“All of you, stop right there!”Garrison’s magnetic yet melodious voice immediately rang aloud. “If any of you step one foot out of this hall, I will cut him or her off at once!”The 30 or so people immediately halted. The ones who had been cursing Sotiria fell silent too. The large hall immediately became as silent as an abyss. “Gary!”The person who had spoken was Garrison’s good friend, Jonathan Roy, one of the people who were making their way to “catch them in the act”.He stared at Garrison sympathetically.“I’ve personally watched how much you’ve indulged Sotiria over the past four years. She would’ve lost her life four years ago if you hadn’t risked everything to save her. You’re more than the nicest person in the world to her, and you saved her life too. But turn around and look at what she’s done to you? She’s not even human. She doesn’t deserve your love. What on earth could you possibly love about her? Look at how she’s humiliated you, and you’re still trying to p
Garrison had to support Sotiria!“Mr. Larson? Are you alright? Do you need help?” A staff member who had just passed him by hurried over to help him up. However, just as the tips of his fingers touched Garrison’s clothes, he quietly pushed his hand away.“I’m fine. I don’t need anyone’s help.”He forced himself to his feet, stood in his spot for a while, and let the tears in his eyes dry. Then, he picked up his feet again and headed toward the washroom next to the restroom. The video from the screen repeatedly flashed in his mind like a traffic light.He knew that it was all real.He knew that at this very moment, that scene was still being played out in the ladies’ washroom.However, he still did not have the nerve to face it. Deep down, it felt as if there was a voice attempting to lie to himself… Perhaps that video really was faked by someone. Maybe it really was a prank…The door in the ladies’ washroom was wide open. Garrison drew closer and closer to that door and felt
Zachary had anticipated Garrison’s attack. He moved his head up and avoided the blow.Garrison refused to give up. He was about to hit him again when Zachary’s fist landed firmly on Garrison’s face.“Argh!”Zachary’s strength was shocking. Even Garrison, who was as strong as a mountain, could not withstand that blow. He let out a cry and landed face-first on the floor. A steak of fiery-red blood trickled down the corners of his mouth. “A few days ago, you hit me in the face in my own home. I let you off that one time on account of the fact that we were once friends. However, I will never let you do that to me again.”Zachary rubbed his right hand.Obviously, Garrison was hard and strong. Hitting Garrison made his fist hurt more than hitting anyone else.“Friends? Hehe! I would’ve forgotten if you hadn’t mentioned that we were once friends!”Garrison lifted his hand and wiped the blood off the corner of his lips. His smooth, thin, porcelain lips were now tinged in red, adding a
However, all of that was not important.Even so, it did not diminish Garrison’s love for her. He loved her for her soul. It was his greatest happiness and blessing to have the chance to be with her for the rest of his life. He was willing to endure being laughed at by the rest of the world as long as he could be with her.Bam!Garrison slammed the washroom door shut.At that moment, the layer of frost over Zachary’s eyes dissipated. The hint of disappointment buried deep in his eyes appeared very clearly.‘Sotiria! I’ve clearly seen right through her despicable nature, yet why did my heart feel so empty and jealous when Garrison took her away?’“Sir, are you there? Sir…”Lucas pushed the ladies’ washroom door open and walked in. He swallowed when he saw Zachary’s unkempt look. “Cough! Cough! Sir, have you been sitting here all this time? Uh… Shouldn’t you pull up your zipper?”Only then did Zachary notice that something was wrong. He pulled up his zipper as he stood up.“Heh
Sotiria’s eyes flew open.She was now lying on a bed with a bridal atmosphere all around her. It was warm, romantic, and oozing with newly-wedded bliss. She recognized this place. It was her and Garrison’s newlywed home.Garrison had bought this house the day she had agreed to marry him. At the time, Garrison had not planned on whisking her away from Rothesay. When Garrison had brought her to check out the house, he’d even cracked a joke and said that he wanted to turn this room into a nest full of babies with her and spend the rest of his life with her here.Now, she was officially married to Garrison. From now on, this would be her home too…‘Wait! Wasn’t I being held down by two men in the washroom? What am I doing here? Did Garrison take me home?’She clearly remembered being tortured by that drug before losing her wits, and those two men had been waiting for the drug to take effect so that they could violate her. Had they…“No!”Sotiria broke out into a cold sweat from frig
“That’s enough from you!”Ivan was both enraged and helpless.“Let me tell you something. I'm the most open-minded father in existence. Koko was not an upstanding woman, but I was deeply in love with her at the time and ended up producing my darling daughter, Lory, that very year. This is why I never opposed your relationship with Sotiria over the past four years, despite knowing her history. Not too long ago, you called me and told me that you wanted to marry her, and I never said no.”Sotiria’s expression stiffened.‘That’s right! I’ve heard about Lorraine from Garrison—she’s Ivan’s lovechild from a disreputable woman. Ivan was really in love with her, so he never opposed his son’s choice to fall in love with a woman like me. But even so, why is he forcing Garrison to divorce me?’Then, Ivan continued. “However, a man’s dignity is of the utmost importance. We Larsons have a reputation to uphold in Rothesay. I do not care about the past of the woman my son has chosen as his wife,
“Tiria, why are you making such a silly suggestion too?” Garrison got to his feet and walked toward Sotiria.“I’m… not…”Sotiria’s voice trailed off when she thought about being violated by those two men. Tears streamed down her face uncontrollably. “It’s not a silly suggestion. I’m speaking the truth. Those two men… They… They did that to me, and the whole city knows it. I can’t drag you down with me and make you the laughing stock of the city too, and I can’t let you cut off ties with your father and sister because of me. Let’s get a divorce right now!”She was a woman with self-awareness.She was just like any other girl, average. Garrison, on the other hand, was outstanding. Having the opportunity to be with him was already more than she deserved. Besides, her past was unbearable. People used to laugh at Garrison for his “unique taste”. Now that this had happened, Garrison would be even more of a laughing stock than ever. Garrison was like a perfect pearl from the deep se
Meeting Garrison was the greatest blessing in her life. She had stumbled upon a precious jewel. From now on and for the rest of her life, she would hold on to this gem, love him with her whole heart, take care of him, and never make him feel sad again. “Tiria, I was going to keep the truth from you because I didn’t want to burden you. I wanted to lie to you and tell you that you weren’t violated at all. I never thought that my dad would spoil my plans!”Garrison sighed.“Well, since you know, I guess I should tell you the truth. Tiria, you weren’t violated by two men. Only one man violated you. Hopefully, that will make you feel better.”Sotiria’s lips trembled.The two ugly men’s faces appeared in her mind once again.Had the two ugly men done that to her, or was it just one of them? It made no difference to her!“I got the surveillance footage from the washroom and realized that those two men left after Zachary entered the washroom and violated you. The two men you were talki