Chapter 1 · I Drugged My Useless Husband

Chapter 1

I held out a bowl of dark herbal medicine to my newlywed husband, Ethan Sutton.

"Honey, drink this," I said.

His expression was cold, and he didn't take it.

A message flashed across my vision: [Run! He's losing control!]

Fear shot through me, and I dropped the bowl.

A second later, his burning hand caught my wrist.

Ethan pulled me against his chest, and his voice dropped to a rough whisper.

"Claire, you're the one who wanted to give me this," he said. "So where are you running to now?"

*****

On our wedding night, Ethan didn't touch me.

I was Claire Newman, a cannon fodder side character who'd transmigrated into a novel and wouldn't survive past chapter three.

My only job was to play the role of Ethan's obedient wife, wait for the true female lead, Olivia Lane, to redeem him, and then take my payout and disappear.

According to the book, Ethan had a dark temperament and was the business world's most feared tyrant. Everyone called him a devil in a suit.

But we'd been married for a month now, and aside from his icy demeanor, he hadn't laid a finger on me. He hadn't even touched my hand.

I thought I'd figured out the problem.

He couldn't perform. That had to be it.

As a dutiful wife who was planning to cash out and run, I needed to protect my husband's dignity.

I tracked down a secret remedy and spent three hours brewing it myself.

The bitter medicinal smell filled every corner of the villa.

I carried the bowl into his study, head held high and brimming with confidence. The concoction contained all my goodwill, and I was determined to help.

Ethan was leaning back in his chair with his eyes closed, resting.

He was devastatingly handsome—sharp nose, thin lips pressed into a firm line, and lashes so long they looked like two dark fans against his cheekbones.

What a waste.

I set the bowl down on his desk with a loud thunk. The sound echoed through the quiet room.

His eyes snapped open, and my heart stuttered in my chest.

I forced out what I hoped was my most virtuous smile. "Honey, drink your medicine."

He glanced at the bowl of murky black liquid, and his brow furrowed so deeply it could crush a fly.

"What is this?" he asked flatly.

"Something amazing." I lied through my teeth. "It builds stamina and boosts your energy."

[The side character is clueless! Doesn't she know how ruthless the male lead is? He's not touching her because he's afraid she can't handle it!]

[He's scared of hurting her, so he's been holding back until he's about to explode. And now his wife wants to give him aphrodisiacs!]

[If she doesn't mess up, how will the female lead get her redemption arc with him? Our FL's gonna eat well later—sleepless nights ahead.]

A few translucent lines of text suddenly floated across my vision, and my brain short-circuited for three full seconds.

Audience comments?

I blinked hard. The text was still there.

Too much information. I couldn't process it all.

What did they mean by "can't handle it"?

What did they mean by "about to explode"?

I looked down at the bowl of medicine, then back up at Ethan's perpetually icy expression.

His eyes did seem to be hiding a flicker of fire.

And that fire looked like it was growing stronger.

Ethan didn't notice my stunned reaction. He said coldly, "Take it away."

[Oh, please, still playing tough. His Adam's apple has bobbed like five times already.]

[I can smell what's in that medicine. Good lord, it's a full-on aphrodisiac brew!]

[Run, Claire! If you don't run now, you're done for!]

A chill shot through my entire body, and the bowl slipped from my hands. It crashed to the floor and shattered into pieces.

The black liquid splashed all over Ethan's pant leg.

I was screwed.

That was the only thought left in my brain.

I lifted my head stiffly and met Ethan's eyes. They burned crimson, wild and feral.

His gaze looked like he wanted to devour me alive.

I spun around, ready to bolt.

[Running now? Too late!]

The next second, a powerful force yanked me backward. I crashed hard into a scorching embrace.

Ethan's hands clamped around my waist like iron vises, and his hot breath fanned across my ear.

His voice came out rough and low, laced with the grinding edge of restraint. "Claire, you were the one who insisted on feeding me that medicine. So where exactly do you think you're running off to?"

