Weaponized Love: The Irresistible Devil Claimed Me

Sexual desire didn't bother with restraint; it pressed forward boldly, blatant and uncontained.

Roselyn Hayes found herself flattened against the fogged glass of the bathroom door, cool moisture seeping into her skin. Her wrists were trapped behind her back while a firm hand locked around her waist, holding her there with practiced ease. She had long since stopped counting how many rounds of sex they had had.

"Why didn't you tell me about flying back all of a sudden?" Wesley Dixon's voice came from just behind her shoulder-low, roughened, threaded with something dangerous.

Instead of responding, Roselyn stared at her blurred reflection and acted as if the question had never reached her ears.

That deliberate silence earned a slow reaction. He dipped his head, teeth brushing her earlobe in a lazy, taunting bite, lingering just enough to make his point.

Three years was more than enough time for Wesley to learn every sensitive part of her body.

With her lashes pressed tight, Roselyn shuddered uncontrollably, tension rippling through her until a soft moan escaped her despite herself.

A chill laugh grazed her ear as Wesley drawled, his voice laced with mockery, "Was this sudden return because Kevin's getting engaged again?"

Something sharp tugged deep inside Roselyn, a quiet flash of pain she couldn't ignore. Her eyes snapped open, focus scattering as the truth hit her all at once. However much it hurt to admit, Kevin Warren was stepping into another engagement.

Curling his lips, Wesley leaned closer, every word dripping with scorn. "You were kicked out and sent overseas three years ago. We've been sleeping together just as long-and you're still obsessed with Kevin?"

The accusation struck hard. Heat surged through Roselyn-anger laced with raw embarrassment. Her jaw tightened before she shot back, "For the past three years, we've been nothing more than friends with benefits! Why does it bother you so much?"

Friends with benefits? Such a clean, convenient label-for something more than that to him. Wesley suddenly turned rough. He pulled Roselyn to the sink and pressed her from behind, making her half-lean against the cold surface. One broad hand locked around her waist, possessive and unyielding, while the other tilted her chin upward, forcing her eyes to meet their reflection in the mirror. His voice dropped, cold and dangerous as he demanded, "Isn't being with me exciting enough?"

His grip tightened slightly. "Stop clinging to Kevin-and remember exactly how I make you feel."

Roselyn endured it, every nerve stretched raw as she faced the woman in the mirror-flushed cheeks, parted lips, eyes glazed with a look she barely recognized. Clamping her teeth onto her lower lip, she tried to ground herself, desperate for anything that might pull her back.

A sharp ringtone cut through the haze. Somewhere nearby, the phone she'd flung aside began to vibrate insistently. The screen lit up with a single name-Kevin.

Her gut lurched as if the floor had dropped out from under her.

She hadn't even drawn a breath before Wesley moved. One swift motion-his hand darted out, scooping up the phone. A tap. The call went through. He turned on the speaker and held it right in front of her, his grip unyielding.

Kevin's voice flowed from the device, calm and familiar, carrying a gentle warmth that made her chest tighten. "Roselyn? You're back?"

For a split second, everything inside her went white and hollow, panic roaring through her veins.

Leaning closer, Wesley brushed his lips against her ear and murmured with deliberate cruelty, "Go on. Say something."

The quiet dragged on before Kevin spoke again through the speaker, his tone tentative. "Roselyn?"

Tension knotted through her body, every nerve drawn tight; her mouth quivered as she tried to form a reply, but Wesley crowded her from behind and abruptly drove the moment faster, his insistence turning rough enough to steal her breath.

Control slipped through her fingers despite her effort to hold it together, and a faint, muffled sound betrayed her anyway.

The line went quiet on Kevin's end for a beat. Concern sharpened his tone as he pressed on. "Roselyn-are you okay?"

In that instant, dread tangled with a sharp, illicit rush of sensation, the two crashing together until her thoughts scattered. The surge left her swaying, stripped of any real control over her body.

Shivers ran through her as every nerve drew tight. Lowering her tone, she forced the words out as evenly as she could manage. "I'm fine... I just twisted my ankle. It was nothing."

Kevin said, "Tell me where you are-I'll come pick you up."

