EXCEPTION

Chapter 21. Despair

"Small world, Adeleine," He said, eyes alight with mischief. I was speechless from all the emotions churning in my stomach, and he was just being his usual self. Bastard! 

"The first day you left was a complete disaster for me. You have no idea how much effort I had to put in just to find you.”

His voice had an air of condescension to it that set every nerve screaming in protest. The way he looked at me with so much rage in his eyes and such a cocky grin, I couldn't look away. 

“W-What do you want?” My voice trembled despite my effort to stay collected.

His lips curved into a cruel smile. “You know perfectly well what I want. So how dare you fucking escaped from me, huh?” He took a step forward, and I slowly backed away. “Your family owes me a debt, remember? And you, girl, must fulfill the promise you mentioned to me!”

He grabbed my chin roughly, squeezing it painfully as he spoke through gritted teeth. "You will come to me whether you like it or not, Adeleine! Don't dare to run away again with that man, or else your parents will be penalized. That's what you will get for transgressing your husband!" He spat out the words like they were poisonous and then pushed me against the wall. His hand was still clamped in my chin, then moved down to my throat, and he shook me roughly. I couldn't move. I tried hard not to make any noise, but his hold on my neck was too tight, making me remember all the pain I had suffered while living with him, all the humiliation.

When I finally had the courage to move, I kicked his shins to release myself from his grasp and then attempted to flee. Unfortunately, four men blocked my path. The two who were holding onto my shoulders pushed back, pinning my arms to my sides.

"Let me go!" I demanded, squirming under their grip until Blaine's face popped up right in front of mine. “I hate you! Don’t ever think I will come back to you, asshole!”

"And now you have the courage to be rude?” He chuckled evilly. “Come on, Adeleine. Stop opposing me. You know me well. I won’t hesitate to make everyone around you suffer. Painfully."

Fear clutched at my heart. I couldn't stop imagining my parents. Despite the worst treatment and cruelty I had experienced from them, my heart couldn't help but ache at the thought of them being hurt. 

"Get away from her,” A deep rumbling tone emanated from somewhere behind me. I turned to see a tall and massive man striding toward us, fury written across his entire expression. His usual "angry mode but a facade of calm.”

It's Courtney.

"Don't make me beat you to a bloody pulp, morons. Let her go, now.”

His voice wasn't loud, but the authority within it was evident. He glared down at me, then at Blaine, with a cold glint of madness dancing in his stormy blue eyes. But then Blaine walked in front of me, placing himself between Courtney and me. "Adeleine is a married woman. And you have to understand that her life depends on me taking responsibility for her actions—not yours.”

Courtney stepped closer to Blaine. His reaction didn't change. He remained rigid and composed in his stance, but his intimidating aura didn't waver.

"I should be the one saying that. ‘Cause as far as I know, she doesn't need your protection,” He said those words slowly, emphasizing each syllable before it escaped his lips. "What's so hard to understand? You tortured her, and now you want her back?"

Blaine's expression twisted into one that was full of contempt, but I could see his chest heaving with suppressed anger. "I love the audacity of you to speak to me like that, trying to save the girl you barely know.” He laughed sarcastically. “Say whatever you want, that doesn't mean you can tell me what to do with her."

"You know very well that this is not just about Adeleine."

Those words from Courtney were enough to silence us all for the moment, and I was stunned beyond words, struggling to find the right words to express the weight of the situation. At that moment, I grasped the gravity of his statement—the realization that my husband is one of Courtney's most formidable adversaries, a target of his relentless pursuit spanning years.

Blaine is evil. A man with no heart, no compassion, and absolutely zero remorse. His ruthless pursuit of personal gain knows no bounds. He will do everything, even if it means causing chaos in someone's life. But Courtney is different. Though I have only glimpsed the shadows of his wild and dark nature, his dealings with predators like Blaine are marked by an unyielding lack of mercy.

In short, Blaine is a greedy man with no purpose other than selfish gain. While Courtney never hurt innocent people, though he's way more callous than most hawks. He doesn't care about the lives lost. All the while, he's also not afraid to go as far as necessary to make sure that his goal comes off well as long as he does it according to his will.

I watched the exchange intently. And when my eyes fell upon Courtney, I knew his patience would not last much longer.

This time, the words I had kept bottled up inside me could no longer be contained. "I'm not going with you!" My heart was pounding in my chest as I stated those words. I made a move to break free and rush toward Courtney, but Blaine's swift actions caught me off guard. In a flash, he was behind me, his strong grip enveloping my wrist, preventing my escape. He then suddenly took a gun out of his holster and pointed it at my neck. 

Oh god! I don't wanna die.

My heart beat furiously, but I tried to focus on breathing, though all I could imagine was Blaine's face behind me as he raised the gun over my head. It wasn't hard to picture myself now, lying on the floor, unconscious and surrounded by blood.

It wasn't long before Courtney grabbed him by his biceps. His actions were too swift for me to even react. “Let her go.” He pointed the gun at him with so much rage. 

But then Blaine's four men immediately rushed in, grabbing their gun from holsters and pointing it at me.

I cast a fleeting gaze at Courtney, and I saw the utmost worry in his eyes, but he tried to keep his cool for the sake of the situation. 

"Okay, let's stop pretending, Adeleine," Blained suddenly said, and I was confused. "So this man will stop believing you're a puppet that needs attention and protection."

Bewildered by his assertion, I asked, "What do you mean?" 

As my gaze shifted toward Courtney once more, his countenance mirrored the same perplexity that had enveloped my entire being.

Blained released me and strode toward Courtney with an evil smile. "Everything she did was part of our plan. She is a spy under my command. Now that you are enlightened to the truth, do you still wish to extend your benevolence toward her?"

My eyes widened in disbelief at Blaine's lies. Too shocked to even say a word. I just found myself staring at Courtney, unmoving. All I could see in his eyes was pain, but I couldn't decipher where that emotion came from.

As the tense seconds ticked by, the four men forcefully pulled me away from Blaine and Courtney.

I gave Courtney one last look, silently hoping that he would do something to save me again. However, the response I received was not what I had anticipated. A mix of disappointment and sadness clouded his features, an emotion that had never before crossed his face.

I want him to save me again. I want the warmth of his embrace, his arms wrapped around me like a protective shield. I want his deep and soothing voice, which never fails to calm the raging storm in my heart. Just the thought of his gentle touch brings me a sense of peace and comfort. Oh, how I wish for him to come and whisk me away from this threatening hell life again.

But then, no following steps were heard. No yelling or any sound of action. 

Suddenly, my tears cascaded down my cheeks, a ceaseless stream of pain that I made no effort to halt. My heart weighed heavy with an inexplicable emotion, trying to find an answer to the questions that kept bubbling in my head.

Why did you not save me from him?

What about the deal?

You didn't do anything, as though you never made a promise…

and didn’t care at all.