Chapter 1

I held out a bowl of dark herbal medicine to my newlywed husband, Ethan Sutton.

"Honey, drink this," I said.

His expression was cold, and he didn't take it.

A message flashed across my vision: [Run! He's losing control!]

Fear shot through me, and I dropped the bowl.

A second later, his burning hand caught my wrist.

Ethan pulled me against his chest, and his voice dropped to a rough whisper.

"Claire, you're the one who wanted to give me this," he said. "So where are you running to now?"

*****

On our wedding night, Ethan didn't touch me.

I was Claire Newman, a cannon fodder side character who'd transmigrated into a novel and wouldn't survive past chapter three.

My only job was to play the role of Ethan's obedient wife, wait for the true female lead, Olivia Lane, to redeem him, and then take my payout and disappear.

According to the book, Ethan had a dark temperament and was the business world's most feared tyrant. Everyone called him a devil in a suit.

But we'd been married for a month now, and aside from his icy demeanor, he hadn't laid a finger on me. He hadn't even touched my hand.

I thought I'd figured out the problem.

He couldn't perform. That had to be it.

As a dutiful wife who was planning to cash out and run, I needed to protect my husband's dignity.

I tracked down a secret remedy and spent three hours brewing it myself.

The bitter medicinal smell filled every corner of the villa.

I carried the bowl into his study, head held high and brimming with confidence. The concoction contained all my goodwill, and I was determined to help.

Ethan was leaning back in his chair with his eyes closed, resting.

He was devastatingly handsome—sharp nose, thin lips pressed into a firm line, and lashes so long they looked like two dark fans against his cheekbones.

What a waste.

I set the bowl down on his desk with a loud thunk. The sound echoed through the quiet room.

His eyes snapped open, and my heart stuttered in my chest.

I forced out what I hoped was my most virtuous smile. "Honey, drink your medicine."

He glanced at the bowl of murky black liquid, and his brow furrowed so deeply it could crush a fly.

"What is this?" he asked flatly.

"Something amazing." I lied through my teeth. "It builds stamina and boosts your energy."

[The side character is clueless! Doesn't she know how ruthless the male lead is? He's not touching her because he's afraid she can't handle it!]

[He's scared of hurting her, so he's been holding back until he's about to explode. And now his wife wants to give him aphrodisiacs!]

[If she doesn't mess up, how will the female lead get her redemption arc with him? Our FL's gonna eat well later—sleepless nights ahead.]

A few translucent lines of text suddenly floated across my vision, and my brain short-circuited for three full seconds.

Audience comments?

I blinked hard. The text was still there.

Too much information. I couldn't process it all.

What did they mean by "can't handle it"?

What did they mean by "about to explode"?

I looked down at the bowl of medicine, then back up at Ethan's perpetually icy expression.

His eyes did seem to be hiding a flicker of fire.

And that fire looked like it was growing stronger.

Ethan didn't notice my stunned reaction. He said coldly, "Take it away."

[Oh, please, still playing tough. His Adam's apple has bobbed like five times already.]

[I can smell what's in that medicine. Good lord, it's a full-on aphrodisiac brew!]

[Run, Claire! If you don't run now, you're done for!]

A chill shot through my entire body, and the bowl slipped from my hands. It crashed to the floor and shattered into pieces.

The black liquid splashed all over Ethan's pant leg.

I was screwed.

That was the only thought left in my brain.

I lifted my head stiffly and met Ethan's eyes. They burned crimson, wild and feral.

His gaze looked like he wanted to devour me alive.

I spun around, ready to bolt.

[Running now? Too late!]

The next second, a powerful force yanked me backward. I crashed hard into a scorching embrace.

Ethan's hands clamped around my waist like iron vises, and his hot breath fanned across my ear.

His voice came out rough and low, laced with the grinding edge of restraint. "Claire, you were the one who insisted on feeding me that medicine. So where exactly do you think you're running off to?"