“Stop the car,” howled Nathaniel, who had dropped his gentleman’s facade. “Did you hear what I say, Sienna Stanhope? Stop the car now!”
I gripped the steering wheel and completely ignored him while speeding down the road as fast as I could.
The route down the mountain was steep, and there were many turns. Almost every turn I made was dangerous, and the tires screeched every time I did so.
I wasn’t suicidal, but at that moment, I was playing the role of a woman who had just lost the man she loved. On top of that, the man in question hated her. Hence, something would seem off if I didn’t act like I hated the world or do something extreme. Nothing was more convincing or more perfect than speeding down the road like that.
It took some time, but we finally reached the last turn. I deliberately let go of the steering wheel and acted like I was welcoming death’s embrace.
Nathaniel quickly reached over to grab the steering wheel. His voice brimmed with fury when he roared, “Have you gone nuts?”
Unfortunately, the car was moving too quickly, so there was no way he could turn the car around in time.
The sports car instantly lost control and ran through the railings at the side of the road before it flew into the air. It fell down the mountain after that.
As the car hovered in the air, I laughed like a maniac and said, “Yes, I have gone nuts. To me, losing Anthony is equivalent to losing everything. There is no point in living anymore.”
An intense pressure attacked the car at the very next second, and the airbags got activated. It smashed my head mercilessly.
The car only stopped after it ran into an enormous tree in the forest.
Before I lost consciousness, I heard Nathaniel spewing his threats through gritted teeth. “If you die, I will kill your kids, John, and all of the members of the Stanhope and Moore families. Their blood will be on your hands!”
The moment I regained consciousness, I sensed a light so bright that I couldn’t even open my eyes. I thought that morning had rolled by, and the light was the sun, but when I opened my eyes, I saw the familiar chandelier hanging on top.
A-Am I home?
I wanted to figure out where I was, so I scanned the surroundings. I turned around, and that was when I saw a familiar figure standing by the window.
In my annoyance, I turned around to ignore him.
Seconds later, a crisp and clear voice came. “Are you really so angry that you won’t even look at me?”
I frowned. How did he know that I am awake?
“You really are stubborn,” commented Nathaniel.
However, I ignored him and acted as if he was nothing but air.
“I’ll kill Anthony.”
“Don’t you dare!” I blurted those words before I realized that it was all a part of his scheme. Irritation and regret instantly filled me.
Nathaniel smiled in a taunting way before he walked to the side of the bed and stared icily at me. He pointed out, “You’ve died once, so in a way, you don’t owe him anything anymore. You don’t need to love him now.”
I stubbornly replied, “Sorry, but that is not possible.”
“That’s fine. I’ll help you… if you’ll let me, that is,” said Nathaniel, who had suddenly become strangely patient. It seemed like he was worried about triggering me, so he lowered his voice and added, “The scores you gave us earlier no longer count. From now on, I will compete against the Anthony Featherstone in your memory and will fight for your heart.”
What is he planning now?
I glared over and was a little suspicious. When I spoke again, I pretended to be upset. “There are no do-overs in life, so why should I give you another shot at this?”
“You will,” insisted Nathaniel and smiled. That smile was so sincere that it looked out of character on him. “Time can erase everything, and I will give you a happy life. Sienna, if there is any part of you that wishes to move on with your life, please give me another chance. I won’t disappoint you.”
I had to admit that Nathaniel was pretty good at pretending to be Prince Charming. His fake, loving smile oozed with sincerity and anticipation, and he looked like an idiot waiting to be slaughtered. To be honest, he appeared extremely ugly at that moment.
That ugly smile, however, made me see hope. I felt like I could see my reunion with Anthony in that smile.
Thus, I kept staring quietly at him without rejecting his offer.
The prolonged silence answered the question Nathaniel asked me. That got him to smile as though he were a teenager meeting his first love. He hovered beside the bed for a long time before he finally left.
He claimed that he needed to take care of me, so he moved into the Featherstone residence.
Since he wasn’t hurt at all, he could stay by my side and tend to my every need.
He was going to help me with every single thing, including something as private as showering, but I was firm in rejecting him. We ended up compromising by having a nurse help me.
I was on bed rest for three days, and Nathaniel would be away for some time every single day. He spent more and more time away as the day went by.
The fifth morning rolled by soon after, and I woke up as I always had. I hadn’t even turned on the lights before I noticed that a man was sitting on the couch.
I assumed that he was Nathaniel, so I didn’t pay much attention to him. Therefore, I turned around and pretended to still be asleep.
It didn’t take long before I felt the mattress sinking down on the other side. The situation made it seem like Nathaniel was trying to take advantage of me, so I slapped his hand away. Then I complained, “I told you that I don’t want to be forced.”
“Letty,” said someone with a deep voice. Anthony!
“Honey,” said Anthony. He held me so tightly in his arms that it was as if he wanted to attach himself to me.
Is this a dream? Tears rolled uncontrollably down my cheeks. At that moment, the only fear I had was that I wouldn’t remember his embrace. Hence, I rested there without moving a muscle.
“You are so silly. How could you have forgotten about our secret? I’m so sorry. I really shouldn’t have told you the truth so soon.”
He buried his head into my neck, and his unshaved beard grazed my cheek a little. At the very next second, a drop of warm tear dripped onto me, igniting all the emotions I worked hard to suppress.
“Anthony!”
I was so overwhelmed that I didn’t care if it was all a dream. I didn’t care that I might wake up and lose him again, either. As soon as I turned around, I threw my arms around him and buried my face in his chest. His familiar scent came to me, and I greedily took it all in.
The room was dark, so there was no way to see anything clearly. I had to tap on him a few times and pinch myself a little. The pain confirmed what I already know. I wasn’t hallucinating!
“You’re really here!” I couldn’t be bothered to behave anymore, so I draped my arm around him.
My hand caressed his face in the dark, and my mind conjured an image of his face.
“You must’ve really let yourself go.” I was grinning sadly when I uttered those words to joke about his uneven beard. The mere thought of Anthony looking strangely mature had me giggling a little, though.
Anthony put his hand on the back of my head and led me closer to his chest. Only then was he able to sigh in relief. “I honestly thought that you were trying to commit suicide, so I haven’t been sleeping the past couple of days.”
My heart ached for him when I heard that. Hence, I gestured for him to release me from his embrace and said, “Now that you’ve seen me, you know that I’m fine. Go home and rest up, or exhaustion will kill you before Nathaniel could make his move.”
“Ten minutes. Give me another ten minutes. I’m too tired and need a quick recharge. Can I just stay for a while?”
He was obviously stalling, but his tone was so sweet and helpless that I couldn’t bear to push him away. In a way, I had no choice but to let him do as he pleased.
He described it as a quick recharge, but he didn’t rest for long before he shared, “When I heard about how you got hurt, I went and stayed guard at the exit closest to the ER. I had everything planned, and if you had died, I would’ve marched right in to kill that a*shole. After that, I would take my own life so that our souls could reunite.
“I worried, even after they told me that you had survived. That was why I messed things up for Nathaniel every day and made it so that he had to leave to handle the issue. It took me some time, but I eventually created a small window of opportunity to come to visit. I’m sorry. This is my fault for not making you feel secure enough.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.
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