Married To My Billionaire Stepbrother - Chapter 342

Chapter 342: I Would Rather Die
James reached the upstairs hallway and stopped in front of Caryn’s room. Eric opened the door for him, allowed him inside, and then closed it behind him.

James saw a woman standing by the window, her back facing him. She wore a simple, ankle-length, off-white loose dress with a light blue warm cardigan draped over it. Her brown hair, streaked with strands of gray, was tied in a loose bun at the nape of her neck. Her slender frame bore the evidence of the ordeal she had endured over the past few months since her surgery.

She sensed James’ presence in the room but didn’t turn to look at him. Instead, she asked, “Why are you here?”

“You’re smart enough to know,” he answered, standing at a distance.

“No, I don’t. And neither do I feel like knowing,” she replied, her tone dismissive.

A brief silence followed before James spoke again. “The woman that night—it was you. Why did you lie to me and say it was someone else?”

“If I told you the truth, wouldn’t you be disappointed to know it was me instead of that woman?”

“Caryn… even now, you’re hung up on something that isn’t true…”

“I believe what I saw and heard,” she countered. “Just because so many years have passed, you can’t deny the facts. Once a betrayer, always a betrayer. And I show no mercy to them.”

“Caryn, you’ve always been a smart woman, able to see the truth. But now you’ve shown you can be an idiot as well,” James said. “You’re so stubborn that you only believe in yourself.”

“That’s how I am. If you’re done talking, you can leave.”

“No, I’m not. I haven’t done what I came here for.”

“What do you want?”

“I’m here to take you and my daughter with me.”

“Dream on. I will never have anything to do with you. I would rather die,” she said. “And Natalie is my daughter. You have nothing to do with her.”

“If you hadn’t kept it from me, she would have been with me…”

“Why? Don’t you already have a son?” Caryn countered. “After I left, you got the chance to be with that woman and even had a secret son with her. Why are you here to claim my daughter?”

“He is my adopted son. Other than you, I never had any woman in my life,” James declared.

There was silence on Caryn’s side as she processed his words. “So you couldn’t keep her either. You are such a failure as a man.”

James made every effort to remain calm. “I had nothing to do with her. It was all a misunderstanding…”

“I don’t care,” Caryn interrupted him. “Just know that this is the last time you’re seeing me. After today, don’t ever show up again, and don’t even think of taking my daughter away. I still hate you just as much as I used to.”

“I’m not taking her away. I’m here for both of you. Let’s leave the past misunderstandings behind and—”

“I told you, I would rather die than be with you,” Caryn interrupted him again and finally turned to face him. The lower half of her face was covered by a mask, but her eyes burned with anger and annoyance. “And as long as I am alive, I will never let you take my daughter. Do you understand?”

James simply looked at her for a while. After so long, he was finally seeing her again. Though she had a mask on, it was enough for him. All these years, he thought he hated her—but that wasn’t true. His heart still belonged to her.

His calm gaze met her furious one as he asked, “You would rather die?”

“Yes…” Her words faltered as she watched him walk toward her, closing the distance between them in just a few long, steady strides while he removed the mask covering his face.

The next moment, all she knew was that the tall man was standing in front of her. Before she could say a word or react, he yanked the mask from her face and pulled her closer, pressing her firmly against him.

“James…”

Before she could say more, he kissed her.

Her delicate body, too weak to resist his strength, gave in. James kissed her passionately, as if punishing her for the wrong she had done to him.

When he finally let her go, she could barely stand. James held her steady as she leaned against him, panting heavily against his chest, her eyes closed. But her mind was filled with anger. If she had any strength left, she would have cursed him, slapped him—but she was still too weak, still recovering.

James continued to hold her, knowing she was probably furious with him—but she had left him no other choice. As usual, stubborn.

“You claim to hate me, you call me a stranger and whatnot, but I am the man you have a daughter with. If you had truly hated me, you would never have kept my child. That much, I know about you,” James said, his demeanor calm—so different from the aggression he had shown just moments before.

Hearing this, Caryn tried to push him away. “You are mistaken. You don’t know me at all.”

In response, James lifted her into his arms and placed her on the bed. He gently tucked a few loose strands of her hair behind her ear. “Gray hair suits you.”

“Stay away from me,” she spat, shrugging off his hand, her expression filled with fury. “You disgust me.”

“Disgust?” he echoed. “Then how come you slept with me back then?” He leaned slightly closer. “I was drugged, but were you? Or did you just take advantage of a drugged man?”

She clenched her fists and seethed, “I really hate you.”

James stepped back slightly, looking down at her. “You said you wanted to die, so I just helped you speed it up. Maybe, with your still-weak immune system, you’ll catch an infection from me. For your information, I flew back from Belvorn and came straight here. You can imagine the kind of infections I’m carrying.”

Her gaze snapped up to him, her eyes burning with rage. He truly wanted her dead.