Chapter4
1861 Words
The familiar room came into view as Mia came to her senses. She was already home, lying on her bed. The hospital gown that had previously covered her body had now been replaced by her nightgown.
As her gaze fixed on the wedding photo hanging on the wall, her eyes welled up as she realized the photo now looked unfamiliar. Even the room she had occupied for years was now filled with the scent of Vivi’s perfume, the scent of lilies.
Mia massaged her temples as memories of the previous events swirled in her head. She remembered seeing Vivi and Alex in the garden, then fainting in the hallway.
And... her eyes widened as she recalled her body being caught by the figure she had been avoiding all this time, Verdict. Mia shook her head vigorously, she was certain she had merely hallucinated about that man at the time. She desperately hoped she would never have to face him again.
"You're awake, Mrs. Miller?"
Mia’s body jolted. Her neck stiffened as she turned toward the voice. Her breath caught the moment her eyes found the man leaning against the balcony railing.
“V-Verdict...” Her voice faltered. Her face hardened as she watched Verdict begin to walk toward her
"Did you come to kill me?" Mia's voice trembled as the man stopped beside the bed, and a chill raced down her spine.
“Either you marry me or die by my hand. It’s all up to you,” he said with a full-blown smirk on his face. Verdict sat on the edge of the bed, causing Mia to instinctively shift away.
Mia’s movement only spurred Verdict into action. A sharp yank on her wrist sent her body hurling forward, she would have collided with his broad chest had he not swiftly clamped his hand around her upper arm to steady her.
Mia held her breath, feeling their faces less than an inch apart.
The warmth of Verdict’s breath made Mia’s heart race uncontrollably.
“Know this, even if you hide at the ends of the earth, I won’t let my target slip away easily,” he said sharply and provocatively.
His grip tightened as Mia struggled, trying to break free. Mia couldn’t move, her body felt pinned down, and a small moan escaped her lips.
“I don’t want to die. And I don’t want to marry you!”
Verdict laughed softly. “Don’t you realize? Your husband doesn’t consider you human. Your child is dead, and you’re shattered. Until just a moment ago, I thought death would suit you perfectly. But now…” A wry smile suddenly appeared on his lips. “Doesn’t it feel a little more interesting?"
Her pupils trembled as she stared at the man’s smile, her mind spiraled, desperate to unmask whatever devious plan Verdict was plotting.
Tap... Tap...
The sound of footsteps from outside made Mia’s body tense. Panic began to overtake her when she heard a click at the door.
Panic surged through Mia as she heard the approaching footsteps. Her mind is all over the place. What if someone saw Verdict in her room? The whole house would be in an uproar if they found out she was hiding a mafia fugitive in her room!
“Verdict, someone’s coming. Please leave—”
“And if I don’t want to?” Verdict cut her off with a knowing smile.
“I’ll be in trouble if anyone sees me with you in the room—”
A sudden, bruising kiss claimed Mia’s lips, stealing her very breath and paralyzing her heart in an instant.
In an instant, anger welled up inside him.
“You bastard… what are you doing!” she growled as she shoved Verdict’s chest with all her might. But she was no match for his strength. The kiss broke a few seconds later, along with a mocking smile on Verdict’s lips.
“You mean, someone might think you’re cheating? Like this?” Verdict suddenly grabbed Mia’s waist and pulled her down until she was sitting between his thighs. When Mia struggled again, he locked her movements by hugging her waist tightly.
The next moment, he suddenly crushed his lips against Mia’s forcefully, sending waves of heat throughout her body. Mia tried to push him away, but the kiss only grew deeper and rougher.
Mia's body weakened as the door swung wide open and the heavy footsteps of someone entering her room. No matter who it was, Mia didn’t want to know what happened next!
“You two… what are you doing!”
The voice boomed with rage.
Mia unconsciously squeezed Verdict’s shoulder, realizing it was her husband who had arrived.
A sharp flash crossed her eyes as she recalled last night’s events, when Alex and Vivi had made love on this very bed. Their moans back then felt like they were tearing her heart apart.
Her anger peaked when she turned and her gaze met Alex’s furious glare. His face was flushed red, the veins in his neck bulging, and his stare seemed to want to devour Mia. For some reason, that expression only fueled Mia’s desire deeper, making her want to push Alex even further over the edge.
Verdict seemed to sense Mia’s anger. A sly glint flashed in his eyes as he gave a small bite to Mia’s lip. His eyes sparkled with triumph as he watched Alex’s face nearly explode. “Return my kiss, Mia…” he whispered with a smirk.
