Chapter 2

Athena left the consultation room, picked up her medication, and hurried out of the hospital.

The moment she recalled being told by a male doctor to remove her pants for the examination, her face burned bright red. If anyone ever found out, she'd be too embarrassed to face them.

From now on, she would only see female doctors. She would never let another strange man examine her there again.

Just then, a black Bentley slowly pulled up in front of her.

Athena assumed it was the taxi she'd called and glanced through the window.

Instead, she found herself looking into the face of a strikingly handsome man with sharply defined features that seemed sculpted to perfection.

Their eyes met for a brief moment, and she found him strangely familiar.

'That look in his eyes... Isn't he the male doctor who just examined me?' Athena caught her breath, and her face instantly flushed crimson.

What were the chances of running into him again right outside the hospital?

"Get in. I'll give you a ride," Julian said.

Athena quickly shook her head. "No, thanks."

They barely knew each other. How could she possibly accept a ride from him? Besides, he had just performed such an intimate examination on her in the consultation room.

Right now, he was the last person she wanted to see. She couldn't get away fast enough. It would be best if they pretended they didn't know each other if their paths ever crossed again.

Julian's eyes darkened slightly as one brow arched. An unmistakable air of authority radiated from him. It was the first time a woman had ever rejected him.

Sensing his displeasure, Athena awkwardly waved her hand again. "No, really. My husband will be here to pick me up any minute."

This time, she deliberately emphasized the word 'husband'. The unspoken message was clear. She was a married woman.

A faint, icy smile touched Julian's lips before he instructed the driver to pull away.

Only after watching the Bentley disappear into the distance did Athena finally let out a small sigh of relief.

Then she remembered what the doctor had told her during the examination. Her condition was the result of prolonged sexual deprivation. Medication could only help regulate it. If she wanted to recover completely, she needed to be intimate with her husband more often.

Ethan was returning from his business trip that night. She had to seize this opportunity.

Without wasting a moment, Athena went to the mall and bought the seductive nightgown he liked, along with a romantic perfume.

After returning home, she took out a bottle of red wine she had been saving for years. Her plan was simple. She would share a few drinks with Ethan, and once he was tipsy, they would go to bed together.

Ethan had always been obsessively clean and strongly resisted sexual intimacy. Throughout their first year of marriage, every time she had initiated sex, he had turned her down.

The constant rejection had taken a tremendous physical and emotional toll on her. Now that she had developed this condition, she had no choice but to resort to this plan.

Everything was ready.

Only then did she realize how nervous she was. This was the first time since their marriage that she had deliberately tried to seduce her own husband. Her heart pounded so hard it felt ready to leap out of her chest.

Athena poured herself a glass of wine to calm her nerves.

...

At 8:00 p.m. that evening, Ethan returned from his business trip.

The dark bedroom instantly lit up.

Athena, who had been pretending to sleep, flinched. She opened her eyes and instinctively looked toward the tall figure standing in the doorway.

"Honey, you're home?" She immediately threw back the blanket, jumped out of bed, and happily ran toward him.

Ethan narrowed his eyes. She was wearing a deep burgundy spaghetti-strap dress with a plunging neckline that made her snow-white skin appear even fairer while perfectly accentuating every curve of her figure. Combined with her innocent yet naturally alluring face, she looked absolutely irresistible.

As she ran toward him, the seductive fragrance of her perfume drifted through the air. It was enough to stir any man's instincts.

There was no denying it. The woman before him was sexy, charming, and irresistibly alluring. Pure, yet seductive.

However, she was absolutely not his type.

The flicker of desire in his dark eyes gradually disappeared, replaced by indifference and distance.

Ethan instinctively pushed her away. "I'm tired."

Those words instantly extinguished much of the warmth in Athena's heart, but she refused to give up. Her condition couldn't wait any longer. She had to be intimate with her husband. Besides, she had gone to so much effort dressing up for him tonight and preparing everything. She couldn't abandon her plan halfway through.

She gently took hold of his arm and asked softly, "Honey, would you like me to give you a massage?"

"No."

Ethan shook her off as though something filthy had touched him.

Then he strode toward the bathroom.

As he passed Athena, she caught the lingering scent of another woman's perfume on him. It was elegant and sophisticated. It definitely wasn't the perfume she usually wore.

Athena froze.

Shock flashed across her eyes. 'Could Ethan have another woman?'

But after thinking it over, she reminded herself that he often attended business dinners and social events. Accidentally picking up the scent of a woman's perfume didn't necessarily mean anything. Besides, Ethan was so obsessive about cleanliness that he wouldn't even touch her, much less another woman.

That was how Athena comforted herself.

She walked over and poured Ethan a glass of wine, determined to stick to her original plan and get him drunk first.

…

Half an hour later, Ethan emerged from the bathroom.

He wore only a white bathrobe with the belt left untied, revealing glimpses of the firm muscles across his chest. His bronzed skin looked irresistibly attractive beneath the warm yellow light, and his long, straight legs only added to his striking appearance.

Combined with his handsome, restrained features, the sight left Athena staring in a daze. Her mouth instinctively went dry.

Maybe it was because they hadn't seen each other for so long. Or perhaps because he had always treated her so coldly. Seeing him like this suddenly filled her mind with inappropriate thoughts.

Athena couldn't help swallowing as her gaze drifted lower, past his lean waist.

'Oh no!' The desire inside her only seemed to grow stronger.

"What are you looking at?" Ethan's cold, stern voice suddenly broke the silence.

Athena jumped and immediately snapped back to reality.

"Nothing." She hurriedly shook her head, afraid he would think she was lusting after his body and become even more disgusted with her.

Smiling, she picked up the glass of red wine beside her and walked over. "Honey, would you like a glass?"

She knew he always drank a glass of wine before bed.

After she spoke, however, Ethan remained silent for a long moment.

Athena suddenly felt guilty. Had her husband figured out her plan?

Still unwilling to give up, she stepped closer, her voice soft and sweet. "Honey..."

She was about to persuade him to drink when Ethan suddenly turned to look at her with a meaningful gaze. "It's late. Aren't you going to bed?"

Athena's eyes immediately lit up. She thought he was suggesting they go to bed together.

She quickly set the wineglass on the nightstand. "Okay! I'll come to bed right away!"

She eagerly climbed onto the bed, but before her slender hand could touch him, Ethan suddenly grabbed her wrist.

He raised an eyebrow, his expression filled with mockery. "You're not actually thinking I'm going to touch you tonight, are you?"