sip of alcohol without realizing it. Instantly, her hiccups stopped.

 

 

 

After a moment of silence, Richard spoke to Elisa.

 

 

 

“Rest some more. It’s still a long time until morning, and it’s best to recover your strength…”

 

 

 

“I don’t want to.”

 

 

 

“…So you won’t sleep?”

 

 

 

“Are you not bothered at all? We have to sleep embracing each other half-naked. How can you even think of sleeping?”

 

 

 

Elisa’s blunt words made Richard sigh inwardly.

 

 

 

He couldn’t sleep either. However, while Elisa might simply be expressing discomfort about the current situation without any ulterior motives, it wasn’t the same for him.

 

 

 

She probably wouldn’t know.

 

 

 

She wouldn’t know what dangerous emotions he was suppressing while sharing warmth with her, or how many close calls he had to endure just to do so.

 

 

 

Even at this moment.

 

 

 

With a face that showed nothing, she was innocently venting her discomfort.

 

 

 

“Do I seem unaffected?”

 

 

 

“Huh?”

 

 

 

“Do I seem like I’m not bothered at all?”

 

 

 

Elisa, who had been looking at Richard without any sense of crisis, paused.

 

 

 

Richard’s gaze, which had been gentle just a moment ago, was now thick with desire.

 

 

 

The moment she saw that gaze, even in her drunken state, she instinctively knew that if she didn’t avoid that gaze, she would be swallowed up by it.

 

 

 

Elisa instinctively averted her gaze as if fleeing.

 

 

 

“I, I’m going to bed now.”

 

 

 

And as she tried to get up, she put too much weight on her feet. In that moment, her body, unbalanced by the alcohol, swayed and fell sideways.

 

 

 

“Oh.”

 

 

 

Richard quickly caught her head before Elisa hit the floor. As a result, Richard ended up looking down at Elisa from above.

 

 

 

Elisa, holding onto her dizzy mind, looked up at Richard.

 

 

 

His gaze, as he looked down at her, was chillingly different from a moment ago.

 

 

 

It was like the gaze of a predator looking at its prey.

 

 

 

Elisa held her breath at that gaze.

 

 

 

It felt like those eyes could lunge at her throat at any moment.

 

 

 

In that moment, the familiar friend from just a while ago had become a completely unfamiliar man in an instant.

 

 

 

Her heart sank.

 

 

 

She had a gut feeling that if she didn’t avoid those eyes immediately, she would be in a dangerously irreversible situation.

 

 

 

But strangely, she couldn’t tear her gaze away from those beautiful yet dangerous ruby eyes. The more she looked into them, the hotter her body felt.

 

 

 

Elisa, who was staring at him as if spellbound, slowly parted her lips.

 

 

 

“Richard…”

 

 

 

Just as Elisa was about to call out to Richard, his lips covered hers.

 

 

 

Soft, moist lips gently met. Through that meeting, hot breath passed. That breath was sweet.

 

 

 

The lips that had just met soon parted. But they soon met again.

 

 

 

This time, it wasn’t just a meeting of lips; it delved deeper. Elisa’s body trembled in surprise, but she didn’t push him away.

 

 

 

No, she didn’t want to push him away.

 

 

 

Elisa accepted him quietly, trapped in his strong embrace.

 

 

 

The breath of a stranger she had never touched in her life was so soft and sweet that it made her head dizzy. And it was intense.

 

 

 

Even though he took all her breath away, it seemed that wasn’t enough for him; he relentlessly dove in, explored, and devoured her.

 

 

 

“Ah…”

 

 

 

As Elisa’s breath was cut off and her body trembled, Richard’s movements paused, then he immediately pulled away from her.

 

 

 

A look of confusion crossed Richard’s crimson eyes as he looked at Elisa, but soon it twisted into guilt.

 

 

 

But Elisa, with the alcohol coursing through her, didn’t see that.

 

 

 

All she saw were the moist red lips.

 

 

 

Richard sighed and opened his mouth, avoiding Elisa’s gaze as he spoke.

 

 

 

“Sorry, I…”

 

 

 

As he said this and tried to lay Elisa down and move away, Elisa’s hand wrapped around his cheek and pulled him back, snatching away those disgusting lips that had just taken hers.

 

 

 

“!”

 

 

 

Richard’s body stiffened at the sudden kiss. But it was only for a moment.

 

 

 

Soon, he changed, as if nothing had happened.

 

 

 

He aggressively devoured Elisa’s defenseless lips.

 

 

 

It was different from the cautious kiss before.

 

 

 

His rough breath messed everything up. Inside her mouth, inside her head. Everything.

 

 

 

But even so, those lips were sweeter than anything else in the world, so much so that even the brief moment of separation was regrettable.

 

 

 

Even the fleeting eye contact and the sigh that scattered over their lips felt sweet.

 

 

 

As her breath quickened, the unquenchable thirst tortured Elisa more.

 

 

 

Elisa didn’t know what she wanted, but she instinctively knew that only he could give it to her. So she desperately clung to him.

 

 

 

His sweet lips, realizing what she wanted, began to melt her cold body gently.

 

 

 

She had endured so many things in her life to survive, but his touch was infinitely delicate.

 

 

 

He was gentle as if afraid he might hurt her. But there was no hesitation.

 

 

 

“Richard…”

 

 

 

Her moist emerald eyes looked quietly at him. It was the first time Richard had seen Elisa in such disarray.

 

 

 

When he saw her eyes pleadingly looking at him, Richard’s rationality, which he had been barely holding onto, flew away.

 

 

 

It was only the desire to taste her warmth and scent that moved him.

 

 

 

Richard embraced Elisa.

 

 

 

Gradually, the intense heat, almost painful, and the sensation of sweetness overwhelmed her completely.

 

 

 

“…Elisa.”

 

 

 

Richard lightly kissed her near her eyes and lips, calling out to her.

 

 

 

With her eyes closed, Elisa was breathing heavily. Seeing her like that, a belated guilt washed over Richard.

 

 

 

He regretted bringing her to him with this small, fragile body and spending their first night together here without any preparation.

 

 

 

“I’m sorry.”

 

 

 

At that moment, as if in response to his kiss, Elisa pecked his lips.

 

 

 

Surprised by the unexpected kiss, Richard looked at Elisa.

 

 

 

Her swollen eyes were looking at him calmly. Just like how she had looked at him.

 

 

 

At that moment, he recalled what she had said to him.

 

 

 

“At first, don’t let anyone else’s will sway you, but be with someone you truly love.”

 

 

 

Since the day she said those words to him, there hasn’t been a single moment when he didn’t desire her.

 

 

 

So this moment was overwhelmingly joyful to him. It was the moment he had longed for desperately for years.

 

 

 

“Elisa…”

 

 

 

Richard opened his mouth to confess his feelings that he had held onto for years, then closed it. Elisa’s eyelids were tightly shut.

 

 

 

Looking at her sleeping with a bewildered expression, Richard let out a sigh mixed with a smile.

 

 

 

And gently pressing his lips against Elisa’s forehead, he whispered softly.

 

 

 

“Sleep well.”