After Prison I Rushed into Marriage with a Comatose Tycoon-Chapter 9: Have You Hugged Enough?

Shane Lockwood said sarcastically, "Weren’t you going to sleep on the sofa? Go on, then."

"..."

’I only offered to sleep on the sofa because I was worried His Majesty here would be uncomfortable. Why can’t he appreciate a kind gesture?’

Eliza Sutton said sincerely, "I was mistaken a moment ago. I forgot that with your condition, Mr. Lockwood, I don’t need to be so cautious."

Her gaze instinctively drifted down, sweeping over the space between his legs with a look of inquiry.

Shane Lockwood’s expression instantly darkened. He seized Eliza Sutton’s wrist, threw her onto the bed, then rolled over and pinned her beneath him.

His sturdy frame pressed down on her. The powerful, dominant position sent a jolt through her heart.

"You seem very concerned with whether I can perform or not."

"As Madam Lockwood, of course I’m concerned." Eliza’s fingertips traced a path down from his cheek, gliding over his firm bicep. The light touch was utterly seductive.

Her breath was warm against his ear as she lifted her head and whispered, "If you can’t perform, then I can sleep on the bed without worrying about you suspecting me of having ulterior motives."

Shane Lockwood stiffened, saying in disbelief, "All this... just to sleep on the bed?"

"Yes. Whether I sleep on the sofa or the floor, one night is enough to make my back ache. I still have eighty-nine days until we divorce. For my health’s sake, sleeping on the bed is better."

Eliza pulled her hand back from his wrist, pushed gently against his chest, and said soothingly, "There, there. Let’s get some sleep."

With that, she slipped out from under his arm, slid under the covers, and turned her back to Shane Lockwood.

It wasn’t long before Shane Lockwood heard the sound of her steady breathing.

He couldn’t believe it. He never thought Eliza Sutton would just fall asleep like that.

He was annoyed, but since Eliza was being so sensible, he couldn’t find a reason for his displeasure.

’When he realized Eliza Sutton was actually getting to him,’ Shane Lockwood frowned and shut down the thought immediately.

’Letting a woman get under his skin—especially one who had married him with ulterior motives—was incredibly dangerous.’

In the darkness, Eliza Sutton quietly opened her eyes.

Thinking of Shane Lockwood’s pulse from earlier, her brow furrowed slightly.

’The level of toxins in his body was slightly higher than when she’d given him acupuncture yesterday.’

’The increase was actually minimal, but Shane’s chronic illness was the result of a slow, steady accumulation.’

’But what did that have to do with her?’

’She was just a bride meant to bring good luck.’

’Besides, even if she wanted to treat Shane Lockwood, he wouldn’t agree, let alone trust her, would he?’

「The next day.」

Eliza Sutton opened her eyes, and a stunningly handsome face filled her vision. He was staring at her, his gaze cold and sharp.

They were incredibly close—so close their lips were nearly touching. Their warm breaths mingled, intimate yet restrained.

Worse, she was wrapped around him like an octopus, her limbs tangled with his in an undeniably intimate embrace.

The ambiguous tension between them spiraled, and the air seemed to crackle with sparks.

"Had enough of a hug?"

At his words, Eliza scrambled out of his embrace as if she’d been shocked. She apologized profusely, "I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to! I can’t control what I do in my sleep."

Shane Lockwood let out a cold laugh. "You couldn’t control yourself from crawling into my arms, and I suppose you couldn’t control yourself from groping me, either?"

"That’s impossible! I’m a very proper sleeper!"

Shane Lockwood plucked a long strand of her hair from his chest. "Proper, you say?"

Eliza Sutton: "..."

Shane Lockwood added, "Eliza Sutton, you saved Emmett Lockwood, so I agreed to let you take shelter with the Lockwood family under the title of Madam Lockwood. But that does not give you the right to do as you please with me. To act like a degenerate."

"’A degenerate?’" Eliza nearly choked. "I’m not that desperate."

Shane Lockwood’s gaze fell to his pajama top, which was now pulled open. Her hand had been right there just moments ago. "Should I count for you how many times you squeezed?"

Eliza looked away, embarrassed. ’It wasn’t entirely my fault,’ she thought. ’Who could blame me? His pecs just felt so nice to squeeze.’

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK—

There was a sudden knock at the door. Eliza immediately scrambled out of bed. "I’ll get it." 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

Pulling open the door, she saw Mrs. Chandler standing at the doorway with a beaming smile.

"Good morning, Mistress. Mrs. Lockwood said you’re all to go to the main house for breakfast."

As Mrs. Chandler spoke, she craned her neck to peek into the room.

Shane Lockwood was leaning against the headboard, slowly and deliberately buttoning his pajamas.

Mrs. Chandler instantly lit up. She said in a loud voice, "No rush, Mistress, take your time! Help Master Lockwood get ready first. I’ll go downstairs and let Mrs. Lockwood know."

The words were barely out of her mouth before Mrs. Chandler bustled away in a flurry.

Eliza returned to the bedroom to find Shane Lockwood propping himself up with his arms, trying to move into his wheelchair.

"Let me help you."

"I don’t need it."

"Oh." Eliza simply stood to the side and watched.

Shane Lockwood’s health had begun to fail a year ago, and he had spent the last month in a coma. His arm strength was no longer sufficient to support his weight. Before he could even make it into the wheelchair, he tumbled to the floor.

Shane Lockwood’s face turned grim. A wave of fury washed over him, born from the feeling of utter powerlessness.

Suddenly, a pair of slender, fair hands rested on his arm. They looked delicate, but her grip was surprisingly strong—strong enough to lift a grown man and settle him securely in his wheelchair.

Eliza Sutton said, "Temporarily admitting you’re weak because of your illness doesn’t diminish how strong you are."

Shane Lockwood looked up, his gaze intense as he stared at Eliza. No one had ever spoken to him like that before.

"I’m just trying to offer a little comfort. I’m not playing hard to get, and I don’t have any hidden agenda. You can relax, Mr. Lockwood."

Eliza sounded so sincere she might as well have been raising a hand to swear an oath.

Shane Lockwood shot her a look. "So now you’re playing the part of the virtuous, dutiful wife? You really are full of schemes."

Eliza Sutton: "..."

’Could someone tell her how to treat paranoid delusions? Because her acupuncture certainly couldn’t fix this.’

Shane Lockwood snorted, lifting his chin. "Help me wash up."

After tending to His Majesty, Eliza pushed his wheelchair downstairs.

When they reached the living room, they saw Mrs. Chandler gesticulating wildly as she spoke animatedly to Mrs. Lockwood. "...he was just putting his pajamas on! Last night must have been quite something! And the Mistress is so beautiful—even a woman like me finds her lovely, to say nothing of Master Lockwood."

"This is wonderful news, Mrs. Lockwood! With this kind of... stimulation, perhaps Master Lockwood will recover before we know it."

"Will that day ever come?" Mrs. Lockwood asked, her voice laden with worry. "Doctor Shepherd said our only chance is to find Quillon Croft."

"It certainly will! A man as brilliant and gifted as Master Lockwood can’t be... less capable than a beast, now can he?"

As Eliza came down the stairs, she overheard Mrs. Chandler’s words and felt her cheeks flush. She knew Mrs. Chandler’s earlier glance was loaded with meaning, but she never imagined the older woman had such a vivid imagination.

Eliza instinctively glanced at Shane Lockwood. He sat perfectly composed in his wheelchair, his expression placid, as if he hadn’t heard a thing.

’Fine,’ she thought. ’My composure clearly isn’t on his level.’

Eliza composed herself again, also acting as though she had heard nothing.