I HATE YOU

MIRANDA

When Hazel raised his hands to slap me, I became afraid. Even though I closed my eyes and acted like it wasn't a big deal, my heart was racing inside.

However, he walked away without another word. I didn't understand him. I had made it clear to him that it was okay to send me away, so why didn't he say anything about it?

Did I go through the trouble of humiliating myself before so many people for nothing? I sat on the bed feeling sad. Why wouldn't he send me away and get another wife?

That night, sleeping was difficult. I kept hoping that when I woke up in the morning, Hazel would have made up his mind to send me away but that didn't happen.

I was instead introduced to two ladies and a man by Mel who told me that they were among the many tutors who had been chosen for me.

I was going to be homeschooled? What did these people take me for? A handicap? I didn't want to make an issue out of it because I knew I would be leaving soon.

However, I had no intention of sitting through any form of teaching. My time would be better spent plotting on how to make Hazel send me away.

Luck suddenly smiled at me as Hazel came out and made a scene. I would have been pleased if he had not called me and Mel flies. She didn't seem bothered by it and I knew I ought not to have been, but for some reason, I wanted to put him in his place.

After he left, Mel asked me if everything was okay between Hazel and me.

"We were cool before now, so I have no idea what went wrong," I lied.

Mel spoke to my so called mother-in-law and afterward, I found myself inside the car with her, being driven to a new college where I could continue my studies.

I was unhappy because things were not going according to my plans. However, that turned out to be the least of my problems when we were attacked at the parking garage.

Mel and I had just come out of the car and I was fighting hard to hide my displeasure when three masked men came at us. Mel acted quickly and her fighting skills amazed me as she gave all three men a run for their money.

I looked around for a weapon but couldn't find any. Knowing I wasn't as skilled as Mel, I decided to call for help and began to run out of the garage. However, the sound of an electric shock made me turn and I saw Mel on the floor.

The man who had shocked her had a stun gun with him and another was making his way toward me. Screaming at the top of my voice, I continued to run out of the parking garage but I didn't get far.

I fell to my knees as I was being shocked from behind, and lost consciousness afterward. Violently woken up later by the same men in a strange room scared the shit out of me, especially when I was being threatened with a gun.

When he first asked me if I knew Hazel Duke, I thought he had kidnapped me for ransom or wanted to deal with me because I was married to Hazel by law. How could I accept that I knew him when my death would bring him nothing but relief?

The last thing I expected, however, was for Hazel to be the culprit. How sick could one get? Did he consider himself above the law? I knew I had been a pain in the neck but that was because I wanted him to send me away. Yes, I hated him because I had been forced to marry him and he had insulted me the very day he laid eyes on me.

What was his excuse? Why go to such lengths just to scare me when he could easily send me away? I couldn't leave on my own because then my family would still be indebted to his family and I had promised my mom that I would help her. I couldn't bear to see her tears just as I couldn't bear to be away from Collins for so long.

I had a good reason for my actions, what was his? As I stared at him, these thoughts ran through my mind, However, he asked me to kneel and apologize. He probably thought he could scare me but how could I give in? If I apologized and promised to do what he wanted, it meant I would have to be his wife for the rest of my life. Just the thought of it made me feel nauseous.

I thought about Mel who was just a victim of my and Hazel's plots, but I remembered she was being paid and it made me feel better.

Hazel was waiting for me to kneel but I realized something; I had just gotten another chance on a silver platter. With his cheeks so close to me, slapping him wouldn't be difficult.

I didn't know what else would happen if I raised my hand to him but I was sure of one thing; no arrogant man would want to stay married to a woman who dared to hit him.

My heart raced as I conceived this plan because I had never hit a man before, let alone a billionaire like Hazel.

Nevertheless, I slapped him when he least expected it and I applied all the pressure I could afford because I wanted results.

He stared at me in shock and all the men in the room gasped in surprise.

"Leave," he said to them and got up afterward to glare at me.

Once the men had left the room, he caught my neck and once again pushed me against the wall. His eyes showed nothing but anger and hate, and my slap had left a mark on his face.

"Do you really not want to live anymore?" He seethed. "I hate you so much that snuffing out an insignificant life like yours will be a piece of cake for me. But don't you think about your parents and what your death would do to them?"

For some reason, when he mentioned my death and my parents being affected, it made me remember my late sister, and my eyes brimmed with tears.

"I also hate you so much," I spoke with difficulty because he was slowly choking me. "Why do you intend to keep a wife you hate when you can have any other woman you want?"

He scoffed, "No, I think it's better to keep a woman I hate and make her life miserable. That should be more satisfying, right? I don't think you understand what I am capable of, Miranda.

I can give you a fate worse than death. Turning you into a lunatic and making you spend the rest of your miserable life in a psychiatric ward is something I can do with just a snap of my fingers. This time too, I am holding back because of the angel in my life. There won't be a next time."