There had been a time when Nicole's eyes held only Jarrod. However, time and misunderstandings had erased the possibility of such moments.

With her gaze now cast downward, Nicole could still feel the intensity of Roscoe's pure gaze on her, stirring a sense of guilt.

She was glad that the glass that day blocked any sound. But this was just self-deception. Roscoe likely knew she was raped by Jarrod then.

Soon, Roscoe was wheeled away, disappearing from their sight.

Jarrod was overwhelmed with emotions. Without a word, he hurried to the elevator, escorting Nicole to the car.

As Jarrod settled Nicole into the passenger seat, his anger surged, and he leaned over her assertively, his lips brushing against hers.

"Mmm..." Nicole found it hard to breathe under his sudden embrace.

Her lips were sealed, her breathing labored and painful.

Nicole raised her hand to push Jarrod off, but the difference in their strength was too much. Helpless, she tried to scratch his face with her nails, which she had let grow over the last few weeks, leaving a long scratch near his ear.

The pain snapped Jarrod back to reality. He roughly grabbed her chin, his anger boiling over. "Why were you looking at him? Wasn't the lesson from that day enough? Or do you think he needs more beating?"

Nicole's lips were bleeding, and moving them caused her pain. "Jarrod, you're worrying over nothing," she said lightly, wiping the blood off and suddenly letting out an ambiguous laugh. "A dirty woman like me isn't worthy of him."

Her voice was soft, yet filled with a deep sense of self-loathing and scorn. This only fueled Jarrod's anger even more. Dirty? He had been with her, and she felt dirty?

Just as Jarrod's rage was about to explode, Nicole grabbed his tie, pulling him close and whispered in his ear, "That's right. You're too filthy, and you've tainted me..."

Nicole targeted his prominent Adam's apple and viciously bit down as if releasing her frustration. Afterward, she wiped her mouth, scornfully adding, "Now we're both dirty."

This action surprisingly calmed Jarrod's fury. He was no ordinary man.

He required unusual approaches.

Jarrod's Adam's apple bobbed as he chuckled softly. “Isn't that fine? We're perfectly suited for each other."

Then, Jarrod knelt in front of her seat, trapping her between his legs, with his other leg stretched out too far.

He cupped her face with his hands, leaned down, and kissed her deeply, more tenderly than before, with a touch of curiosity. There in the open parking lot, without even closing the car door, he desired her openly and intensely.

Nicole was irresistibly attractive to Jarrod, almost too much so.