THE ENEMY’S BRIDE

Chapter 4

Katherine’s POV

I blinked rapidly, trying to process what I had just heard. Was I hearing things, or was there really a man standing in front of me, talking to me?

"Hello," he said, his voice snapping me back to reality.

He snapped his fingers in front of my face, making me turn to look at him. I slowly emerged from my thoughts, my eyes locking onto his.

"Where's your mind at?" he asked, his tone dripping with irritation. "Can't you see me standing in front of you, talking?"

His voice was laced with disgust, and I felt a surge of anger. Who was he to speak to me like that?

"Who do you think you are to talk to me like that?" I snapped, my voice rising. I was beyond angry.

He didn't flinch at my tone, his expression unyielding. Maybe he realized he was a big jerk and shouldn't have the audacity to talk to me.

I crossed my arms, sneering slightly before looking away from him. But my gaze snapped back when I saw him handing me a check.

"What is this for?" I asked, my voice laced with disdain. "I told you I don't need your stupid check. The accident you caused can't be erased with money..."

But he cut me off, his voice thundering through the air. "Enough!" he yelled, his blue eyes blazing with intensity as he took a step closer to me.

I shifted backward, my heart racing, until I was leaning against the car door for support. He trapped me, his body inches from mine, making my skin crawl.

"What the heck is wrong with you?" I demanded, trying to push him away. But he grabbed my hand, pinning it above my head on the car.

"Let go!" I yelled, struggling to free myself. He hissed, his eyes flashing with anger as he shook his head.

His words made my stomach turn. "You're a lot more beautiful when your pretty mouth is sealed shut," he sneered, his breath hot against my skin.

I tried to push him away, but he leaned in closer, sniffing my hair. "You smell like s**t," he groaned, his voice dripping with disgust.

I felt a wave of embarrassment wash over me. I didn't normally smell like this, but being homeless and hospitalized for a month had taken its toll.

Just as I was about to speak, he blurted out, "Marry me." I was taken aback, my mind reeling with confusion.

"What?" I scoffed, trying to process what was happening. "I don't know if you're psychologically ill, but men don't just hit their woman with their bike, then tell her she smells like s**t before asking her to marry them."

My voice cracked, but I didn't care. He was pissing me off, and I couldn't believe his audacity.

He smirked, his eyes glinting with amusement. "Are you my woman?" he asked, his tone dripping with possessiveness.

I stuttered, my words caught in my throat. "No...no, I didn't mean..." But why was I stuttering? I was taken aback by his response.

"You're not my woman," he said, his tone plain and simple. "You're just a smelly, strange woman that I happened to hit with my bike and feel sorry for."

His words cut deep, and I felt a sting of hurt. How could someone be so cruel? I didn't realize I was crying until his mocking voice pierced through the air.

"Aww, are you crying?" he sneered.

I turned to walk away, but he grabbed my hand. With all my might, I turned back and landed him a hot slap, making his head snap to the side. He clutched his cheek, his eyes widening in shock.

"You," He spat,

My finger raised in warning. "Don't say another word!" I yelled, tears streaming down my face.

I'd had enough of this torture, and he was making everything worse. "I wish I had just died in that accident," I screamed, "instead of waking up to encounter a jerk like you!"

But he didn't flinch, his expression unyielding. I was shocked by his lack of reaction, and it only fueled my anger.

Ever since I met him, he'd had the uncanny ability to show no emotions. But for a fleeting moment, his eyes seemed to betray him, revealing a glimmer of something - though I couldn't quite decipher what.

"Don't say that," he said calmly, his voice a stark contrast to the turmoil brewing inside me.

But I was beyond reason. "Don't tell me what to say!" I spat, my words laced with venom. "You've made my life worse than before. I f*****g hate you so much, and I wish I never met you!"

With that, I turned and ran as fast as my legs could carry me. Tears streamed down my face, blurring my vision. But something primal urged me to glance back, and that's when I saw him - the same guy who'd made my life a living hell.

He was chasing after me, his eyes fixed intently on me. What did he want from me? What kind of man was he?

I kept running, my heart pounding in my chest. When I saw a car approaching, I made a split-second decision - I'd rather get run over than face him again.

I ran towards the car, but just as it was about to hit me, someone yanked me out of the way. "Are you crazy?" a voice shouted.

The car screeched to a halt, its tires smoking as it crashed into a nearby pavement. I stood there, shaken, wondering who'd just saved my life - and why.

I turned to face the guy I was running from, his yelling making me frown. "What do you want from me, huh? Why don't you just let me be?" I shouted back.

"Let you kill yourself? Is that what you really want?" he yelled, his eyes blazing with intensity.

"Yes!" I screamed, pounding my fists on his chest. "Yes, I want to die! I have nothing to live for!" Tears streamed down my face as I continued to hit him, but he just stood there, watching me.

Finally, he pulled me into a tight hug, holding me firmly as I tried to push him away. I was still crying when I heard a voice shouting at us.

"Are you crazy, woman? You could have gotten hit!" The driver yelled, getting out of his car.

I pulled away from the guy and turned to apologize to the driver, but my words caught in my throat when I saw who it was. My mouth opened in shock, and my fists clenched in anger.

It was my ex-husband, the man who had put me in this mess in the first place, the one who had taken everything from me.