Chapter 19: Take care of you and protect you

A few days later...

"I'm sorry, Alley. When I realized that I love you, it was too late," Karimba Cellon murmured to himself. In the dark night, his sports car sped along the highway. Upon receiving a report from his subordinates that Alley Houston was hiding in City Y, Karimba Cellon swiftly wrapped up his work at the Cellon Corporation and rushed to the city to find her.

After driving through the night, Karimba Cellon finally located Alley Houston. It was a small house tucked away in a winding alley, and without his extraordinary abilities, he might not have found it. When he arrived, he saw Alley Houston applying medicine to her wounds. As soon as she noticed him, she became tense, her eyes fixated on the man before her, then quickly ran away.

"Alley!" Karimba Cellon called after her. However, her injured leg gave way, and she stumbled on the doorstep. Karimba Cellon's heart broke, and he hurriedly ran to embrace her.

"Let me go! You... aren't you infected with that disease?" Alley Houston struggled, causing her injuries to ache even more.

Seeing Alley Houston in such pain and distress, Karimba Cellon felt even more remorseful. He held her tightly, having long surpassed his own peculiar condition.

"It's my fault, Alley, and I'm sorry. Over the past three years, I didn't realize I loved you, and now I can't let go. Moreover, I want to protect you."

Alley Houston remained silent, not uttering a word. Initially, due to family pressure, she had to marry Karimba Cellon. For three years, despite his lack of love for her, he treated her with courtesy and gentleness, making her feel safe. For someone who lacked affection from her family and suffered from their control and abuse like Alley Houston, living with Karimba Cellon was the most beautiful chapter of her life.

However, she didn't know when Karimba Cellon suddenly changed. He avoided her, feared her, and even became disgusted with her. Their conflict reached its peak when he reconnected with Brenda Mclean, and Alley Houston realized that she was jealous of her, acknowledging her own feelings for Karimba Cellon that she had been oblivious to. But what about him?

"Karimba Cellon, I remember how you treated me every bit of it. Don't say those disgusting words to me; I'm not a fool!" Alley Houston clutched the arms that were tightly embracing her, gritting her teeth as she responded to Karimba Cellon's recent confession. At that moment, he could clearly see the deep sunken eyes, wet with tears of resentment. He suddenly felt extremely afraid, fearing that she might view him the same way as the Houstons.

As Alley Houston struggled, Karimba Cellon held her even tighter. After a while, Alley Houston calmed down and stopped resisting. Karimba Cellon loosened his embrace and turned her around to face him. Alley Houston looked at him with anger in her eyes.

"No matter what you say or do, we can't go back to how things were before!" she said firmly.

Karimba Cellon understood that this was Alley Houston's definite answer. He didn't demand that she accept him and return to him. He only wanted to be by her side and take care of her.

"Alley, I don't dare to hope that you'll come back to me," Karimba Cellon said, looking straight into Alley Houston's eyes, pleadingly. "I just want to help you. Think about it, as long as you're here, I can find you, and so can your parents. I know you can't run far, and your parents are undoubtedly aware of that too."

Alley Houston widened her eyes as she gazed at Karimba Cellon, then bit her lip, lost in thought. Her eyes turned red for a moment. Karimba Cellon was right; she had tried to escape multiple times, only to be caught and forced to marry him. Alley Houston felt utterly desperate; she had nowhere to turn, no place to go.

Thinking it over, Alley Houston stopped resisting Karimba Cellon. She sat down at the table and continued to apply medicine to her wounds.

On that evening, Karimba Cellon was outside the living room while Alley Houston slept in her bedroom. She locked the bedroom door and sat in a corner, unable to sleep. Alley Houston kept imagining the scene of her parents coming here, with Karimba Cellon standing by their side, betraying her. She had run away multiple times before, and she knew the consequences of being caught.

As the morning broke, Alley Houston woke up but realized she must have dozed off at some point. Startled, she rushed out to the living room and came face to face with Karimba Cellon, who was wearing an apron and holding two steaming bowls of noodles.

"You're awake, huh? There's nothing in the fridge, so I made instant noodles. Eat while it's hot," Karimba Cellon said, placing the bowls in front of Alley Houston and pulling her to sit at the table. Alley Houston looked at his sweat-drenched face, knowing that making these bowls of noodles wasn't an easy task for him. She sighed, wondering if things would have been more peaceful if he hadn't insisted on a divorce that day.

Alley Houston slowly savored the tasteless noodles, sipping the lukewarm broth that Karimba Cellon brought. He looked puzzled at her expression and then chuckled.

"Is the noodle too bland? Let me cook another bowl for you."

"No need," Alley Houston shook her head.

"It's alright, wait a moment," Karimba Cellon smiled, quickly rushing back to the kitchen.

Five minutes passed, and Alley Houston looked down at her stomach, her skin sticking to her spine. In just over a month since Karimba Cellon demanded a divorce, she had become so thin that she almost didn't recognize herself. Just then, she heard unfamiliar sounds coming from the garden. Instinctively, she hid in a corner, peeking through the door gap, and saw a few familiar figures slowly entering the house, their eyes scanning for something.

Alley Houston was terrified, wanting to call Karimba Cellon but afraid of the consequences if they heard any sound. She knew that if they detected her presence, they would find her immediately. Sitting on the floor, she debated whether to crawl back into the bedroom, all the while hearing the terrifying sounds of those unwanted intruders.

"Alley, don't hide anymore. We've seen you! You better come back and apologize to the boss and madam. If not, you know what will happen!" a confident voice echoed, reaching Karimba Cellon's ears. He paused his actions, tossing aside the apron, and stepped out of the door with a serious expression.

"Who are you people? What business do you have in my house?" Karimba Cellon stepped outside, causing the group to avert their sharp gazes. Karimba Cellon, the CEO of Cellon Corporation, commanded great respect in the business world, and he was also an investor for Mr. and Mrs. Houston.

"We were ordered by the boss and madam to come here and take our young mistress back home," one of them sneered and replied to Karimba Cellon.

Karimba Cellon smirked, his tone stern, "Take our young mistress back? Is your attitude towards her similar to escorting criminals? Not to mention, this is my place, Karimba Cellon's home. Do you really think you can search it without my consent?"

Karimba Cellon's words sent a shiver down the spine of the Houston family's entourage. They couldn't believe what they were hearing, but they also didn't want to challenge Karimba Cellon's authority. Slowly, they retreated, dissatisfied but unwilling to provoke further.

As they left, Alley Houston slowly emerged from her hiding spot, feeling like she had just escaped a nightmare. Karimba Cellon stood by her side, ready to protect her at any moment.

Alley Houston looked at him intently, realizing that despite their conflicts, he had been taking care of and protecting her. Under the sunlight, she saw that Karimba Cellon wasn't a heartless man, but someone who genuinely cared for her well-being.

Though she didn't say a word, Alley Houston knew what she wanted - to be by Karimba Cellon's side. Even if their relationship couldn't return to what it was before, they could build a new future together, supporting and protecting each other, so she would no longer feel lonely and helpless.

They both returned to the small house, a place filled with memories and emotions they had shared. From that moment on, even though they couldn't go back to the way things were, Alley Houston and Karimba Cellon began building a new life where they could care for and protect each other, eliminating the loneliness and helplessness from before.