<h4>Chapter 375: A Show</h4>


    "Where were you?" Melody asked as Adam walked back into their shared bedroom, her voice full of irritation and frustration.


    She had been lying awake for a few minutes, staring at the ceiling, trying to fight off the lingering haze of sleep. For the past week, she couldn’t understand why she kept falling asleep the moment her head touched the pillow. It wasn’t normal for her,especially not when she had been going to bed with the clear intention of staying awake and seducing him.


    Every night, she told herself she would make a move, seduce him, get his attention. But somehow, each time, her body betrayed her. Sleep would take her before she could even begin. And every morning, without fail, she would wake to find Adam already gone.


    It was maddening.


    This morning was no different- except for her realizing one thing. Each morning, his side of the bed had been untouched. Which meant he had never slept with her.


    Her hands clenched as she watched him walk about the room, not even sparing her a nce. His hair was damp at the edges, his skin glistening under the thin sheen of sweat. He moved with an easy, unhurried stride toward the bathroom, as though he had no intention of answering her.


    "I asked you something, Adam. Where did you go?"


    Finally, without turning to face her, he spoke in a casual tone. "I went for morning exercise."


    The exnation sounded simple enough, but something about the way he said it made her narrow her eyes. Liar. He was lying.


    As he reached for the hem of his T-shirt, she kept her gaze locked on him. He pulled the sweaty fabric over his head in one smooth motion, tossing it carelessly toward a chair in the corner. The muscles in his back flexed slightly with the movement, the morning light from the window highlighting the lines and definition of his shoulders. She admired him for a moment but then, as she looked at him carefully, her breath caught.


    Three long, angry red marks shed diagonally across his back—nail marks, fresh enough that the skin around them was still slightly raised.


    Her eyes widened instantly, all traces of sleep and even irritation vanishing from her, reced by cold fury taking over. She threw the nket off her legs and jumped out of bed, her bare feet hitting the cool floor. Crossing the space between them in quick strides, she reached out a hand to stop him before he could disappear into the bathroom.


    "Who gave you this?" she demanded aggressively


    Her fingers hovered just short of touching his back, her own heartbeat quickening. She hadn’t meant for it toe out as an usation, but the words wereced with disbelief and the darker things she felt- fear, suspicion, and jealousy.


    Adam paused, his hand still on the bathroom doorframe. He didn’t turn around right away, and the silence stretched for a moment too long.


    When he finally spoke, his tone was even, almost bored, but there was an edge underneath it. "What are you talking about?"


    "You know what I’m talking about," Melody said, stepping closer so there was barely a hand’s width between them. "Those marks. They’re not from you falling or bumping into something. So, I’ll ask again-who gave you this?"


    His shoulders tensed slightly, but then Adam let out a low chuckle and taunted, "You should guess where I got it from. It’s not that difficult..."


    Her jaw tightened and her hands clenched. "Were you with someonest night?"


    Instead of answering directly, he took his time, pulling a fresh towel from the rack just inside the bathroom. He draped it over his shoulders, letting it hang loose down his chest, the fabric absorbing the sweat along his skin. Then, finally, he turned to face her.


    "When do you think a man gets marks like this, Melody?" he asked, his eyes glinting with cold amusement. "When he’s had a night of pleasure with a wild cat, of course."


    The words hit her like a p, but she didn’t flinch. "You were sleeping with someone elsest night?" she pressed, still unwilling to believe this.


    Adam smirked. "Of course."


    The air between them seemed to thicken, pressing in around her.


    "Last night," he continued, his tone almost conversational, "and this morning." He tilted his head slightly, watching her reaction with a cruel sort of curiosity. "What did you think I meant by exercise?"


    Melody felt her breath catch in her throat, her heart thudding against her ribs. "You—" She swallowed, her voice shaking more from anger than anything else. "You came back here, into our room, after—"


    "After?" he prompted, raising his brows as if inviting her to finish the sentence.


    Her hands curled into fists at her sides. "After being with another woman."


    He gave a slow, careless shrug. "So?"


    Her eyes burned, though she refused to let the tears fall. "Why are you telling me this? Are you trying to humiliate me?"


    He stepped closer, closing the gap between them until she could feel the heat radiating from his body. The towel shifted slightly over his shoulders, revealing the faint outline of the scratches again. "No," he said, his voice soft in a way that felt more dangerous than when he’d been mocking her. "I’m telling you because you seem to think you have a right to know. You don’t. Who I spend my nights with is none of your concern."


    "I’m your wife!" she snapped.


    "You’re my wife on paper," Adam countered smoothly. "That doesn’t mean you own me. And it certainly doesn’t mean I owe you exnations for what I do... or who I do it with."


    She stared at him, searching for even a flicker of guilt in his expression. There was none, which infuriated her even more.


    "You’re unbelievable," she said through clenched teeth.


    "And you’re predictable," he replied, almostzily. "Now, just leave so that I can take a shower in peace."


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