Chapter 44 Max POV As I drive Ariel and myself down to the registry office, I continue to ask myself if what I'm about to do is right. I know I love her, but is it right to marry her? What about Alicia? How will she feel if she finds out about this? I have already hurt her so much, she's going to be broken if she finds out that I married Ariel behind her back. Gosh! Aren't I a bad husband? "Are you ok?" Ariel's voice pulls me back to reality, and I glance at her before I nod my head. "You don't look like you are fine. Are you regretting your decision already? We can go back from here if you don't want to do this. I'm not forcing you to do this, I swear it," She utters, but I quickly shake my head. "Not that... I'm fine, honestly. Why will I regret my decision?" I stutter nervously, and she slowly nods her head. I don't regret this right now, but I'm just not sure if I made the right decision. "Alright," She mumbles before she turns her gaze outside the window w
Chapter 45 Ariel POV I knew this was going to happen, and I thought I could take the pain, but turns out that I was mistaken. They are bashing me on the internet and they don't even care about how I will feel. I storm into my room and slam the door hard behind me before I crash against it, tears streaming uncontrollably down my cheeks. I feel my heart pounding hard against my chest, and I shut my eyes tightly. I wish I never checked those hateful comments, I wish I didn't look at them, maybe I wouldn't be feeling this way, but does it change anything? "I didn't do anything wrong, why are you all doing this?" I mumble as I fall on my butt and bury my face between my palms while crying my eyes out. I only wanted to protect my baby, I only wanted to be with the man I love, why are they treating me like that? The door suddenly barges open, and I don't even bother to raise my gaze since I already smell Max's cologne. Seconds later, I feel his arms wrap around me, engulf
Chapter 46 Alicia POV 'Let's get a divorce after you give birth' his words ring in my head for the umpteenth time as I drive down the road, and I can't just help the excitement that fills my heart, because that is exactly what I have been looking forward to. I mean, I don't even love him, so what should I be doing with him? Well, how was my acting back there? It was top-notch, yeah? Well, I loved it too. I drive into the hospital minutes later and pull over at the parking lot before I head to the doctor's office. I contacted my secret doctor earlier and asked for an abortion, which will be done this night. It'll be nice to have a new headline on the internet that I lost my baby because of the scandal, yeah? Well, I guess everything is going to end soon, and we will all go our separate ways. I will finally be with my sweetheart forever. Not long after I went into the theatre, the abortion was done, and I left the hospital as if nothing happened since I'm strong. The
Chapter 47 Alex POV I clench my fingers tightly around my phone as anger spurs through me. Seeing the comments online criticizing Ariel today made me feel a sting in my heart which I know was because of the love I have for her. How could Alicia do such a thing? I so much want to scream at her and tell her how much I hate her, but I have to keep calm if I don't want to blow things up. I'm on the verge of getting what I want now, so that shouldn't be a problem. Releasing the breath I've been holding unknowingly, I slump on the couch and scroll through my phone. It was yesterday since the scandal, and I've been scared to call her. I feel this is all my fault, but on second thought, I also feel that I'm doing the right thing. I finally resort to calling her, and she picks up on the first ring, although it took her some time to do. "Hey, Ariel... It's me, Alex... Are you ok?" I utter as soon as she answers the call. "Yeah, I'm fine. What about you?" She asks in return,
Chapter 48 Max POV Two weeks laterThe last two weeks have been the worst days of my life, but I've still been trying to pull through, and with Ariel by my side, I've been able to hold my head up all this while. Ariel has also been emotionally down, and couldn't step out of the house since reporters wouldn't stop coming here and waiting to take words from her. Everything is messed up, but I'm trying to fix things. The rumor is still trending on the internet even after two weeks, and someone has been fuelling it, I guess. "Are you ok?" Ariel's voice snaps me back to reality, and I raise my gaze from my phone to find her standing in front of the bathroom door, wearing her lingerie. "Yes, I'm fine. What were you doing?" I ask her after I scan her with my eyes. "I went to shower. What were you staring at?" She asks as she walks over to me, but I quickly put my phone away. I was going through the comment section of the post on the internet, and boiling at the horrible
Chapter 49 Max POV "This is a family affair, what the heck has it gotten to do with the company? Why did they have to do that?" I rant at my dad even if I know this isn't any of his faults. "Why are you taking it out on me? Didn't you think about this when you were busy going around and doing that nonsense? How is this any of my fault?" He snaps at me, and I gulp down nothing. Yes, he's right anyway, it's not his fault, so I should find a solution and not take it out on him. "Dad... What should we do? I've lost about 60 billion already. Please help me," For the first time in recent years, I need this man's help so badly. For the first time, I fall to my knees and beg him for mercy, because at this point, I can't take the pain anymore. I might just commit suicide if things get worse. "What should we do? 'We'? You started this yourself, shouldn't you clear the mess, huh?" He snaps at me, and I slowly clench my fingers as a drop of tears slides down my cheeks. My hear
