Thalassa raised an eyebrow. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Kris took some steps forward toward her desk. "Don't pretend. I'm sure Millicent must've already called to tell you what we talked about."

He pursed his lips into a grim line before speaking again. "You told me that you and Zeke Mathews were lovers. You even made me believe that he could've been the father of the child you lost."

A cold smile curved Thalassa's lips. "Did I? Did I really say those things to you?" She let out a snort. "It was you, Kris. It was you who came here with your guns blazing, throwing all sorts of accusations at me." "You didn't deny any of them," Kris said accusingly.

"Because I had no need to," Thalassa stated calmly. "You see, your opinion of me is as worthless as you are to me."

Her words stung, but Kris managed to keep a straight face. So you would rather I continue thinking the worst of you than to tell me the truth."

"No, I would rather you finally understood that I don't give a flying cow what you think of me, whether good or bad."

She scoffed. "Besides, when did you become so gullible? I thought you were smarter. Someone tells you a story, and you believe everything they said? Didn't it occur to you that I might've been the one who told her to tell you all that?"

For several seconds, Kris could only stare at her in silence as the wheels began turning in his head until it finally clicked.

He let out a small chuckle. "I see. It finally makes sense why you're doing this."

He slowly began making his way around her desk, walking toward her so that there was no barrier between them. "It's because you're afraid."

Thalassa stared at him like he was out of his mind. "Afraid of what? What are you even talking about?"

"You're afraid that I'll be able to melt your coldness away if I decide to."

Thalassa huffed. "Now you're talking nonsense."

"No." Kris shook his head. "I'm talking perfect sense. If you aren't afraid, then why do you so badly want me to keep hating you? You want me to continue hating you so that you can keep hating me too, because you know that if I stop hating you, then it will be hard for you to keep on hating me."

"You know what? I'm very busy, and you're obviously just wasting my time so-"

Before she could finish her sentence, Kris suddenly snaked his arm around her waist, pulling her flush against his body, causing her to let out a breathless gasp. (1

"What are you doing? Let go of me!" she demanded, trying to free herself, but he held on firmly.

"You can keep pretending as much as you want, but I see the heat in your eyes whenever you look at me." His eyes fell on her lips. "I know you still want me."

When she continued to struggle to free herself, he held her much closer, feeling his body warm with all the incendiary emotions he'd tried so hard to keep at bay, to forget.

"Our kiss. Look into my eyes and tell me that you didn't think about our kiss the whole night just like I did. Tell me you didn't toss all night in bed because you just couldn' get me out of your head, just as I was unable to get you out of my head." Thalassa was overwhelmed by his suddenly strange attitude. If it wasn't for the fact that she couldn't smell any alcohol on his breath, she would've thought that he was drunk.

She glared at him. "Are you out of your mind? What has come over you?"noveldrama

Another chuckle erupted from Kris's throat. A chuckle that almost sounded deranged. He wished he knew what the hell had come over him, but he didn't know.

All he knew was that he loved her. He still loved her so much that it hurt. Despite all the years that had passed, despite how much she hurt him with her betrayals, his heart had never stopped yearning for her.

And maybe he was truly going crazy. Otherwise, why would he even be thinking about doing what he was thinking of doing?

His voice heavy with fear and need, he gazed into her eyes and spoke, "Why are we doing this to ourselves, Thalassa? Why do we keep trying to hurt each other at every chance when it's obvious that there's so much more between us?" Thalassa gritted her teeth, her eyes blazing with fury. "The only thing that's between us is hatred, and that will never change."

"You and I both know that's not true." Kris smiled sadly. "I've tried. I've tried so hard with every ounce of strength in me to tear you out of my heart, but it's just impossible. You're like a parasite who refuses to go away." Thalassa gave him a hard smile and sneered, "Well then, I'm obviously stronger than you because I didn't even have to try hard. The hatred I feel towards you was enough to completely tear you out of my system."

Anger and confusion flashed on his face as he finally let go of her. "What right do you have to hate me?" He fumed. "It was you who betrayed me, and not just once. It was you who threw the beautiful thing we had away. It was you who broke me when you cheated on me the night before our wedding."

"I never cheated on you, and certainly not the night before our wedding!" Thalassa barked, finally agitated with that accusation. "The night before our wedding, I was with Karen. She insisted on taking me to a nightclub as a form of a bachelorette party, but of course you can't ask her because she will only lie to you again, just like she lied on the night we got divorced!"

Kris's nostrils flared. "Stop! Just stop trying to deny it again because I have evidence."

"Then show me!" Thalassa demanded.

Immediately, Kris dipped his hand into his pocket and pulled out his phone.

Thalassa glared at him as he flipped through the phone, finding it ridiculous that throughout their marriage, he never once told her why he was mistreating her despite how many times she begged him to tell her. And now he was so willing to show her. After a few seconds, Kris suddenly turned the phone towards her, his eyes blazing as he raged, "Are you still going to deny it?"

Thalassa felt shock ripple through her as she stared at the picture on the phone screen. It was a picture of her sitting naked on top of another man, and they appeared to be having sex.