My First Love Died, Now My Step Uncle Wants Me-Chapter 52: Far From Enough

By dinnertime, Nina Wynn seemed to be back to normal.

But her spirits were low, and she remained curled up on the sofa, listless.

The butler prepared the meal, served it, and then discreetly left. The room was empty except for Caleb Rhodes and Nina Wynn.

Before Caleb Rhodes could go and hold her, Nina Wynn spoke.

"Uncle Caleb, where’s my phone?"

It was the first thing she’d said all day.

Her voice was as soft as ever, though it trembled slightly on the two words "Uncle Caleb." She was still afraid, but this was a day earlier than Caleb Rhodes had planned.

He’d thought she wouldn’t speak for at least two days. He hadn’t expected her to break her silence a day early. It seemed her resilience was much greater than he’d imagined.

"Eat first. After you eat, I’ll have someone bring a new phone over."

Nina’s expression grew anxious. "What about my old phone?"

Caleb Rhodes’s hand paused. "It was too old. I threw it away."

Nina was stunned for a moment, then, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, she shot to her feet. "Where did you throw it?"

She looked like she was about to rush out and retrieve it.

Caleb Rhodes’s eyes turned cold, his tone chilling as well. "I threw it out with that little box. Nina, be good and you can have anything. Behave badly, and you’ll have nothing."

The moment he spoke, Nina deflated like a punctured ball. The flash of kittenish defiance she’d mustered a moment ago vanished completely.

Head bowed, she obediently sat down at the dining table.

Caleb Rhodes placed the cooled fish congee in front of her, then touched her forehead.

This time, she didn’t dodge as she usually did. Instead, she let his hand rest on her forehead for a moment, showing no sign of resistance.

It was as if she had already grown used to this kind of touch.

Feeling that the temperature against the back of his hand was normal, Caleb Rhodes knew this ordeal was over.

The dose he’d given her had been a strong one. She was already terrified of him, yet she’d been forced into such intimacy—they’d done everything but the final step, with his hands, with his mouth. That she had endured it until he finished had already surprised him.

Although it was fish congee, the dishes on the table included more than usual: braised chicken with potatoes and steamed egg with minced meat. The potatoes and chicken were stewed until very tender, and the steamed egg was drizzled with a light soy sauce. It was to Nina’s liking.

Nina ate half of the congee but barely touched the other dishes.

She put down her chopsticks and tugged on Caleb Rhodes’s clothes. "Uncle Caleb, my phone."

Caleb Rhodes glanced at the untouched dishes on the table, his eyes cold and his tone chilly. "You’ve eaten too little. Eat more."

As he spoke, he pushed the freshly squeezed orange juice in front of her. "Have a few sips of this too."

Nina’s soft, pale hand fidgeted with her clothes. She ate a little more of the steamed egg and took a few sips of orange juice before looking up at Caleb Rhodes.

Seeing that Caleb Rhodes’s expression was still blank, she grew anxious and explained, "I’m already full. If I eat any more, I’ll throw up."

Caleb Rhodes reached out to wipe a drop of juice from the corner of her lips, then stood up and made a call.

A short while later, someone delivered a brand-new phone.

But Nina’s eyes were filled with disappointment. She didn’t even want to take it.

Caleb Rhodes frowned. "The old phone was too old, it wouldn’t even turn on. This one has your old SIM card in it. Your friends’ numbers are still there."

Nina looked at him without speaking, as if trying to judge the truth of his words.

The coldness in Caleb Rhodes’s eyes deepened. "Nina, no one dares to question if my words are false."

The moment he spoke, the oppressive aura of a man in power washed over her.

Crushed by this pressure, Nina lowered her head and, after a long moment, reached out to take the phone.

Before she could even get a firm grip on it, Caleb Rhodes spoke again. "Who is Hugh Chapman?"

Nina’s heart jumped, and she quickly said, "A client who buys my paintings. He’s sick and in the hospital. I have to paint one picture for him every month. I took a year’s worth of payment from him."

Caleb Rhodes grunted in acknowledgment. "He called you thirty-four times."

Nina started to put her hand behind her back but immediately caught herself. She clutched the phone in front of her and said in a small voice, "I took three thousand from him, so he’s probably anxious."

Caleb Rhodes’s gaze lingered on her hand for a second, his tone softening. "A small painting for just over two hundred?"

Nina kept her eyes downcast, her voice very soft. "It’s quite troublesome. He’s seriously ill and probably thinks he doesn’t have long to live, so he has a lot of requests. I don’t want to paint for him anymore. I was planning to refund his money."

Just then, a breeze blew in through the slightly ajar door, making her white dress dance in the wind. Even the bangs on her forehead fluttered gently.

She looked especially beautiful, especially obedient.

Caleb Rhodes only glanced at her before pulling her into his arms and capturing her lips with his.

She closed her eyes, her hands instinctively hiding behind her back.

This time, she seemed a little more relaxed than before. When he hurt her, she clutched his clothes tightly and begged in a small voice, "Uncle Caleb, it hurts... be gentle."

Unfortunately, her pleas for mercy did not stir any pity in Caleb Rhodes; instead, they fueled his desire.

He carried her back to the room and had her straddle his waist. Biting her ear, he said in a hoarse voice, "Nina, just like I taught you yesterday."

This time, Nina seemed very obedient.

But when her small, soft, inexperienced hands covered him, his eyes turned bloodshot.

As night fell, the game of cat and mouse had only just begun.

One night was not nearly enough.

The next day, Nina Wynn didn’t wake up until noon.

Her hands were so sore she could barely lift them.

Her head was groggy, and before she even spoke, she could feel a soreness in her throat.

She took her phone from under her pillow, sent a few messages, and then turned it off again.

Last night, Caleb Rhodes hadn’t been too excessive at first, but he became a little frightening later when they went to the hot spring.

It was as if he was obsessed with her feet. He hadn’t had his fill in the water, and he held one all night while she slept.

She looked down at her ankle and saw that the skin was already starting to peel.

After spacing out for a moment, she changed her clothes and left the room.

Caleb Rhodes wasn’t there. The butler watched her eat lunch, saw her drink every last drop of her medicine, and then told her she was free to move about the hotel.

Nina Wynn breathed a sigh of relief, returned to her room, and fiddled with her phone for a while.

The people who contacted her were, of course, Hugh Chapman and Noelle Landon.

But there wasn’t a single message or call from the person she most wanted to hear from.

After making up a dozen or so excuses, she finally managed to put Noelle Landon off. She planned to find a way to go see Hugh Chapman in a few days, no matter what.

Autumn in Elysian City was picturesque. Vibrant colors were everywhere, and the sky was as beautiful as a blue watercolor painting.

A light breeze was blowing. Strolling through the hotel’s rear bamboo garden, Nina felt a sense of ease she hadn’t experienced in a long time.

Her memories were too painful to revisit, and the path ahead was fraught with difficulty, but at this moment, she felt that the breeze of the living world was still worth feeling.

Unfortunately, the pleasant moment didn’t last. After sitting in the small bamboo grove for less than half an hour, she heard Lana Shaw’s voice.