Chapter 50 Ariel POV I missed her so much which was why I came here to see her, but seeing her now irritates me as all the memories of what happened keep flooding my mind. How she and her husband maltreated me, how she watched her husband beat me, and how she allowed that bastard to abuse and still took sides with him. Why did she do all of that? Was it because she so much hated me and wanted to get rid of me? Was it because she wanted to keep that bastard by his side? Those are the questions I've still not been able to wrap my head around even after all these years. "I heard your husband left you. Why?" I smirk at her, and I watch as she bites her bottom lip. I heard that bastard exploited all the money she worked hard for, and ran away with it. It hurts to see her hurt, but the pain in my heart is overpowering my empathy for her. "Ariel... I'm so..." "What do you want to say? You are sorry? You are sorry about everything, and you never meant to do any of that to
Chapter 51 Max POV Seeing Alicia here kind of makes me feel guilty. I made her pass through a lot, and it hurts that I can't even make up for it. "Alicia..." I pause and bite my bottom lip as I become nervous. I have no idea where to start, or how to apologize, I don't just know what to do. I know that no matter what I do, nothing can make up for what I've done to her. "How have you been, husband?... Hold on, I'm sorry, you no longer belong to me, so I have no right to call you that. How have you been, Max, rather?" She asks after she glances at Ariel, who just stares back at her. "You've been fine, it's obvious," She shrugs before she catwalks over to me. "You didn't miss me, did you?" She bites her lips as tears well up in her eyes. The pain in her eyes makes me feel this sting in my heart which I know was caused by a guilty conscience. "How would you miss me, when you have your new wife here with you? That's crazy of me think to think that. But come to t
Chapter 83"Why are you doing this?" Alicia yells at the top of her voice as tears stream down her cheeks. Alicia has been untied, and they are both inside a room now."You are going to kill everyone, and take what belongs to them? Are you this much of a monster?" She yells again, but Dennis doesn't look like he is going to listen to her."We've got what we want now... Why don't we leave for a faraway place where nobody will ever be able to get to us? I am giving you a chance to do this now," Dennis replies to her as he hands her a pistol."If you want to live, go out there, and shoot them one after the other. Kill them all and let's leave here once and for all. This is the only chance you have, Jessica. If you turn your back on me now, I will take you as my enemy for real this time," He utters, and she gulps down the lump that forms in her throat as she stares at him. Her hand trembles nervously, and she gulps down nothing again. It's literally her first time holding a gun, and she c
Chapter 82"How dare you, bitch!" Dante yelled at the top of his voice as he sent a hot slap across Elisabeth's cheek. After looking for her everywhere, Viper was finally able to get her from the hotel where Max had hidden her all this while."I told you to never mess with me, but you didn't want to listen to me. How dare you!" He yelled for the second time, sending another hot slap across her cheek. Her mouth is already bleeding. She is supposed to be in tears, but she is rather smiling as she stares back at him with a satisfactory look on."Do you want to slap me again? Go ahead and do it. Do you want to kill me? Then just go ahead and shoot me right here... Don't forget that Maxwell and Alex will be coming for you. They won't stop, until they hunt you down," A smirk settles on her lips as she emphasizes her words, and he finally punches her hard in the face this time, sending her roughly to the floor along with the chair she was tied to.He squats in front of her and grabs her hair
Chapter 81Ariel's head hurts and she groans as she tries to open her eyes, but she gasps upon finding herself in a strange room. She tries to recall what happened, and where the hell this place is, and just like that, memories of the previous day came flooding her head, and she gasps. She slowly looks around the room, and that is when the realization dawns on her that she isn't the only one in the room, but with her dad, stepmom, and the two little girls that were supposed to be her stepsisters."Daddy... Daddy... Are you ok? Joann... Ella... Ma'am... Are you ok?" Ariel asks worriedly as she manages to sit up on the cold floor, realization dawns on her that they have all been abducted. Hearing a silent whimper behind her, she slowly tilts her head to find Alicia tied to a chair too. Wow! This is crazy."What's going on here? Why are we here?" Although she knows her question is really crazy, but she couldn't just help it."Oh, you are awake? I thought you died in your sleep. That woul
