The Runaway Husband

Chapter 49

Third Person POV

Evelyn starts manipulating the situation, her eyes gleaming with malice. Hazel tried to explain, "Katherine, I was married to Evelyn, but—"

Evelyn interrupted, her voice venomous. "He's still married to me, Katherine. We never divorced. He's a cheating husband, and a liar."

Katherine's expression changed, her eyes narrowing. "Hazel, is this true?"

Hazel's face contorted in anguish. "Katherine, please listen. I was trapped in that marriage, and I ran away to escape. You're the only woman I've loved since then, and I didn't cheat on you."

Evelyn sneered. "He's lying, Katherine. He's been cheating on you with other women, just like he did with me."

Katherine's face twisted in disgust. "Hazel, how could you hide this from me? How could you keep our relationship in the dark?"

Hazel's eyes pleaded for understanding. "Katherine, please believe me. I tried to tell you many times, but something always came up. I'm telling the truth, I swear."

Katherine's voice was cold. "I don't want to hear it, Hazel. You've broken my trust."

As Katherine turned to walk away, Hazel begged, "Katherine, please listen to me! I'm telling the truth, I love you!"

But Katherine stopped and turned back, her eyes icy. "I don't eat the leftovers of other women, Hazel."

Hazel's knees buckled, and he fell to the ground, his heart shattered. Evelyn's evil smile gleamed in the darkness, reveling in his pain. Katherine left, leaving Hazel there, broken and alone.

Katherine reaches the hotel and packs her bags, leaving for the airport. Hazel calls her again and again, but she sees his calls and ignores them. She boards the plane and leaves Centennial, unaware of the danger Hazel is in.

Evelyn comes near Hazel and whispers, "You can run, but you cannot escape me, love." Hazel snaps out of his thoughts, and as he sees Evelyn, he tries to run, but she's too fast. She grabs his wrist and drags him to her car, putting him in the passenger seat. As he tries to move, she slaps him, warning him that if he tries to escape, his punishment will be much worse.

She gets in the driver's seat and starts driving, taking him to the house in the forest where she proposed to him, where she bought him after their marriage. Hazel is terrified, remembering the beatings he suffered at Evelyn's hands. As the car stops, she gets out and opens the gate on Hazel's side. He gets out, and she closes the car door, then puts her hands on his waist. Hazel starts shaking, and Evelyn says, "Love, I haven't started anything yet, and you're already shaking." He looks at her, scared, and it turns her on. She holds his waist more tightly, reveling in having her husband back in her arms.

Evelyn's grip on Hazel's waist tightens, her fingers digging deep into his skin. She pulls him closer, her breath hot against his ear. "You've been gone for so long, Hazel. You've made me wait for so long. But now, you're back, and you'll pay for what you've done."

Hazel sees the familiar rooms, the memories of his past flooding back. He remembers the beatings, the screams, the tears. He remembers the day he finally found the courage to run.

Evelyn pushes him into the house, slamming the door shut behind them. Hazel hears the lock click, and he knows he's trapped. He's back in Evelyn's world, and he may never escape.

Evelyn's eyes gleam with a sinister light as she pulls Hazel deeper into the house. She throws him onto the couch, and he lands with a thud. Hazel tries to scramble to his feet, but Evelyn is too quick. She pins him down, her hands grasping his wrists like handcuffs.

"You've been a bad boy, Hazel," she coos, her voice dripping with malice. "You've made me very angry. And now, you'll have to pay the price."

Hazel struggles, but Evelyn's grip is unyielding. She starts to drag him upstairs, to the room where she used to torment him. Hazel's heart races with fear as he realizes where she's taking him.

As they reach the top of the stairs, Hazel sees the room, unchanged since he left. The same bed, the same dresser, the same window with the same curtains. But something's different. Something's off.

Evelyn throws him onto the bed, and Hazel lands with a bounce. He looks up to see Evelyn standing over him, a cruel smile spreading across her face.

"Welcome home, Hazel," she says, her voice dripping with venom. "I'll make sure that You'll never leave again."