Chapter 6
Ena didn't get mad at all. Instead, she flashed an even bigger grin.
She said, "Alright, I'm off to hang out with my new husband. You just focus on patching yourself up, okay? And don't drop dead too soon. Otherwise, our wedding next month would be a total drag without my bridesmaid."
Ena clicked her heels and walked out, full of herself.
After the nurse finished bandaging her up, she left too.
Now, Aileen was all alone in the treatment room.
She leaned against the wall, struggling to her feet, feeling weak as a kitten.
Those hours in the basement had drained every last bit of energy from her. All she wanted now was to find a bathroom, splash some water on her face, and get the hell out of this suffocating place.
Aileen dragged her shaky legs down the hallway to the bathroom at the end.
When she reached the door, she noticed the door to the VIP lounge next door was slightly ajar.
From inside, she could hear some pretty suggestive noises.
There were wet, sloppy kisses and a man's heavy breathing.
A man said, "What did the doctor say? How did the checkup went?"
It was Kevin's voice, soft, doting, and with a husky edge thick with desire.
It was the one Aileen had heard over and over again during seven years of stormy, sleepless nights, echoing through every hidden corner of her heart.
Only, back then, those words were meant for her. Now, they belonged to someone else.
"The doctor said the baby's doing great," Ena cooed, her voice sickly sweet. "And he said your swimmers are top-notch."
Kevin let out a low, rumbling laugh. "Oh yeah? And what about the rest of me? Am I still in top shape?
"I've been holding back for the baby's sake, and it's been killing me. Ena, why don't you give me a little test drive, see if I've lost my touch."
Right after, there was the crisp sound of a belt buckle coming undone.
And then came Ena's playful, sultry protest. "Oh my god, this is a hospital. The door's not even closed all the way. What if someone hears us?"
Kevin said, "Let them hear. We're married, and I'm simply showing my wife some love. Who cares?"
It hit Aileen like a punch to the gut.
She slapped a hand over her mouth, her stomach twisting itself into knots.
A bitter taste burned up her throat.
She couldn't hold it back anymore. She dropped to a crouch right at the bathroom door, dry heaving.
It was so messed up and so disgusting.
Every word, every breath from Kevin lashed her soul raw, like a whip covered in barbs.
This was the man she had loved for seven years.
He crushed her beneath his heel, then turned around and brazenly flaunted his passion with his real wife in the hospital, as if she never even existed.
Aileen scrambled to her feet and bolted out of the hospital like her life depended on it.
Outside, the rain came down in sheets.
She was soaked to the bone, and the rain soaked her wounds, the pain cutting deep.
She huddled in the corner of a bus stop, hands trembling as she pulled out her battered phone and dialed Gary's number.
It rang three times before someone picked up.
"Gary..." As soon as Aileen spoke, her tears came crashing down, mixing with the rain on her face.
She wanted to leave. She couldn't wait another second.
But instead of Gary's voice, all she heard was an icy, emotionless system message. "The number you have dialed is currently unavailable."
Then, an anonymous text flashed onto her screen.
It was just a single photo.
In the photo, Gary's car was boxed in by several black SUVs on a winding mountain road, the front end badly mangled.
Aileen's phone slipped from her hand and crashed to the ground, the screen smashed to pieces.
Despair crashed over her like a black tsunami, swallowing her whole.
Just then, a black Maybach sliced through the rain and pulled up silently in front of her.
The window slid down, revealing Kevin's face, shrouded in darkness, looking like a devil lurking in the shadows.
"Aileen, why did you run?" he said.
Kevin pushed open the car door, his black leather shoes splashing through the puddles.
He strode over, ignoring her struggles, grabbed her hair, and dragged her forcibly into the car.
The door locked with a cold click, the sound echoing like a death knell from hell.
He gripped her chin, his eyes glinting with a sick madness and chilling cruelty. "I was going to let you stay out for a few more days.
"But you're so disobedient, and you don't even care whether Gary lives or dies. Go back to Verdant Manor and stay there until you have a child.
"Don't even think about leaving before the wedding!"
*****
Verdant Manor was the most exclusive villa complex in Brestin City, and for seven years, it had been the gilded cage where Kevin kept Aileen caged.
The rain pounded against the windows, wild and relentless.
Aileen was hurled onto the icy marble floor of the living room.
She was drenched, and the bandage on her forehead was smeared with vivid blood.
"Where's Gary?" Aileen gripped Kevin's pant leg, her knuckles turning white. "What did you do to him? Kevin, if you want to hurt someone, take it out on me. Leave Gary alone!"
Kevin towered over her, his gaze cold and merciless.
"He's not dead," Kevin said, flicking the rain off his suit with a chilling voice. "But if you ever try to run off again, I won't guarantee he'll survive."
Aileen's body trembled uncontrollably.
She knew all too well how ruthless Kevin could be.