Chapter 80"What's going on?" Ariel muttered as she run her fingers through her hair crazily. She has been trying to reach everybody, but no one was answering her calls, not even Max or Alex. She gulps down nothing worriedly, praying nervously that nothing happens. It's past 10pm, and Max hasn't been back yet after he told her earlier that he was going to attend to something and come back immediately."Answer your call, please," She mumbles as she dials the number again, and when it didn't go through, she decides to call Alex, and maybe, who knows, his number might go through, but it was still the same result she got.Many questions run through her mind as she sinks into the bed, grabbing a handful of her hair in her hands as she drops her gaze to the floor. Could it be that something happened while she is here? Were they abducted? Those are the questions that keep running through her mind as she tries to gather her thoughts together, but it only ends up getting ruined since she can't
Chapter 79After hearing everything from Alex, her heart sinks into her stomach, her cheeks are wet from her uncontrollable tears. Her heart wrenches in pain at the thought of being betrayed by the man she so much loved with everything in her, but on a second thought, she feels like he was right about everything. If she truly loved him, she wouldn't have agreed to that in the first place. Does she even have any right to feel used when she already hurt Max so much? Does she have any right to be hurt with just this, when she has lived all her life hurting people?As she drags her feet along the lobby and heads to her room, her phone suddenly starts ringing and she rolls her eyes when she checks the screen and finds out that the caller is Dennis.She crashes against the bed as soon as she steps into her room, staring up at the ceiling with a pool of tears streaming down the corner of her cheeks.'There is no wedding for us, Alicia. Do you think I would still marry you after everything? Y
Chapter 78 Alicia POV I arrived at the hotel room a few minutes ago, and I haven't been really at peace. Did I make the right decision? Should I have worked with him? Those are the questions that keep lingering on my bed as I toss on the bed before I sit up. Memories of the past came flooding my mind, and for the first time, I feel guilt wash through me. Thinking about Max makes me go crazy. I feel like I was being unfair to him. Although he later changed, which was all I ever wanted, but still, it didn't change the fact that I hurt this emotion. I know this is too sudden, and you must think that I'm really crazy, but trust me, it's nothing of such. I'm just feeling remorseful for my actions in the past. I don't want to end up like Dennis, and with the way I'm going now, I might end up clouding my heart with hatred like him, and end up tormenting people, which is the last thing I would never want to do in my life. I need to make things right. Besides, I've always lived a s
Chapter 77Silence creeps into the atmosphere as Alicia stares back at him, shocked at his confession. Is he trying to pull a fast one on her or what?"There's nothing bad in wanting to spend time with my daughter, right?" He breaks the awkward silence, but she only stares back at him with many thoughts running through her mind.As her eyes roam the entire restaurant, the realization dawns on her that they are the only ones in the restaurant."Oh, sorry if that came as a shock to you. I booked the restaurant for the time we will spend here. I didn't want someone to disturb us," He breaks into her thoughts as if he was reading her mind, and she sighs briefly before she turns her gaze to look at him with a blank expression on.Memories of years ago flood his mind as he stares at his daughter that is all grown now. How they would go to bed without food, how they suffered, and how he watched her grow with another man, calling him 'dad' when he was supposed to be the one she calls that. Th
Chapter 76"What is the meaning of this, Laura?" Dante's eyes widen in shock as he stares at his wife who just slapped him. He had just come here to see her since she was sick for the last few days, only to be welcomed with a slap.Tears stream down Laura's cheeks as she stares back at the man she has been with for the past thirty-three years of her life, the man she has spent her whole life loving, unknown to her that he has been lying to her. Just the thought of it was messing her head and driving her nuts. Laura and Dante have been together for thirty-five years. Three years of courting, and thirty-two years of marriage. She has always thought that this man was the most faithful man any woman would want to spend the rest of her life with, she thought he was the best man in the world, well, he was, up until the last few hours she found out what this man has done. It breaks her heart to know that she has been fooled and used for the past years that she has been with him."Are you ok,
Chapter 75I toss on the bed for the umpteenth time, trying to get some sleep, but I can't even bring myself to do it. The scenario from earlier today is still stuck in my head, and the more I try to get it off, the more I find myself thinking about it, and it's really driving me nuts. "Is he kidding me?" I scoff as I sit up on the bed, ruffling my hair that I already parked inside my cap, allowing them to fall carelessly on my shoulders. The room is air-conditioned, but I feel so hot and just feel like I need fresh air, but I know that I don't need it. I may feel cold if I decided to step out of the room now.It bothers me to think that Alex has been playing me, but I also don't want to conclude that it's what I'm thinking. What else would it look like? He was obviously playing you. I also try to assure myself that it's not what I'm really thinking, but fuck! My head is so messed up that I can't even gather my thoughts together.Pushing all the thoughts away, I lay back on the bed,