"Careful."

Derek's calm but commanding voice pulled Olivia out of her thoughts.

She came to her senses at once. Flushed with embarrassment, she quickly stepped away from him and struggled to steady her trembling legs.

Once she had pulled her pants back into place, she turned away from him and covered her heated cheeks with both hands. She needed a moment to calm herself.

She couldn't believe she had reacted like that.

How could she have those thoughts about a man who had treated her with nothing but cold professionalism?

After composing herself, she walked over to his desk and whispered, "Is there really something wrong with me?"

Without pausing, Derek continued typing on the keyboard. His fingers moved across the keys with practiced ease. "From what I can see, this doesn't appear to be a gynecological problem. It's more likely a psychological condition caused by going too long without physical intimacy."

Olivia gripped the edge of her shirt more tightly. "A psychological condition?"

"Yes." A serious look settled on Derek's face. "Your condition is most likely the result of your physical needs going unmet in your marriage. If it continues, the symptoms could become worse."

Fear crept into Olivia's heart. "Then what should I do? Should I make an appointment with a psychiatrist?"

"You don't have to." For a brief moment, Derek looked into her watery eyes before he spoke again. "My advice is to have an honest conversation with your husband. Once your marriage has a healthy physical relationship, your condition should gradually improve."

Embarrassment spread across Olivia's face. "But my husband doesn't want to..."

The frustration in her trembling voice caught Derek off guard.

Unable to meet her gaze any longer, he shifted his attention to the computer screen. "There's no need to hold back with your husband. Tell him exactly what you've been going through and ask him to face this problem with you together. Or..."

After a brief pause, he continued, "You could surprise him once in a while. Let him see a different side of you. There should always be a way to work through this. We'll have to wait for the laboratory results before making any conclusions. They should be ready in a couple of days."

Embarrassment completely overwhelmed Olivia.

She gently bit her lower lip before saying, "Thank you, Doctor." Then, she hurried out of the room, eager to leave before her embarrassment grew any worse.

Only a few moments after she left, the back door opened.

A woman in a white coat stepped inside with a stack of patient files in her arms.

The moment she noticed the new patient file on the desk, she frowned. She grabbed a pen and tossed it at Derek. "Derek, did you see my patient while I was away?"

"Sorry, Sharon. I wasn't sure when you'd be back, and she looked like she needed help right away." Derek removed his surgical mask, remaining completely composed. "So I stepped in."

"This isn't the kind of thing you can casually step in to take over." Sharon shot him an annoyed look. "You may have been my most outstanding student in medical school, but you left medicine to manage your family's company. You're no longer practicing, so what if something had happened during the examination?"

A faint smile appeared on Derek's face. "It was only a routine pelvic exam. Nothing was going to happen."

While lightly drumming his fingers against the desk, he raised his eyes to Sharon. "You called me over as soon as I came back to the country. Did something happen?"

Letting out a quiet sigh, Sharon placed the files onto the desk. "Before your mother passed away, she told me she wanted to see you get married and start a family. I never pressured you while you were building your career abroad. But now that you've returned, it's time to start thinking about your future."

Then, she took out her phone and opened a picture of a beautiful girl. "She's the deputy director's daughter. She's around your age, comes from a respectable family, and she's very pretty. Why don't you consider getting to know her?"

After giving the photo a quick look, Derek replied without hesitation, "She's not my type."

"So what kind of woman are you looking for?"

As soon as Sharon asked the question, Derek unexpectedly thought of the woman who had just walked out. The image of her flushed face lingered in his mind.

"The patient whose file is sitting on your desk." Derek rose to his feet with a teasing smile. "It's a shame she's already married. Maybe you can convince her to leave her husband and marry me instead."

Shock spread across Sharon's face. "Derek!"

"Take it easy, Sharon." As he lightly patted her shoulder, a rare smile appeared on his face. "I know you're only looking out for me, but marriage isn't part of my plans right now. The company still needs my attention. I'll come visit you another day."

After saying that, he walked out of the room.

Sharon watched him leave before letting out a weary sigh and dropping into her chair.

Her attention soon shifted to the patient file resting on the desk. Curious, she opened it. "Let's see what kind of woman managed to catch his interest."

Olivia stepped out of the hospital, her mind a tangled mess as she struggled to figure out her next move.

She only had two choices.

The first was to tell Brayden about her condition and ask him to sleep with her.

The second was to bury her embarrassment, let go of her hesitation, and take the initiative to seduce him.

