Caroline’s POVA tense silence filled the room. William and I were too stunned to speak as the red mark in his cheek burned. Finally, as if in a fit of sobriety, William got off of me.William endeavored to speak, but he couldn’t seem to find the words. After a minute of floundering for what to say, he spoke, his voice cold and simmering with something I couldn’t quite pin. “You want to be alone? Fine, be alone.”With a scowl and a biting look, he left, leaving me completely by myself.Sitting up in bed, my first priority was to calm my racing mind and pounding heart. I could hardly process all that had just taken place. What had he been planning to do with me? Was he insane?The motives behind William’s behavior eluded me, but at least he was no longer in the room. It gave me the opportunity to finally get some rest without having to worry about his invasive presence. Laying down in the master bed, my eyes slipped shut and I fell into a slow and uneasy sleep. When I awoke, it was du
Caroline’s POV:Silence reigned as William’s mind struggled to comprehend my words. Slowly, he grabbed a bottle of booze off of the coffee table and took a swig, followed by a look of genuine disbelief.“You won’t die,” he said at last, his voice cracking with emotion. “You can’t die. If you die, then… then I’ll die with you.”The cold grip of sadness had my heart in its clutches and I could only shake my head. The desperate look in his eyes only broke my heart. It’s just the alcohol, I tried to tell myself. He’s too wasted to understand what he was saying.“William, you’re drunk,” I whispered, my voice warbling with emotion. “What about Sophia and George? Did you just forget them?”Pain overtook his expression as he seemed to finally remember his future wife and his baby boy. “Oh, right,” he murmured, conflict evident in his tone. “I have a girlfriend and a child.” The look he gave me spoke of someone who was truly lost. “They need me. What am I going to do?”After all the pain he’d
William’s POV:I must have been losing my mind, because thoughts of Caroline followed me with no end in sight. Whether it be with anger or with a sudden sense of longing, my mind turned to her for hours on end. Not only did it fill me with deep frustration, but my beloved Sophia could tell just how distracted I was becoming.I shamefully found myself digging through Caroline’s social media just to see how she was getting along after the divorce. Surely she had to be miserable without me, missing me at every hour of the day. Instead, what I discovered were carefree photos of her downing drinks at a bar with that friend of hers (Cynthia? Candy? Her name didn't matter). Surrounding her were a plethora of strange, disgusting-looking men. As a man myself, the lustful looks in their eyes were easily recognizable, and just the sight alone made my blood begin to boil. It also led me to realize that Caroline was truly a charming woman, and she always had been. Men seemed to flock to her at j
My thoughts were in shambles as they raced to figure out what to say to William. The obvious answer was to speak the truth, but why would I tell him? After all the pain he had caused me and the conflicted feelings he’d stirred up, he didn’t deserve to still be involved in my life. Would he even care if I told him?Anger sparked within my heart and I gave a biting remark in return. “Maybe all that hair is from all the women you keep bringing back home.”William sputtered furiously on the other end of the phone. “How dare you?” he snapped, his voice a mix of rage and indignance. “I take you back to my home, let you take all your junk, give you a nice meal and a place to sleep, and this is how you treat me? You can rot for all I care!”The call was cut, leaving me with a feeling of relief. If I had played my cards right, I wouldn’t be hearing his scolding voice for a while. Despite my confidence, he was a tick I couldn’t be rid of, and he would always worm his way back in one way or anot
Caroline’s POV:When I gradually regained consciousness, I found myself in the passenger seat of a moving vehicle. I was overcome with shock when I realized I was inside a very familiar luxury Maybach. Only one person I knew owned such a rare and expensive car.With anxiety in my chest, I peered over, and sure enough, there was William in the driver’s seat. He drove with a cold expression, refusing to look at me while I sat there silently. Despite the whipping wind outside my window, I was surprised to find that I was pleasantly warm. Upon glancing down, I realized I was wrapped in a warm blanket. Did William put this over me?A mix of emotions swirled within me, but ruling among them was confusion. “Why are you here?” I croaked, my voice weak from sleep. “Did you come to save me?”William’s chuckle was dry and full of contempt. “You think I came on purpose? Don’t flatter yourself.”“You didn’t come on purpose?” Did I hear him correctly? “William, we live in the exact opposite direct
Caroline’s POV:This whole ordeal felt like it was straight out of a TV drama. William had an affair in our marriage, and now he had everything he could ever want: a beautiful girlfriend who wasn’t going to die in a matter of months, a rich and successful life, and a beautiful baby boy. So, why did he insist on invading my life?William’s actions were becoming more and more puzzling with each interaction we had. There were times where I felt like he might care about me, but it would then be followed up with scathing insults and cruel observations. The more we met up, the less I understood him.“I don’t need to get a checkup,” I told him coldly, but he ignored me and proceeded to brush off any other protests I had. He was deathly quiet as he stared ahead and took me to his villa, where I expected to stay there and behave. William mercifully left me alone during my first day there, but I hesitated to express my gratitude. Laden had yet to come, though William coldly reminded me multipl
Caroline’s POV:I was shocked at the speed in which William returned, but despite witnessing the anger on his face, I was unafraid. He had been lying to me for all these years, scheming against my father. Did I ever truly know the man I married?“I knew you were in dire straits, Caroline,” William sneered, “but are you seriously this poor? You’re resorting to stealing trade secrets from me now, is that it? How dare you?” In the face of such ugly accusations, my disappointment in him only grew. The wretched man before me was nothing but a complete stranger. I feared to think that the man I loved had been nothing but a facade.Instead of indulging his baseless accusations, I snagged the laptop and turned it to face him. Surprise and anger flitted across his face as the video was shown to him again. “What is this?” I demanded.A sneer tugged at William’s lips. “You tell me.”Anger roared like a fire in my core. How could he speak to me like that in the face of all the evidence laid befo
Caroline’s POV:Fear was absent from my heart as I stared William down, holding my wounded arm. He approached me with anger etched into his features.“You’re insane,” he said outright. “If you think this is going to garner any sort of sympathy from me, you’re dead wrong. Your father owes Sophia everything, and you’d do well to keep that in mind!”“Mr. Anderson, you need to calm down,” the doctor ordered sternly, approaching me with bandages to compress my wound and stop the bleeding. A pang of sympathy hit me, for it was clear he was already exhausted from all the drama. “You’re only going to make things worse than they already are.”Any arguments William had died when he got a sharp glare from the doctor, and he reluctantly stepped aside. The doctor carefully sat me down and diligently inspected my arm. “You did a number on yourself,” he murmured, beginning to wrap the bandages around my arm. “I’m sorry, but this is going to hurt.”I had no regrets about mutilating myself, but it sti