Those sharp eyes that cut through boardrooms like a blade now looked soft and wet, almost puppy-like. Richard's robe hung open at the collar, revealing his perfectly sculpted muscles.

His broad back and wide shoulders looked reliable enough to lean on. With such an attractive body, any straight woman would feel her heart race.

I swallowed hard.

I felt him pressing against my hand with desperate need and thought he had changed his mind. However, after standing there waiting for a long time, he finally released my hand with a tremor.

He lowered his head, his voice tinged with hurt. "Come home early, okay?"

I turned and left.

What I did not know was that the moment the door closed, he turned and buried himself in the blankets. While he breathed in the lingering scent, his hand moved downward and he murmured my name, "Valeria..."

…

After that day, I decided in a fit of anger that Richard and I would sleep in separate rooms. I moved to the room next door, and Richard said nothing about it.

Yet, every time I fell asleep at night, I always felt like someone was holding me.

After noticing this pattern, I went to find Richard. "Richard, did someone break into our house at night?"

He was reviewing company contracts and looked up at me when he heard my words. "Did something go missing?"

I shook my head. "No, but I keep feeling like there's someone else in bed with me when I sleep at night."

The pen in his hand suddenly pierced through the paper.

Before I could say anything, he grabbed a fresh contract and said flatly, "Don't worry. I'll do a full inspection of the house. If you're still concerned, I can stay in your room all night."

I opened my mouth to speak. Glancing at the ruined contract he had tossed to the bottom of the pile, I said coldly, "That won't be necessary!"

I had already found a lawyer to draft our divorce agreement. Before long, I would divorce him. I would not need him to protect me anymore.

Richard kept his head lowered, and his voice was soft. "I just want to protect you."

However, protection was not what I wanted from him at all. I returned to my room in a huff, and my mind raced with thoughts until I fell asleep without realizing it.

While I was half asleep, I felt myself being held in someone's arms again. The embrace was warm, carrying a pleasant scent of cedar. The person's hands moved across my skin, leaving a burning sensation everywhere he touched.

I felt my lips being rubbed roughly, bitten, and invaded. Wet sounds filled the air as the man's burning breath made me gradually lose myself, my body surging with the waves of pleasure.

Immersed in that blissful world, I could not wake up for the longest time.

After struggling for a while, I finally opened my eyes and shouted angrily, "Who's there?! Don't you know breaking and entering is illegal?"

In the darkness, the person behind me froze, then quickly stood up and fled. I snorted softly and took my time getting dressed, not bothering to chase after him immediately.

I had prepared a backup plan the moment I realized someone had been breaking in. I had set up an alarm that would alert the police. By now, the police should already be waiting at the door.

When I finished getting dressed and came out, I discovered the responding officer was actually Richard's childhood friend, Ken Sotherby.

Before I even made it downstairs, I heard his voice.

"I was wondering who called the police. Did you finally lose control and scare your wife? You've been wanting it so badly but somehow managed to hold back for years."

Ken patted Richard lightly on the shoulder.

"Stop teasing her from now on. It makes her tense up every time."

"Got it, Richard. But if you care about Valeria so much, why are you still so reluctant to touch her? You two haven't been intimate, and it's been so long. You're suffering, and she's miserable too!"

Richard's eyes dimmed as he shook his head.

"You don't understand. The more time I spend with her, the less I can restrain my love for her. She's so delicate. I'm terrified I'll hurt her. As long as she's mine, I wouldn't even care if she slept with someone else first."

Ken immediately laughed. "You're all talk. If you could really handle her being with another man, you wouldn't keep going to the hospital. You think I don't know what you're doing there?

"You need to clear up this misunderstanding with your wife, or I'll have to take you in. It's protocol, Richard. You've been married three years. You can't keep this secret anymore."

I was shocked. Richard needed to see a doctor regularly, but I had never looked at his medical records. They had to be in his study, which he never let me enter alone.

While he was still making excuses to his friend, I seized the opportunity to find his key and unlock the door.

One wall of the study was covered by a massive oil painting that took up the entire space. I did not give it a second thought and rummaged through the drawers until I quickly found his medical records.

I had expected to find something like complaints about being married to a woman he did not love and not wanting to sleep with her. However, what I found instead was completely different.

[I've finally married the woman I love, but I'm worried my touch deprivation syndrome will make me unable to control myself. I'll keep clinging to her, and she won't be able to stand it. What should I do?]

[I'm too big. If I let her try it with someone else first, will she still love me?]

[She always doubts me. Even though I got her name tattooed on my hip, she doesn't care. How can I make her believe that I truly love her?]

[I love her so much. I couldn't help myself and made a mess of the sheets in her bed. I want to do it for real, but she won't be able to handle it. Is there a good solution?]

[I want to hold her so badly. I want to make love to her. I want her to only look at me, to never be able to leave me. But what if she wants to leave me?]

The more I read, the more shocked I became.

Did Richard really love me this much?

I could not help but feel excited. Ever since I met him, my impression of him had always been that he was quiet and reserved. I never imagined him to have this side to him.

In those medical records, Richard was like a beast in heat.

[My touch deprivation syndrome is getting worse and worse, and I've discovered that only Valeria can relieve it!]

"[I couldn't help myself. I went and secretly held her all night while she was sleeping.]

[I also made a photo wall of her in the study and covered it with a painting. I lied about having germaphobia so that I could take her worn clothes. I replaced the ones I damaged with new ones. She's never noticed.]

[It's still not enough. I want to absorb her into my body.]

[She's about to discover that I've been sneaking in to hold her at night, but I can't help myself. What should I do?]

[If I learn how to strip dance, wear animal ears, and dress in the uniforms she likes, will she forgive me?]

Reading that, I gasped.

Richard, with those sculpted pecs and his model's physique, wanted to strip dance for me? While wearing animal ears and uniforms?