Swallowing hard, she responded, "No-there's really no need."

His reply came smoothly, leaving no room for argument. "Just send me your location-I'll come get you myself. We'll go home and have dinner together."

Wesley's restraint unraveled behind Roselyn, a prickling numbness spreading along her scalp as his movement turned rough.

Knowing she was seconds from giving herself away, panic sharpened Roselyn's voice. "Okay, we'll talk later, Kevin. I'll text you the address," she said into the phone, forcing steadiness she didn't feel.

Without waiting for a reply, Roselyn wrenched the phone from Wesley's hand and killed the call, breath hitching as she set it down.

The instant the screen went dark, she twisted hard and tore free, stumbling a step away from Wesley. Heat still burned across her cheeks as she spun back, anger tangled with a thin thread of fear. "You did that on purpose, didn't you?" she snapped, her gaze blazing.

A lazy arch of Wesley's brow answered her. Defiance sat easily on his face as he smirked. "So tell me, how did it feel sneaking around with me while Kevin was on the line? Kind of exhilarating, right?"

Closing the distance, he dipped his head toward her ear. Warm breath grazed her skin, his voice dropping into a slow, taunting murmur. "Admit it, Roselyn. You clearly enjoyed it."

Color rushed to Roselyn's cheeks all at once, betraying her sudden shyness. With a sharp turn of her head, she looked away, jaw locked tight, the urge to argue burning in her chest-yet no sound emerged. The truth of his words pressed down on her like a weight, leaving her defenseless.

Suppressing the turbulent emotions in her heart, Roselyn avoided Wesley's gaze and began pulling on her clothes with stiff, hurried movements. "Doing it in Zoinbury is fine," she said flatly, fingers trembling as she fastened her buttons. "No one there knew about us. But this is Radena. Things aren't the same anymore." She paused, breath shallow. "From now on, we need to stay away from each other."

After fastening the last button, she slung her bag over her shoulder, grabbed her suitcase, and stepped toward the door without looking back.

From behind her came Wesley's voice-low, even, impossible to read. "So that's it? You got what you wanted, and now you're walking away."

Her steps faltered for a heartbeat and then hastened, heels striking the floor as she fled the hotel room as though chased by something she couldn't face.

Yet, she was unaware that whether they would truly stop seeing each other was never really up to her.

By identity, Roselyn belonged to the Warren family-not by blood, but by name. When she was eight, Kevin's grandmother, Beth Warren, had taken her from a children's home and brought her into the family. For more than ten years, the Warren family had raised her, and for just as long, she had carefully worn the mask of the obedient, gentle daughter they expected her to be.

Bad blood ran deep between Wesley and Kevin, their rivalry long ago spilling beyond the men themselves and poisoning both families.

Whether out of self-preservation or sheer necessity, Roselyn knew she could never let the Warren family-or Kevin-learn the truth about her entanglement with Wesley. Whatever bound her to Wesley had been condemned from the start, meant to exist only in secrecy and silence.

After hurriedly leaving the hotel, Roselyn deliberately wandered several streets away before finally sending her location to Kevin.

His concise response came swiftly. "Wait there. I'm on my way."

The words on her phone blurred as she stared at them, a muted ache blooming quietly in her chest. Telling her to wait came naturally to him. Years slipped by while she obeyed, enduring silence and distance without complaint. Exile followed-driven out of Radena and left to survive alone in Zoinbury for three long years. Even after that, patience was demanded of her again, right up until the moment she heard about his engagement.

By late autumn, Radena's air had turned cruel, the cold biting straight through fabric and skin. A slicing gust rushed past, prompting Roselyn to clutch her trench coat tighter as she dropped her eyes, masking the disappointment on her face.

Moments later, a sleek black Bentley eased to a stop at the curb in front of her.

The driver stepped out promptly, lifted her suitcase, and opened the rear door with practiced courtesy, waiting in silence.

The moment the car door swung open, Roselyn caught sight of Kevin seated inside the car. Clad in a cool gray suit, he wore his shirt fastened cleanly to the collar, every line of him crisp and restrained. A quiet polish clung to his presence-elegant without being aloof, composed yet unmistakably gentle.

