Jonas rarely had barbecue dinners. He couldn't help grumbling in his heart when he saw Melinda gobble the food down. Yet, he started to enjoy it seconds later.

It was the perfect night for Melinda. Everything about the night seemed beautiful. The cool breeze, salty air, and the delicious dinner made her happy. Melinda rubbed her bulging stomach that was stuffed with food and let out a burp. She smiled. The wind played with her hair as she walked back to the villa.

The starry night added a mysterious charm to the beautiful villa. Melinda stayed at the balcony and stared at the sky.

The breeze carried a chillness with it and Melinda braced herself.

She felt awkward to go back to the bedroom but Jonas didn't bother about what she was thinking. He was exhausted and his eyes were begging him to go to sleep.

So he quickly went to the bathroom, took a relaxing shower, and drifted off to a peaceful sleep as soon as he hit the bed.

The next morning, Melinda's eyes fell on a sports car on the seaside track. There was no food in the fridge and Jonas took Melinda to the supermarket to buy groceries and daily essentials.

Jonas was new to this and had no idea about managing household chores.

Melinda preferred home food, so she loaded her cart with everything she would need to cook. Out of habit, she picked Jonas's favorite things as well.

Although it meant nothing to Melinda, Jonas couldn't help but smile at her thoughtfulness. That one small gesture meant a lot to him.

"Mr. Jonas, you know how to arrange the food items in the fridge, don't you?"

Melinda asked as she held the two shopping bags, grinning sheepishly.

Jonas pursed his lips and didn't argue. He had intended to maintain peace and harmony with Melinda and didn't want to fight with her over a trivial issue.

Melinda understood Jonas and kept a safe distance from him. The person who Emily had arranged to break their relationship became worried as there was not much scope to create problems between them.

There seemed to be no need to ruin their relationship as there was no chemistry between Melinda and Jonas.

Although Jonas had no experience in dealing with the household chores, he reluctantly stuffed the things into the fridge. Once he finished arranging everything, Jonas went to look for Melinda. She was in the balcony, immersed in writing her novel.

Jonas thought that writing was just a phase and that Melinda would get over it soon. He was surprised to see how much she loved writing. Jonas's eyes roamed across Melinda's face. He observed every movement of hers. The way she knitted her eyebrows when she concentrated on something or how she bit her ruddy lip when she examined her work. She looked sexy when she was focused on her work.

Melinda felt that someone was watching her. She snapped her head and glanced at the door. Jonas was leaning against the doorframe, staring at her. Melinda arched an eyebrow with suspicion. She stood up and walked to the door.

A smile tugged at the corners of Jonas's lips as he thought that she wanted to go for a walk with him. But Melinda closed the door on his face and asked him not to disturb her.

Jonas was used to Melinda's coldness and wasn't hurt by her response. Since t

ut a wave of guilt washed over her when she caught him looking at her with a blank face. She felt guilty for hurting him.

Tears streamed down her face and she was on the verge of breaking down. All the emotions that had been simmering in her heart for the last five years seemed to gush out.

Melinda was mad at Jonas for using her. She was mad at herself for letting him use her. Jonas was an animal when he got drunk. He had sex with Melinda every time he got drunk even if she refused.

She would cry and beg him to leave her alone but he would never listen to her. He would be rough and wild in bed. But Melinda was hopelessly in love with him and endured all the pain to please him.

She felt humiliated and disgusted with herself.

Jonas frowned and glanced at his shoulder. He didn't understand what was going on. Melinda walked to the room and shut the door, leaving him all alone.

When Melinda woke up in the middle of the night, she saw that Jonas had fallen asleep on the sofa. She felt sorry for him and put a blanket over him. The next morning, Jonas woke up with a piercing headache. When he reached his hand to massage his temples, there was a stinging pain on his shoulders. He saw a deep teeth mark with dried blood spots on his right shoulder.

Jonas's eyes widened with shock as a hazy picture formed in his mind. He had been a fool last night. He turned his head in the direction of Melinda's room. She was standing by the stairs, watching him with a playful grin.

Jonas was confused. He thought that he was developing feelings for her. He stayed in the villa with Melinda and hardly stepped out. Even if he did, he would return home soon.

He had even ruthlessly declined Emily's invitation to be with Melinda. Jonas tried asking Melinda about what had happened but she continued to ignore him like she always did. She would sometimes flash a strange smile but Jonas couldn't understand what it meant.

He felt intimidated by Melinda's presence for the first time.

Jonas and Melinda stayed in the villa without fighting or arguing. Both of them could sense the tension in the air but neither of them could comprehend what it was.