Addicted To Love

Chapter 2 Apology

At dawn, Hans Morton jolted awake from his dreams, realizing he had been moved to a sheltered corner.

"Thank goodness! You're alive! I searched for you all night. You really know how to hide!" his friend Ryan shouted with relief, quickly striding over.

Ryan lifted Hans' shirt, revealing several deep wounds at critical points.

After inspecting the injuries, Ryan exclaimed, "Man, you're incredible! Hurt this bad and still managed to bandage yourself!"

Hans knew it was the woman from last night who had helped with the bandaging.

Ryan's expression turned grave. "They really wanted you dead."

Hans' hawk-like eyes lifted, his gaze chilling as he silently declared war on the distant enemies.

Then he pushed Ryan's hand away, preparing to button his shirt. In doing so, he unintentionally exposed a suggestive hickey. Ryan yelped, "Good Lord! I can't believe your family would stoop so low! They know you're allergic to women and yet sent one here to humiliate you! Did you break out in hives? Damn! I forgot to bring the antihistamines."

Seeing Hans remain silent, Ryan grew more anxious and, at the same time, cheekily leaned closer. "Hey, did she succeed?"

Hans recalled how he almost succumbed to temptation, his eyes darkening with the memory.

Ryan was about to ask more, but Hans, exasperated, shot him a glare. "Shut up! Take me to the hospital!"

Only then did Ryan remember the urgent matter at hand, swiftly curbing his curiosity. "Yes, sir!"

"And also, when we get back, pull the surveillance footage from here. I need to find someone," Hans continued to instruct.

"Who are you looking for? That woman? Wait, are you into that kind of thing? You like it when women take charge?"

Hans' piercing glare silenced Ryan immediately.

*****

Renee dragged her aching body as she slowly walked home. The man had made her come with his hands several times last night, and dawn was almost breaking by the time it was over. But she couldn't deny that it had felt amazing. Thinking about how she had even helped him come with her legs at the end, she blushed.

Chase bumped into her as she pushed the door open and he demanded, "s**t! Look who finally decided to come back! Where were you last night?"

Renee, feeling weary, simply ignored Chase.

Chase grabbed her by the collar, inadvertently pulling it open, revealing the hickeys on her neck.

Furious, he questioned her, "How dare you cheat on me?!"

Renee casually replied, "Yeah, I learned it from you."

Chase unconsciously let go, trying to gauge how much Renee knew about his own affairs, his mind racing to come up with a plan.

Gently smoothing her rumpled collar, she shot him a disdainful look.

Chase quickly composed himself. "It's hilarious that someone would actually touch a tramp like you. I'm not even going to bother this time. I'm hungry. Go make breakfast."

Ridiculous! Renee had no intention of engaging in a pointless argument and laid her cards on the table. "I want a divorce."

A surge of anger twisted Chase's face as he snarled, "You w***e! You must've had a good time last night, huh? Tell me, who was it?"

"No idea! But it felt so much better than sleeping with you," Renee said, savoring the taste of revenge as she watched Chase's reaction.

"b***h, I'm gonna kill you!"

Chase shoved her hard, causing her head to hit the cabinet. As he continued to hurl insults, he spat, "Do you still think you're some high-class lady? How dare you provoke me? Your family's business is about to go under..."

Exhausted from a sleepless night and still hungover, Renee barely heard Chase's words before she passed out...

Splash!

A bucket of cold water brought Renee back to consciousness.

Was she dead? Was this heaven? If there was a next life, she swore she would take control of her own fate.

"You are finally awake." Her stepsister Lina's sharp, sarcastic voice rang in her ears.

"Getting kicked out after cheating? How disgraceful! You've brought shame to our entire family!"

Renee looked at her stepmother Bella and stepsister Lina, a bitter smile forming. She hadn't ascended to heaven but was thrust back into her harsh reality. Fighting the soreness in her body and the fog in her mind, she sat up and coldly retorted, "That's what happens when you have someone like Bella, who f****d her way up to the top, as a role model."

Enraged, she turned to their father, Jack Welch, for support. "Dad! Did you hear what she just said?"

It was only then that Renee noticed Jack. She said to him, "Dad, I want a divorce."

"I won't allow it!" Jack coughed violently, and his voice was strained. Renee halted her steps but didn't turn around.

Bella hurried over to help Jack calm down. "Jack, are you still not gonna tell Renee about the family's situation?"

Jack looked embarrassed. "Renee, my dear, I can't hide this from you anymore. The company your mother and I founded, Xyron, is on the brink of bankruptcy. Without Chase's financial support, our company will collapse! There's nothing I can do!"

Renee recalled her mother, who had gripped her hand on her deathbed, urging her to protect Xyron at all costs. If her mother were still here...

"I'm begging you, please apologize to Chase. I promise I'll bring you back home if we can get through this crisis!"

Renee looked at her father, not believing a single word he said, but for her mother's sake, she was willing to see if there was another way to save the company.

It was late when Renee returned to the house she and Chase nominally shared.

As she passed through the living room, she saw Chase having dinner. Upon seeing her, Chase threw down his knife and fork. "What a turn-off. I've lost my appetite!"

Renee ignored him and kept walking.

"Stop right there!" Chase suddenly commanded.

She turned to look at him. Yet Chase sneered, pointing to the floor, his tone condescending as if he were talking to a dog. "Apologize and crawl to me."