\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 21\u00a0<\/p>\n
I barely got the words out before I lifted my chin and looked straight at him, calm and cold.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cDavid,\u201d I said softly, sweet enough to sting, \u201cyour mistress just dared to put her hands on me.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I felt it click inside him. I knew it. This time, the card flipped in my favor.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He moved fast. One second he was across the room. The next, he\u2019d pulled me tight against his chest, his arm locked around me like a wall. He put his body between me and Roxanne, like she was nothing but dirt.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cGet fucking away from her, Roxanne! he snapped, his voice sharp and dangerous. Her lips were shaking. \u201cDavid, please! I was only talking. I didn\u2019t mean anything. I swear.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Crack!\u00a0<\/p>\n
The sound of his palm hitting her face cracked through the room. Loud. Clean. Final. My breath caught even though I told myself not to react.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t ever show your face in front of me again!\u201d he said, his voice shaking with rage. \u201cIf you do, I\u2019ll personally drag you into prison.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
She froze. Her eyes went wide, like something inside her had just shattered.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cPrison?\u201d she whispered. \u201cFor what?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
David stepped closer, his eyes dark, focused, awake in a way I hadn\u2019t seen in years.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cFor everything,\u201d he said slowly. \u201cI remember now, Roxanne. All of it.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Her voice broke. \u201cRemember what? David, you\u2019re confused.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not confused,\u201d he said flatly. \u201cMy memory\u2019s back. Completely back.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
She stumbled backward. \u201cNo. No, that\u2019s impossible.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI remember Isabella,\u201d he continued. \u201cI remember my wife. I remember how you bullied her, how you destroyed her life piece by piece. I remember you ordering Westley to abuse her every single day. I remember the videos. I remember you laughing while she begged.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Her lips parted, but no sound came out.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI remember you beating my son,\u201d he said, his voice dropping lower. \u201cI remember Ryle crying while you stood there smiling. You took advantage of my amnesia and played fucking wife!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
11:13 Wed, Jan 28\u00a0<\/p>\n
She fell to her knees.\u00a0<\/p>\n
86\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI remember clearly now,\u201d he went on. \u201cYou paid men to drag Isabella into a car and leave her bleeding in the street. You slammed your stomach into the table and blamed her for killing a children that was never mine.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Her face went gray.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThis ends now,\u201d David said. \u201cYou\u2019ll rot in prison for what you did. After this, wait. My wrath hasn\u2019t even started.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He turned sharply. \u201cTake her!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The men moved instantly. Roxanne screamed, fought, clawed at the floor.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cDavid, no! No! You need me. I\u2019m your wife! You loved me. You chose me.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He didn\u2019t even look at her.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cLock her up.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
They dragged her out kicking and crying until her voice disappeared down the hall.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Silence.\u00a0<\/p>\n
David turned to me. His chest was rising and falling like he\u2019d just survived a war.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cBelle,\u201d he said quietly. \u201cI only came back because I forgot my wallet. I swear to you, nothing like this\u2019ll ever happen again. I remember everything now. I remember you. I remember our marriage. I remember our son.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He reached for my hand, trembling.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere\u2019s Ryle? Tell me where he is.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I pulled my hand away.\u00a0<\/p>\n
My voice stayed soft, but it cut clean.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re even now.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
His eyes widened. \u201cWhat?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cGoodbye, David,\u201d I said calmly. \u201cI\u2019ll have the divorce papers sent to you.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cNo,\u201d he said quickly. \u201cBelle, don\u2019t do this! Please. Let\u2019s talk. I\u2019ll fix this. I chose wrong for five years, but let me fix it. Let me fix us.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I walked past him without turning. He ran after me in the hall and grabbed my wrist. His voice cracked.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cBelle, please. Don\u2019t leave me again.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
My heart clenched, just for a second. Then another voice slid through the air. Cold. Quiet. Terrifying.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cNadia.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
11:14 Wed, Jan 28\u00a0<\/p>\n
I froze.\u00a0<\/p>\n
86\u00a0<\/p>\n
The name sounded wrong in his mouth. Colt stood a few steps away, eyes unreadable. Ax was behind him, silent as ever.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I tried to walk past, but Colt grabbed my wrist. His grip was gentle, steady, grounding. \u201cNadia,\u201d he said again, low, almost pleading.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cLet me go,\u201d I whispered. \u201cPlease. Not now. I don\u2019t have time to explain.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Before he could answer, David yanked my hand away. \u201cBelle, you\u2019re mine!\u201d he snapped, glaring at Colt. \u201cAnd you, let go of her. This is between us.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Colt didn\u2019t raise his voice.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cTouch her again,\u201d he said calmly, \u201cand you\u2019ll regret it.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
David sneered. \u201cWho the hell are you?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Colt stepped in front of me, shielding me fully.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m her doctor,\u201d he said evenly. \u201cDr. Caius Felipe.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The name hit David hard. I saw it in his eyes. His grip loosened. He stepped back.\u00a0<\/p>\n
My chest suddenly burned. Sharp. Metallic. Like something was tearing inside me. My heartbeat stumbled, loud and wrong.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cColt,\u201d I gasped, clutching my chest as the world tilted.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIsabella,\u201d David shouted, panic crashing through his voice. \u201cStay with me. Please.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Colt didn\u2019t hesitate. He lifted me into his arms like I weighed nothing.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cShe\u2019s coming with me,\u201d he said firmly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
David tried to move forward, but Ax stepped in front of him, arm out, blocking him completely.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cStay back.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The last thing I saw was David\u2019s wild eyes.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Then everything went dark.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I woke up to the sharp sting of antiseptic mixed with saltwater, clean and cold, like the ocean had been poured straight into the room.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Colt sat next to the bed.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Not slouched. Not relaxed. Watching.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The shadows carved his face hard, all sharp lines and dark eyes, burning like he hadn\u2019t slept and didn\u2019t plan to.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He spoke before I could.\u00a0<\/p>\n
11:14 Wed, Jan 28\u00a0<\/p>\n
a\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cDo you even care if you die, Nadia?\u201d His voice was low but raw, like it scraped his throat on the way out. \u201cYou run straight into fire every time, like pain\u2019s the point, like your life\u2019s something you can afford to throw away.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I tried to sit up, instinct more than strength, but his hand pressed me back down, firm and careful at the same time.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cStay still,\u201d he said, jaw tight. \u201cYou think I dragged you here so you could collapse again right in front of me?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I laughed softly. \u201cRelax, doctor. I\u2019m still breathing. I just collapse from stress.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s not funny,\u201d he snapped, then stopped himself, exhaling hard. \u201cYou\u2019re breaking yourself piece by piece, and you look me in the eye like it means nothing. Do you want me to stand there and watch you fall again? Do you want me to lose you too?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
That last part slipped. Cracked.\u00a0<\/p>\n
My chest tightened. I turned my head toward the window, staring at the blue horizon like it could save me.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou don\u2019t love me, Colt,\u201d I said quietly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I saw his hands curl into fists on his knees, his jaw locking like he was holding something back that\u2019d destroy us both if he let it out.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Before he could say anything, his phone rang.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The sound cut clean through the room.\u00a0<\/p>\n
11:14 Wed, Jan 28\u00a0<\/p>\n
86<\/p>\n
Prepare the divorce and ruin your husband by Mark Twain 21 \u00a0 Chapter 21\u00a0 I barely got the words out […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[60],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-23552","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-his-regret-my-victory-novel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23552","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23552"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23552\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23552"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23552"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23552"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}