Eternal Love

Chapter 4

Jhie’s POV

“What?! What exactly do you want from me?!” I snapped at him.

“You,” he answered without any hesitation.

“I want you to become my wife,” he added firmly.

“Have you lost your mind?! What do you think marriage is? Do you see it like picking out an item inside a mall that you happen to like, so you just buy it right away without even checking if it’s damaged or broken?!” I shouted back angrily.

“Look, Loraine. I don’t care what you say or what you think. All I want is for you to marry me, even if it’s against your will. There is nothing you can do about it. Because the moment I laid eyes on you, I already claimed you as mine. MINE alone! Do you understand?!”

I was terrified of the look in his eyes. My knees started to shake. I had no idea what to do or how to get away from him. I was so scared! I wanted to run away. My house wasn’t even that far from here, but my body wouldn’t move an inch.

I squeezed my eyes shut in fear and began to pray silently.

Dear God, what kind of mess have I gotten myself into? Please help me get away from this man. I’m so scared.

He noticed every single reaction on Jhie’s face. To be honest, he felt sorry for her. It hurt him deeply every time he saw fear reflected in her eyes. He never wanted her to be afraid of him. But if this was the only way to make her his, then he would do it—even if it meant she would end up hating him. As long as he gets to have the woman he has been dreaming of, nothing else matters.

“I don’t want to go with you. Please… just let me go,” I begged him.

Jake saw tears start to fall from her eyes. It felt like a sharp stab right through his heart. No! No, Jake. Don’t give in. Don’t let yourself feel pity for her. Because if you do, you will lose her forever. He squeezed his eyes shut tightly, forcing himself to calm down and push away the sympathy he was feeling.

“No! You can’t change my mind just by crying,” he said.

He lifted her up easily like she was nothing more than a sack of rice and carried her straight to his car.

She struggled and screamed the whole time, but he only held her tighter. He was afraid he might drop her, especially since she was hitting and pounding hard against his back. It actually hurt, but he ignored the pain. The only thing on his mind was bringing her safely to his home.

Yes, he decided to just take her home with him. He changed his mind. She didn’t have classes tomorrow anyway. He would just call the owner of the coffee shop where she worked—they were friends, after all. Because of that connection, it would be easy for him to make arrangements, especially if he decided not to let her leave his house ever again.

Once he had placed her inside the vehicle, he immediately fastened her seatbelt, making sure it was secure enough that she wouldn’t be able to undo it easily. He quickly ran around to the driver’s seat, started the engine, and drove off as fast as he could. Even though she was screaming at him and fighting to release the belt, he just ignored all the anger she was throwing his way.

“You monster! Let me go! I’m going to file a kidnapping case against you!” I yelled at him between sobs.

He acted like he didn’t hear a word I said. He just kept driving until they reached a private and exclusive subdivision where he lived. This was his own house. He built it specifically so that when the time came that he wanted to settle down, he would already have a home ready for his future wife.

It wasn’t fully furnished yet. He planned to buy all the furniture and appliances when their wedding was near. Hopefully. But looking at their situation now, it seemed like the wedding—or even their honeymoon—would happen way before he got around to buying anything for the house.

As soon as he parked the car, he got out and went straight to the passenger side to get her. She was still fighting him, refusing to let him touch her. She even tried to run away, as if she could actually get out of this place. Tsk.

“You know what hon, stop wasting your energy fighting me. It won’t do you any good. Because you are never leaving this house without my permission. Got it?” he said softly, but with firmness, while staring straight into my eyes.

“You are so cruel! Why are you doing this to me?! I never did anything wrong to you! What is it that you want from me, huh?! Did I hurt you or offend you in any way that you have to treat me like this?! Just go bother someone else! I don’t have time for your nonsense!” I asked him one question after another, tears streaming down my face.

“Whoa, easy there. Can you ask them one by one? And please, just calm down. Don’t worry, I will answer every single thing you want to know. And please… stop crying,” he said as he tried to wipe the tears from my cheeks.

But I couldn’t calm down. I was terrified, especially since he was forcing me inside the house. It would be much harder to escape once we were inside. If I stayed outside, maybe someone would hear my screams and come to help me.

But with how strong he was, my strength was nothing compared to his. I had no choice. He carried me again like a sack of rice and brought me inside. I saw him press the button for the elevator.

He still wouldn’t put me down. When they reached the third floor, he carried me into a room. I didn’t even bother looking around or noticing where we were, because I was still too busy struggling against him. I didn’t care what his house looked like.

Once we were inside, Jake gently placed me down on the bed.

“This is the master bedroom. Our room. Get some rest. I know you’re tired from fighting me this whole time,” he said with a smirk.

I glared at him furiously. I stood up and walked toward him, hitting his chest with all my might. He just let me do it until I eventually ran out of strength. I sank down to the floor, crying my heart out.

“Listen to me. Just do as I say and everything will be easier for both of us. Especially for you. Life will be so much simpler. That’s all I want.”

“Please choose someone else. Not me. Just let me go, will you?”

Jake shook his head firmly. “I’m sorry, honey. But I can’t live without you. Even if…” He closed his eyes tightly and looked up at the ceiling before continuing. It looked like it was difficult for him to say the words. “Even if you hate me, or even if you curse me forever. I hope you can understand why I’m doing this to you.”

I let out a mocking, bitter laugh. “Understand you?! Do you even understand what I’m feeling right now?! Is this all just because of your lust and desires?! Huh?!”

“This is NOT just about lust, Loraine! Yes, you’re right… I am attracted to your body… but it’s more than that, Jhie. I love you. I fell in love with you the very first time I saw you working in that coffee shop. And that same day, I promised myself that I would do anything to make you mine—even if I have to use force,” he explained, tears now falling from his eyes as well.

He admitted to himself that this was hurting him too, and he was afraid of what the future held for them. But he wasn’t going to stop now. He had started this, and now she was here with him. He wasn’t backing down anymore.

He didn’t know why his feelings for her were this intense. He was sure, though, that it wasn’t just lust or physical desire. If it was only that, what he felt wouldn’t be this special or different from anything he had felt before. He thought about it for days and days, and that was when he finally realized the truth: he loved her.

It was true that he found her body attractive, but that was just a bonus. It was only natural that it came with loving someone. But his feelings for her went far deeper than that. He loved her with everything he had. And because of that, he would do absolutely anything to make sure she never left his side. Come what may.