DIVORCE

Chapter 23

"Ludovic Hans" - the mere mention of the name made Meryl's heart skip a beat, and she looked up at the sound of the monstrous voice.

It was him - the same man who had made her past a nightmare. Their eyes met, and he smiled at her, a dangerous glint in his eyes.

It felt like he was coming for her, so she started to shift backward, fear making her movements awkward and jerky. He kept coming toward her, his smile never faltering, his eyes never leaving hers.

"I'll kill you..." his voice rang out, echoing in her mind.

"Please, don't hurt me!" she begged, her breathing coming in ragged gasps.

She felt dizzy, and she struggled to fight the feeling, but to no avail. As darkness took over, she heard Tyrson's voice, faint and far away.

"Meryl!"

*

"Tyrson," she said, as she came to, looking up to see him staring at her with a mixture of concern and relief on his face.

Meryl jumped out of bed and threw her arms around him without warning.

His body was warm and comforting, and she felt safe in his embrace.

"Meryl," he called softly, but she wouldn't let him go. "Please, don't leave me," she pleaded, her voice trembling.

"Meryl, please tell me what's wrong," he said, concern evident in his voice. She sobbed, unsure if she could trust him with the truth. What if he broke their contract because of it? That would be so selfish of her, wouldn't it?

"No, I shouldn't tell him," she thought to herself. "Just stay with me. Please." That was all she could manage to say.

He gathered her close, and she leaned into him, breathing in his intoxicating cologne.

"Tyrson?" they heard a voice from the doorway, and they sprang apart. Julia stood there, looking at them suspiciously.

Meryl looked around, realizing that they were not in the hotel anymore. Where were they? How did they get here? So many questions ran through her mind.

"Where are we?" she asked, breaking the silence.

"We're in Ludovic Hans's mansion," Julia said, her tone curt. "Would you like to know more?"

Meryl's eyes widened in shock, and Tyrson noticed her sudden distress. "Are you okay with that, Meryl?" he asked, concern evident in his voice.

She tried to remain calm, but her anxiety was getting the best of her. She couldn't stay here. She just couldn't.

She shook her head, trying to hold back the tears that threatened to spill from her eyes. "Can we go back to the hotel?" she asked, searching his eyes for an answer.

He opened his mouth to reply, but before he could, Ludovic spoke up. "Do you have a problem with staying here?" he asked, his voice deep and husky.

"No, of course not, Mr. Hans," Julia said quickly, giving him a nervous smile. "We were getting a little sick of the hotel, actually. This is so much nicer."

Meryl wished the ground would open.

"Well, Miss Meryl," Julia said, "since you weren't there, Mr. Hans agreed to help us, and even offered us the use of his home for the time being."

Meryl's thoughts were racing. Was this a bad dream? Was history about to repeat itself?

"How are you feeling, Miss Channell?" he asked, a devilish smirk on his handsome face.

She stammered, trying to find the words to respond, but all she could do was look at Tyrson, who seemed confused.

"Oh, she's feeling better now," he replied, with a gentlemanly smile. "And if I may ask, what caused you to pass out? Is it something serious? I can call a doctor if you want." Hans said knowingly.