CHAPTER 4

Dylan Forteros stood in the dim hallway outside the small, cold room where Aki was being held, his breath coming in ragged, uneven bursts. His fists clenched at his sides, nails digging into the flesh of his palms. His whole body trembled, a violent storm of emotions threatening to explode. The thought of Kaye, his fiancée, lying in the hospital bed, tubes connected to her fragile form, made him sick with rage.

It had only been a week since the accident, but to Dylan, it felt like a lifetime. His life had been torn apart in an instant. One moment, he was standing at the altar with Kaye, her smile lighting up the room as they planned their future together. And then came the accident. A single, senseless moment. A mistake. One he couldn’t forgive.

And it was all because of Aki.

The weight of it pressed down on him, suffocating him. He wanted to scream. He wanted to break something. Most of all, he wanted to make Aki pay for the devastation she had caused. He wanted her to suffer. But he didn’t want it to be quick. No, that would be too easy. Too merciful. What she had done to Kaye, to their lives, could not be forgiven with a simple act of revenge.

Dylan took a deep breath, trying to steady himself. He stared at the door in front of him, his heart pounding like a drum in his chest. Beyond it, Aki was there, locked up in that small room. A room that might as well have been a tomb.

His hand reached for the doorknob, and for a moment, he hesitated. The anger that had been boiling in him for days surged to the surface, urging him to throw the door open and finish it. But no. Not yet. There was a certain satisfaction in waiting, in savoring the anticipation of what was to come. If Aki thought the worst was over, she was wrong. Dylan wasn’t done with her. Not by a long shot.

He opened the door again.

Inside, the room was stark and bare. A single flickering bulb cast weak shadows across the walls, its low hum adding to the tense atmosphere. Aki sat in the corner, her knees drawn up to her chest, her arms wrapped tightly around them. Her hair was a mess, dark strands falling across her pale face. She didn’t look up when Dylan entered, but she tensed, as if she could sense the storm that was about to hit.

For a moment, Dylan just stood there, his eyes burning holes into her. She was the reason Kaye was clinging to life. The reason their wedding day had turned into a nightmare. He wanted to yell at her, to throw every ounce of his hatred at her, but all he could do was breathe, hard and uneven.

Aki finally looked up, her eyes red-rimmed, swollen from days of crying. There was fear in her gaze, but also a flicker of something else—remorse, guilt, maybe even shame. But it wasn’t enough. Nothing she felt could possibly make up for what she had done.

“Dylan,” she whispered, her voice hoarse from disuse.

He didn’t respond right away. He couldn’t. The sound of her voice was like nails on a chalkboard, grating against his nerves. His throat felt tight, constricted by the weight of his fury. He clenched his jaw, trying to keep himself in check. Losing control now would ruin everything. He didn’t want to kill her. Not yet.

“I should hate you,” Dylan finally said, his voice low and cold. “And I do.”

Aki flinched at his words but didn’t look away. Her eyes were filled with tears, and they began to spill down her cheeks, but Dylan didn’t care. In fact, he relished it. Seeing her cry, seeing her broken and vulnerable, it felt like a small victory. But it wasn’t enough. Not nearly enough.

“I want you to feel what I feel,” he continued, taking a step closer to her. “The pain. The loss. The helplessness. You took everything from me, Aki. You ruined my life, and you nearly killed the woman I love.”

“I’m sorry,” Aki sobbed, burying her face in her hands. “I didn’t mean for any of this to happen. The… the accident. I remember it. It…it was an accident. I swear, Dylan. Please, I—”

“An accident?” Dylan cut her off, his voice rising with anger. “You think that matters? Do you think that changes anything?”

Aki shook her head, her shoulders shaking with sobs. She tried to speak, but her words were choked by the weight of her guilt.

Dylan crouched down in front of her, his face inches from hers. His voice dropped to a dangerous whisper, his breath hot against her tear-streaked face. “I want you to feel the same kind of pain, Aki. Every. Single. Day.”

Aki looked up at him, her eyes wide with fear. She opened her mouth to plead again, but Dylan wasn’t interested in her apologies. They meant nothing to him. Words couldn’t erase the damage she had done.

“I’ve thought about killing you,” Dylan continued, his voice chillingly calm now. “Believe me, I’ve thought about it. It would be easy. I could end it right now. But that would be too kind. Too quick. You don’t deserve quick. You deserve to live with this. The way I’m living with it. The way Kaye is lying in that hospital bed, fighting to stay alive.”

