Forbidden Passion

Chapter 41 He is a married man

Phoebe stood in her room, helping Lucy make the bed. Her expression was somber. "Phoebe, the matriarch is certainly on your side," Lucy assured her. Phoebe remained silent.

Seeing Phoebe's desolation, Lucy continued, "The moment she heard you fell into the water, she rushed back. She genuinely cares for you. She insisted Miss Fitzroy stay the night to prevent Theodore from having to escort her home late at night. Alone together at such an hour, who knows what might happen?"

Lucy didn't have to say more; Phoebe grasped the unspoken concern.

But a second later, her heart sank.

Even her grandmother was wary of Theodore and Vanessa's possible indiscretions, a testament to how deep their past relationship must have been. Now, with Vanessa staying over, if Theodore harbored any old feelings, wouldn't proximity breed temptation?

Once the bedding was neatly arranged, Lucy patted Phoebe's shoulder. "You've got to be proactive, Phoebe. Don't float through life like a goddess who's above it all."

Phoebe's cheeks flushed with an intense red, the topic steering into awkward territory that left her feeling bewildered and embarrassed.

front of the vanity mirror, dabbing her face dry, when suddenly, the bedroom door swung open from the outside. Hearing the noise, she glanced over and saw Theodore, hands casually in his pockets, strolling in with ease. Dressed casually at home, he had left the top two

hard, her throat suddenly feeling parched. As he made a beeline towards her, she pretended to be

the mirror, his focus so unnerving that it sent a wave of

are you looking at me like that?" she asked, voice tinted with a mix

could feel

reached for her neck, holding her still like a cat grasped by the claws of fate, daring not to

"Wh-"

alike?" Theodore's eyes locked on their mirrored images. Unabashed, he meticulously took in every detail of Phoebe's features for the first

and lips, predatory and invasive, making Phoebe's heart race. She had rarely dared to examine Theodore closely; his presence was so overpowering that even the contours of his face seemed to exude aggression, often making her shy away

believe that she had

really," she said with

chin with his well-proportioned fingers, his displeasure evident. "I think we bear a striking

agreed with his Aunt Linda's claim that they looked like a married couple before, but now, gazing closely, he realized when Phoebe was aloof, she mirrored his own cool demeanor.