Nothing about that familiar warmth had changed over the past three years. When his gaze lifted to her, a faint smile curved at the corner of his lips, soft and gentle. "Roselyn."

Nearly three and a half years had passed since they last stood face-to-face. In that instant, to Roselyn, he felt achingly familiar and impossibly foreign all at once. Everything she had forced herself to suppress surged upward without warning, emotion crashing into her chest.

Moisture blurred her vision. Afraid she might lose control, she dropped her gaze, stepped into the car, and murmured in a low, unsteady voice, "Kevin."

With a muted purr of the engine, the black Bentley eased forward and disappeared into the street.

Kevin didn't question her sudden return at all; instead, his eyes slid down to her foot, brows knitting faintly. His question came low and careful, unmistakably anxious. "Your ankle-how bad was the sprain?"

With a small, reflexive motion, Roselyn drew her foot back, unease flickering briefly across her features. "It's already better. I just twisted it a little while walking."

"Try to be more careful."

She nodded lightly, answering just as softly, "I will."

The few words they exchanged felt clipped, wrapped in an unmistakable sense of emotional distance.

Kevin looked as though he meant to say more, but the vibration of his phone cut in, and once he took the call, his focus shifted entirely to company matters.

Roselyn stayed still in the seat, hands folded, choosing silence as the car glided forward.

Night was settling in as the car rolled through the gates of the Warren estate.

Warm lights spilled across the grounds, leaving the mansion glowing against the deepening dusk.

After ending his call, Kevin stepped out first and then turned back as Roselyn followed him from the car. "While you were in Zoinbury those three years, my parents mentioned you more than once," he remarked in an even, measured tone.

Unsure whether the words came from real concern or polite obligation, Roselyn curved her lips into a restrained smile. "I missed them as well."

The moment Roselyn crossed the threshold, bursts of laughter floated in from the living room, lively and intimate. Standing there, she suddenly felt like an outsider intruding on a scene that had continued perfectly well without her.

Noticing her arrival, Kevin's mother, Jordyn Warren, paused mid-smile, the expression stiffening for a heartbeat before smoothing back into practiced warmth.

"Roselyn, you're back." Jordyn's gaze swept Roselyn from head to toe, appraising. Then, she rose and reached out, drawing Roselyn closer.

"Sylvia, there's someone I'd like you to be introduced to," Jordyn said, smiling warmly at Sylvia. "This is Roselyn Hayes. She's been living in Zoinbury and only returned today."

Turning back to Roselyn, Jordyn added, "Roselyn, this is Kevin's girlfriend, Sylvia Foster. She'll be joining the family soon."

From where she stood, Roselyn studied the woman seated on the sofa. Sylvia's features were fine and balanced, her eyes soft yet clear, her posture relaxed without losing its polish. Even in stillness, she carried herself with an easy grace-calm, elegant, and quietly assured.

"It's good to finally meet you, Roselyn. Please, just call me Sylvia," she offered, her lips curving into a gentle, practiced smile.

Roselyn knew of Sylvia. This encounter had replayed in her mind more times than she could count, yet when it finally arrived, it still caught her completely off guard. Conflicting emotions twisted together inside her, and a dull, spreading ache settled heavily in her chest.

"Hello, Sylvia. I'm Roselyn," she answered, lifting the corners of her mouth despite the stiffness in her face.

Turning slightly, Roselyn offered a polite greeting to Jordyn and Kevin's father, Stefan Warren. "Mr. and Mrs. Warren."

Stefan rose from the sofa and spoke evenly, his voice carrying a quiet authority. "Since we're all finally together, let's eat."

Everyone stood and moved toward the dining room. Sylvia was gently guided along at the center of the group, as if the flow naturally bent around her.

Roselyn found herself left behind.

Kevin took the seat to Sylvia's left, leaving the place on his left conspicuously empty. Without looking back, he said in a composed, unremarkable tone, "Roselyn, why don't you take this spot?"

Sylvia's eyes flicked briefly toward Roselyn, the glance light and unreadable, before she turned her attention away.

Without protest, Roselyn walked over and took the seat, her lashes lowering as she tried to shrink into the background, quiet and unassuming.