Despite the fact that they never had sex, their relationship had always been good. In the three years they had been together, they had never once had a serious argument. If she explained everything honestly, she knew Brayden would agree without hesitation for the sake of her health.

But that wasn't what she wanted. Something as intimate as that needed to come from genuine desire, not responsibility or obligation.

After countless moments of hesitation, Olivia finally made her choice. She would stop overthinking it and seduce her own husband.

That night, she forced herself to gather her courage. After changing into a set of alluring lingerie, she picked up her phone and called Brayden. "When are you coming home?"

"I won't make it home tonight." Brayden's voice came through the phone, deep and gentle. "Tomorrow's international meeting starts early, so I'll spend the night at the Harborview Apartments."

Their marital home sat out in the suburbs, a spacious villa that kept him far away from the office.

Brayden had bought another place closer to work—a two-level unit at the Harborview Apartments.

Olivia fell silent for a moment before asking, "So... are you alone tonight?"

If he couldn't come home because of work, then she would simply go to him.

A low chuckle came through the phone. "Of course, I'm alone. What, are you worried I have another woman here?"

Olivia gave an embarrassed laugh, quickly covering her true thoughts. "No. I was just asking."

If he had colleagues there for a late-night meeting, showing up out of nowhere would only make things awkward.

After ending the call, Olivia slipped a long coat over her lingerie, grabbed the meal she had carefully prepared, then picked up some condoms before leaving for the Harborview Apartments.

By the time she arrived, it was already eight o'clock.

The door code was one she had chosen when they bought the place, so she entered it without hesitation and stepped inside.

The moment the door opened, the rich aroma of food filled the apartment.

Then Brayden walked out of the kitchen, an apron tied around his waist and a steaming dish in his hands. The scent alone was enough to make it clear he had put real effort into it.

Olivia stared at him, caught completely off guard. "Brayden?"

After knowing him for so many years, she knew better than anyone that he was hopeless in the kitchen. He couldn't even tell salt from sugar. So when did he learn how to cook?

Brayden's head snapped toward the doorway the instant he heard her voice. A flash of panic crossed his features before he could hide it.

Bathed in the warm light spilling from the entrance, Olivia stood there in her long white coat, carrying herself with effortless grace.

She tilted her head slightly, giving him a sweet, teasing smile.

Once, that expression alone would have been enough to break through every bit of his restraint. Back then, he would have walked straight over, wrapped his arms around her, and held her close without a second thought.

But the man standing before her no longer looked at her the way he used to; his eyes carried only tension and irritation. "What are you doing here?"

Olivia's gaze shifted past him and landed on the food spread across the table. "Since when did you learn how to cook?"

"I... I don't know how." Brayden broke eye contact, his gaze shifting aside. "It's just takeout. I only warmed it up."

A moment later, his brows drew together as he queried, "Why aren't you at home?"

"Because you weren't coming back." Olivia inhaled slowly, gathering the courage she had built up all the way here. Then she finally let the words she had practiced over and over spill out. "You couldn't come to me, so I came to you instead."

The moment the words left her lips, she slipped the coat from her shoulders, revealing the delicate, revealing lingerie underneath.

Brayden's entire body went rigid. The sight before him struck like a sudden shock, leaving him completely speechless for a moment.

But the surprise quickly gave way to anger. His brows furrowed deeply, his expression turning glacial. "Olivia, what the hell are you wearing?"

Before she could respond, he snatched up the coat and pushed it back toward her. "Put it back on. Go home. Throw that thing away, and don't ever wear something like this again."

The smile on Olivia's lips slowly disappeared.

She had imagined countless reactions from him. She thought he might be stunned, tempted, maybe even unable to hide his desire. She never expected this.

Yet she refused to back down.

For an entire year, Brayden had avoided being intimate with her.

Tonight, she had already made her decision. No matter what it took, she was going to sleep with him.

She couldn't wait any longer.

Swallowing the embarrassment burning in her chest, Olivia reached out, took his hand, and slowly guided it toward her. "Brayden..."

Her voice softened, carrying a hint of desperation. "We've been married for a year. You've never even touched me. Do you know how lonely that makes me feel?"

She held his hand tighter, her eyes filled with vulnerability. "Please... just touch me."

The second his palm was in her grasp, she felt his entire hand stiffen.

And right as she was about to move it against her skin, a voice suddenly floated down from the staircase. "Olivia, are you seriously that horny?"