She quickly turned her face away, retching dryly in agony. James's handsome face darkened so much it looked like he could manifest an inkwell on the spot. Just now, she’d mistaken him for Jackson, he’d kissed her for that long, and she hadn’t felt the slightest bit nauseated. But the moment she opened her eyes and realized it was him, she threw up again... Did she really hate being physically close to me that much? James pondered. “James, can you please get off me? I’m about to…” About to be crushed to death! She didn’t even get the rest of the sentence out before she scrunched up her face and dry-heaved again. James’s gaze turned dark. He didn’t want to let her go; still, seeing her in such pain made it impossible to stay. With a chilling air still clinging to him, he finally moved off her. Lily didn’t actually throw up. Once he was no longer pressing on her stomach, her body felt significantly more at ease. Afraid he might accidentally press on her again, she scrambled up from the bed and sat in the corner against the wall, putting a safe distance between them. Once she was fully awake, she remembered, she had fallen asleep tonight on the big bed in his room. And just now, in that hazy state between sleep and waking, she thought she’d been hugging the plush puppy from her bed. Clearly, she’d mistaken him for that stuffed animal. She’d clung to him like that, grabbed all over him, even barked at him to take his clothes off… Lily’s small frame trembled again. Guilt clawed so hard at her chest she couldn’t even bring herself to look at him, let alone apologize. She also realized he must’ve kissed her out of nowhere because she’d pawed at him and triggered one of his... episodes. It was all her fault. She should’ve just chopped off those damned hands of hers! Seeing how furious he looked now—ice-cold air radiating off him like someone had dug up the Luke family’s ancestral graves—Lily sucked in a breath and cautiously tried, “James, just now... I’m really sorry.”She truly felt awful. He had saved her tonight. He’d kindly made her chicken soup, even let her stay in his room so someone would be there if her fever worsened in the middle of the night. And how did she repay him? By triggering his trauma. She was worse than an animal. Stealing a guilty glance at his impossibly composed profile, she continued, “I think I grabbed onto you earlier… and… well, anyway, I wasn’t trying to take advantage of you. I… I only hugged you and touched you because I thought you were a little dog.” She really had mistaken him for a stand-in for Jackson. A flood of bitterness surged in James’s chest—violent, raging, and all-consuming; it nearly swallowed his soul whole. He didn’t want to be anyone’s stand-in—least of all some stuffed dog. But more than that, he couldn’t bear to let go. After silently fuming for a few moments, he finally spoke, his voice low and firm. “Lily, stay away from that dog of yours from now on.” “Huh?” Was he seriously so worried I'd mistake him for the dog again that he wouldn’t even let me sleep with a stuffed animal anymore? That was so controlling. Before she could recover from the shock, she heard him say, “Don’t think about hugging him, don’t think about touching him, don’t think about him at all, ever again.” “I…” Lily puffed out her cheeks. She wanted to say that the stuffed puppy really was soft and cute. Lately, she’d gotten used to hugging it when she fell asleep. Without it, she worried she wouldn’t be able to rest. She knew how much he hated physical contact between them. If she told the truth, he’d probably think she was looking for another excuse to grope him. But she really loved that puppy, so instead of backing down, she decided to dig her heels in. “I want to hug the puppy…” To reassure him, she quickly added, “Don’t worry, I won’t mistake you for it again. I won’t hug you anymore, or touch you, or have any physical contact with you at all. I’ll make sure not to do anything else that might cross the line.” I won’t do anything to cross the line ever again… So from now on, she only wanted to hug Jackson instead? She could forget it. James thought. Seeing her plush red lips part slightly—clearly about to draw another boundary between them, he cut her off with a cold, firm command. “Come here.” “What?” Lily blinked, confused. Is he that angry over what I’d just done? Is he kicking me out of his bed for good? Only now did it hit her—her sleepwear had practically turned to shreds, leaving barely anything covered. There was no way she could go out into the hallway looking like this. She didn’t obediently get out of bed; instead, she awkwardly raised her arms in an attempt to cover herself, wishing she could melt into the wall behind her. James looked down and caught sight of her disheveled state.That peach-pink silk nightgown—torn and fluttering like scattered flower petals—draped loosely over her body. Like blushing spring blossoms scattered on fresh snow. Innocent yet alluring, with a quiet magnetism that pulled like the tide. The way she sat there—soft, timid, curled into the corner of the bed—she looked like a creature born of myth, out of her depth but eager to test the waters. Like a fish out of water staring wide-eyed at a brand-new pond, she was part wonder, part temptation, and all mystery.