Using Me as a Substitute? Did You Know Your Best Friend Calls Me Wife?

When Adrian Preston said this, he raised an eyebrow, looking devilishly wicked.

’It made her feel that if he hadn’t chosen a righteous path, he could be wicked beyond imagination.’

’He was either an absolute saint or an absolute sinner.’

Before long, the wine in the decanter was finished.

Mia Kane’s heart pounded in her chest. She had no idea what Adrian Preston was planning to do, acting so crazy.

’He clearly knows my plan, so why is he still drinking?’

Adrian Preston stood up and immediately felt the drug’s effects. A wave of heat washed over him, and his eyes grew hazy.

Those beautiful, almond-shaped eyes now looked at everything with a deep affection. Mia Kane hadn’t had a drop to drink, but just meeting his gaze made her feel a little drunk herself.

"Mia Kane, take me back to my room."

His voice was like a spell she found impossible to resist.

She went to support him. He couldn’t hold his liquor to begin with, so this amount was more than enough to get him drunk.

He leaned most of his weight on her, and she struggled to get him to the room.

The moment the door closed, Adrian Preston—who had just been languid and drunk—pounced like a wolf, pinning her against the door. His thin lips, carrying scorching breath, descended upon hers.

Caught completely off guard, Mia Kane was forced into a passionate embrace, her own breathing growing ragged.

He kissed her, his voice hoarse.

"Give yourself to me completely, Mia Kane. Become Mrs. Preston, okay?"

His lips moved to her ear.

His voice was low and husky, now tinged with a hint of pleading.

If she just nodded, they would be a proper, legitimate husband and wife.

He wanted her to be his, body and soul.

Mia Kane’s mind was reeling, but she hadn’t lost her senses yet.

She didn’t dare give her heart to anyone again. Once she agreed, there would be no turning back.

She had been an ungraceful loser once before; she didn’t want to be one a second time.

"No... don’t... I just want to have a child with you, a child that’s mine... I don’t want to take on any other responsibilities."

She stammered, finding her voice.

The man on top of her, who had been wild and feverish just a moment ago, suddenly froze all movement. He backed away several steps, putting distance between them.

He narrowed his eyes dangerously, the corners turning red. They were filled with suppressed lust, a raging maelstrom.

He clenched his fists so tightly that the veins on his forehead bulged, his entire body impossibly tense.

She knew better than anyone how much of the drug she had used.

And he had drunk all of it. He must be burning with desire right now, in absolute agony.

"Adrian... stop trying to act tough... It’s normal for a man and a woman to be together. People have physical needs. I’m willing..."

"Mia Kane, you don’t understand. You don’t understand anything."

She had no idea of the consequences of provoking him. He had an indescribable craving for her, one he had been constantly suppressing, never taking that final step.

Because he knew that once he started... he would never be able to stop.

He would never let Mia Kane go in this lifetime.

’If she had come to me without resorting to this, I could still hold back... still give her other options.’

’Mia Kane... you will never know who I really am!’

"Adrian, take me."

She took a step forward and slowly began to unbutton her blouse.

But suddenly, she froze, staring at him in a daze.

Adrian Preston had... smashed a vase and viciously stabbed a sharp shard of porcelain into his own thigh.

Blood gushed out, slowly darkening the color of his gray trousers.

"Adrian? Adrian—"

Her voice grew shrill as she rushed over.

Adrian Preston’s face paled, his forehead slick with sweat.

The lust coursing through him made his body burn. But the sharp pain made it turn cold.

Shifting between hot and cold, his entire body was drenched in sweat.

"What are you doing?"

"Mia Kane, you underestimate me."

Adrian Preston freed a hand to grip her chin. "This is your last warning. Either you stay by my side willingly and be Mrs. Preston for life, or you stop provoking me. The consequences are not something you can bear."

"Adrian, I was wrong... Please don’t hurt yourself, okay..."

"I told you. That little bit of drug isn’t enough to kill me."

The pain in his thigh was far from enough.

The pain suppressed the desire, but it wasn’t long before the lust came rushing back, overwhelming him like a swarm of ants gnawing at his flesh and blood.

Mia Kane was right in front of him, her unique, feminine scent wafting through the air.

Her body was so soft.

Unbelievably soft.

’I clearly have other ways. I could have her... relieve me... in other ways.’

’But I won’t!’

He just wanted to show Mia Kane the consequences of provoking him—that he could be crazier than anyone else.

He picked up another shard and stabbed it into his flesh again.

His palm was also cut, blood streaming from it.

"Don’t... Don’t..."

Mia Kane cried out, whether from fear or guilt she didn’t know. She truly knew she was wrong now.

She wanted to stop him but was powerless to do so.

He harmed himself several more times before he finally suppressed the desire.

"Run the bath. I need a shower."

After the ordeal, he was weakened. He took a difficult step toward the bathroom.

But before he could take two steps, he collapsed completely.

Mia Kane managed to catch him, but his body was too heavy for her, and she fell to the floor with him.

"Call a doctor! Quickly, call a doctor! Someone, help! Someone..."

Her frantic cries alerted the maids, who quickly helped get him to the hospital.

Adrian Preston was still unconscious, and the doctor gave her a stern lecture.

"Your boyfriend is a virile young man in his prime, and you drugged him? Aren’t you afraid you’d cause some permanent damage?"

"The external wounds aren’t a major concern; they’ll heal after being stitched up. But this... don’t be so reckless. You young people are just messing around."

Mia Kane wished she could find a hole to crawl into and hide.

Just then, Adrian Preston’s eyes fluttered open.

The doctor hurried over to check on him.

"He’s mostly fine now, but he took too much sildenafil. His blood flow was so fast his blood vessels nearly burst. That would have been a life-or-death situation. It could have caused a myocardial infarction or cardiac arrest."

"I understand, Doctor."

"And you, young man," the doctor added, "don’t hold it in so much. You need to let loose now and then... You’re a grown man, it’s normal to have needs, and it’s not like you don’t have a girlfriend."

The doctor was a doctor, after all. He could tell at a glance that Adrian Preston was pent-up with nowhere to direct his energy, so he couldn’t help but offer a bit of advice.

Don’t let all that pent-up energy cause you harm.

Adrian Preston slowly closed his eyes. ’Just pretend I never woke up.’

A moment ago, Mia Kane had been mortified. But now, she actually felt the urge to laugh at Adrian Preston.

But in this situation, she really couldn’t bring herself to laugh. The two of them just stared at each other.

"Adrian, I’m sorry. I didn’t realize you were so... principled. It won’t happen again."

’Looks like I’ll have to find someone else to "borrow a seed" from. If it comes to it, I’ll just find a quality donor at a sperm bank. Why waste time trying to force the issue with this guy!’