Slowly, Mia wrapped her arms around Verdict’s neck. Without hesitation, she pulled Verdict’s nape closer and returned the kiss with intensity. Eyes closed, she felt their lips melding deeper together. She ignored Alex’s hurried footsteps approaching the bed.
“f**k! MIA, WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!” Alex’s scream filled the room. That outburst only made Mia more passionate in her kiss.
The kiss ended when Mia felt a strong tug on her hair. A moan escaped her lips as she felt Alex’s rough pull on her arm, before she was dragged off the bed and fell to the floor, landing face-down.
A sharp pain pierced her stomach, causing her entire body to lose the strength to move. She clenched her fists tightly as she tried to sit up.
She hadn’t even had time to look up when a hard slap struck her face, causing the corner of her lip to bleed and her vision to go blurry. Then, she felt a powerful kick to her body that sent her crashing back down.
A groan of pain escaped her lips as she couldn’t bear the intense sting that felt like it was slicing through her stomach.
“You damn woman! You have no shame! How dare you cheat right in front of him, even with my own enemy!”
Mia looked up. She glared at Alex with eyes filled with deep hatred. That gaze only fueled Alex’s rage further. “How dare you look at me like that!”
Alex’s hand flew out to slap Mia again, but his movement halted when another hand suddenly gripped his wrist tightly.
Snap!
The sound of breaking bone rang crisply through the air, followed by Alex’s groan of pain.
Aaargh!
Thud!
Verdict landed a punch on Alex’s jaw. The man fell to the ground, but that didn’t seem to be enough for Verdict. He delivered several brutal kicks to Alex’s body until the man was too weak to get back up.
“Your arrival disrupted our intimacy, you know?” Verdict said with a condescending tone. He stared at Alex, who was coughing while clutching his jaw.
“I wonder, have you been unable to satisfy your wife all this time, that she seems so desperate for my touch?”
“Who gave you permission to touch her, you bastard!” Alex shouted, his voice hoarse, he tried to get up but stumbled back down.
“Your wife herself gave me permission…” Verdict replied with a satisfied tone. His gaze shifted to Mia, who still looked shocked on the floor. “Right, Mia?” he asked in a light, teasing tone.
Mia bit her lip, her hands clenched on the floor as her gaze locked onto Alex. A flash of satisfaction crossed her eyes as she watched Alex grow increasingly frenzied with rage.
“That’s right… I let him touch me,” Mia replied with a cold smile.
“You damn woman! I’ll destroy both of you!” Alex roared, but before he could get to his feet, Verdict kicked him again, sending him crashing back to the floor.
“Years after I put you in prison, it turns out you’re free. Just you wait… I’ll make sure you go back to prison!” Alex said, filled with hatred.
Verdict’s face darkened further as his past was brought up. A cold laugh curled his lips. As soon as his laughter stopped, he crouched down and grabbed Alex’s collar forcefully.
“I’m curious ... will you be able to send me back to prison this time?” he sneered. After roughly releasing Alex’s collar, he turned to Mia’s side. His muscular hand slowly reached out, hovering in the air for a few seconds as Mia simply stared at the outstretched hand with a blank expression.
“Will you come with me?” he said with a blank expression. His voice was low and hoarse, yet Mia didn’t hear the threat in it that she had before.
Doubt clouded Mia’s heart. If she went with him… she might never be able to escape him again. And if she stayed… she would live like she was in hell under Alex’s grip.
Her plan to take revenge on Alex in her own way had completely fallen apart. In her weakened state, Alex would harm her first before she could even get her revenge.
“Mia, if you take even one step out of my house, your grandfather will feel the consequences!”
Her face hardened, and then her emotions exploded. Mia knew full well that Alex never joked around with his words.
“Bastard! Son of a b***h! How dare you threaten me with my grandfather! Don’t drag my grandfather into this!”
Alex suddenly laughed, his bruised face taking on a defiant expression. “Right now, I’m the one responsible for his medical care. If you don’t comply, maybe I’ll just hasten his death?”
Alex’s words left Mia frozen in place. Her heart pounded harder, remembering her grandfather’s condition, he had cancer and had been in the ICU for the past six months.
Her grandfather was the only family she considered family right now. How dare Alex use him to threaten her? And to make matters worse, she had no power to protect her grandfather.
Slowly she looked up, gazing at the man she knew might kill her one day. She was so afraid of him... but she also needed his strength. His hand slowly reached out to take the outstretched hand.
His lips trembled, then the words he’d weighed over and over in his mind finally came out.
“Verdict, take me away… please save my grandfather.”
- Writer