Aki’s breath hitched, and she recoiled as if his words had physically struck her. She shook her head frantically, her voice trembling. “Please, Dylan, I—”

“Save it,” Dylan snapped, standing up abruptly. His cold eyes stared down at her as if she were nothing more than an insect beneath his boot. “You’re not getting out of this. I’m going to make sure you suffer, Aki. The way you’ve made me suffer. I’m going to destroy everything you care about. Everything. And you’ll know exactly what it feels like to lose everything.”

Aki’s sobs grew louder, but Dylan turned his back on her. He had heard enough. He didn’t need her excuses, her apologies. They were hollow, meaningless.

As he walked toward the door, he paused, his hand resting on the knob. He looked over his shoulder, his voice devoid of any warmth or compassion. “This is just the beginning, Aki. You’re going to wish you had died in that accident.”

With that, Dylan left the room, the door slamming shut behind him. The sound echoed in the small space, reverberating off the walls like a final judgment. Aki was left alone, sobbing in the dark, knowing that the worst was yet to come.

Dylan stood in the hallway, his heart still pounding in his chest. The anger hadn’t subsided, not entirely, but there was a grim satisfaction in knowing that Aki’s suffering was far from over. He had taken the first step toward his revenge, and it felt like the beginning of something unstoppable. Something dark and irreversible.

And as much as he hated what he was becoming, there was a part of him that welcomed it. After all, Aki had ruined his life.

Now, it was only fair that he ruined hers.

Dylan stood in the hallway, his fists clenched at his sides, still fuming with frustration. His thoughts were consumed by Aki, and the terror she had caused in his life. The marriage, the promises, and the life he ever imagined with his fiance, Kaye, had now vanished. He couldn’t believe how quickly things had spiraled out of control. Every step in the hallway felt heavier as if the weight of his anger was physically slowing him down.

Just as he was about to lose himself further in his thoughts, Epyong, one of his long-time helpers, approached him. The quiet shuffle of Epyong's feet drew Dylan out of his reverie. Epyong, a cunning man, wore his usual neutral expression, but there was an urgency in his eyes.

"Sir," Epyong began, his voice measured but firm, "Mr. Belgeorence is waiting for you in the living area."

Dylan’s heart skipped a beat. Of all times for the lawyer to show up, it had to be now. The situation with Aki had already brought Dylan to the brink, and the looming legal matters only made things worse. But he trusted Mr. Belgeorence; the lawyer had guided him through countless storms before, always emerging with a solution.

“Thank you, Epyong,” Dylan muttered, his voice tight but composed. Without wasting another second, he turned and briskly made his way down the hall, his footsteps echoing off the polished marble floor.

The hallway opened into his vast living room, a space that was usually a place of solace for Dylan but now felt suffocating. The enormous windows bathed the room in fading daylight, casting long shadows across the elegant furniture. Despite the beauty of the space—the luxurious leather sofas, the grand fireplace, the crystal chandelier overhead—the tension in the air was thick.

Seated on one of the sofas was Mr. Belgeorence, his polished appearance contrasting with the quiet chaos in Dylan’s mind. The lawyer was calm, as always, his sharp suit unruffled, his leather briefcase resting beside him. His eyes, keen and observant, flicked up as Dylan entered the room.

"Dylan," Mr. Belgeorence greeted him, standing to shake his hand. His voice carried a calm authority that, for a brief moment, soothed some of Dylan's internal turbulence. "We need to talk."

Dylan returned the handshake, his mind racing. “Yeah, we do,” he replied, his voice a bit hoarse from the strain of his emotions. Without further ceremony, they both sat down, the room’s vastness amplifying the silence between them.

Mr. Belgeorence wasted no time, pulling out a stack of documents from his briefcase and spreading them neatly on the coffee table between them. "The accident, why did you want to cover it up?" the lawyer began, his voice steady but grave.

Dylan felt his stomach tighten. "I wanted to seek my own revenge" he said, leaning forward, his hands gripping the edge of the sofa.

"You can't," Mr. Belgeorence responded, his tone clipped. " I am here. The law will make her pay for what she'd done from you."

Dylan ran a hand through his hair, trying to keep his anger and frustration at bay. "No. It's either you help to cover it up from the media and to the police, or I will do it myself. You know you can't stop me, Belgeorence. You can't. "

Mr. Belgeorence sighed," I know… I know… I was just trying to suggest a more diplomatic approach." The lawyer’s eyes softened for a brief moment. “Look…Dylan, I know this is personal. Are you really sure this is what you wanted to do?”

Finally, he spoke, his voice steady but low. "Yes. So you better help me cover this up to the media and to the police. I wanted to have my own revenge on Aki. She ruined everything I have!”