Plates crowded the table, rich with color and aroma, yet almost none of the dishes were ones Roselyn truly liked. A knot of conflicted feelings settled in her chest as she kept her head down, eating in silence and offering little conversation.

Only when a piece of sliced sirloin steak landed gently on her plate did her movements finally stall.

"Don't you like sirloin steaks?" Kevin inquired softly, his voice unhurried. "You've barely touched anything."

After a brief pause, he added evenly, "I didn't know you were coming back until this afternoon, so I didn't have time to arrange your favorites. Just eat a little for now. If you're still hungry later, I'll take you to Aura Restaurant."

There was an understated warmth woven into his words.

Caught off guard, Roselyn looked up. He still remembered what she liked-both the dishes and the place she loved most. "Thank you, Kevin," she said quietly.

Sylvia curved her lips into a light smile and flicked Kevin a gently chiding glance. "Kevin, you don't even know what I actually like to eat."

A faint tension rippled through the room, the warmth at the table thinning into something more layered and careful.

Sensing it, Jordyn quickly stepped in, reaching across the table to serve Sylvia several dishes with practiced cheer. "Sylvia, that's not true. Every dish tonight is something you enjoy. Kevin made sure of it first thing this morning. We just didn't know Roselyn would be coming back today, so there wasn't much prepared to suit her tastes. Kevin has always had a remarkable memory. He and Roselyn grew up together and were inseparable as children, so of course, he remembers."

Surprise flickered across Sylvia's eyes as she replied, "Oh? Is that right?" She shifted her gaze to Kevin with a smile. "I do like everything tonight. I just didn't know when you started paying attention to my preferences."

Kevin lifted a piece of lobster and set it neatly on Sylvia's plate. "We eat together every day," he noted lightly. "I notice things. Remembering wasn't difficult."

At his words, a gentle, satisfied smile curved across Sylvia's lips. Turning her head, she looked toward Roselyn and spoke with an easy warmth. "Now I know what you like too. When you're free, you should come have meals with Kevin and me more often."

Roselyn nodded in quiet agreement, her composed facade impeccable even as a slow, uneasy tightness began to coil in her chest. So was there truly no time to prepare the dishes she loved, or had there simply never been any intention to do so at all?

Roselyn tried not to linger on the thought, yet the faint bitterness refused to fade, spreading quietly through her heart. Those casual words from Sylvia made one thing painfully clear-whatever closeness she once shared with Kevin now belonged to the past.

Once dinner ended, Sylvia excused herself, explaining she still had other obligations to attend to. Outside the mansion gates, her driver was already waiting, engine idling patiently in the night air.

Roselyn, Kevin, and Jordyn saw Sylvia off, walking her all the way to the entrance.

Ahead of Jordyn and Roselyn, Kevin and Sylvia moved shoulder to shoulder, their silhouettes effortlessly in sync.

At the doorway, Kevin reached out and brushed a gentle hand through Sylvia's hair. "Go on. Get in safely, and text me when you're home."

Sylvia's eyes curved with contentment as she nodded. "I will."

They looked unmistakably intimate, wrapped in a closeness that shut the rest of the world out.

Roselyn reminded herself that Kevin's happiness was all that mattered-that knowing he was content was supposed to be enough. Yet the ache in her chest refused to fade, spreading deeper with every breath. Standing there, she felt painfully insignificant, as though she didn't even deserve to be near the happiness that belonged to him.

After Sylvia's car disappeared down the long driveway, the remaining three drifted back into the mansion in silence.

At the bar, Stefan poured drinks with practiced calm and then passed a glass to Roselyn once everyone had settled. "When do you plan to go back to Zoinbury?"

An uneasy stillness spread through the room, heavy and expectant.

Roselyn curled her fingers together, gaze fixed on the floor. "I want to stay in Radena."

Silence crept in all at once, pressing down between them.

A crease formed between Jordyn's brows, irritation flashing openly across her face. "Roselyn, don't forget how much we've poured into raising you all these years. Kevin went out of his way to build opportunities for you in Zoinbury. And now you just come back like this?" She paused, voice sharpening. "Are you really prepared to abandon everything you worked for there-and all the resources behind it?"