Chapter 35: Morning Sickness
Caroline gritted her teeth, the frustration building in her chest. “I’ve never met anyone as unreasonable as you. So, you can do whatever you want, but I’m not allowed even the slightest freedom, huh?”
David’s response was cold, his voice calm but laced with authority. “Do you have the means to defy me?”
Caroline stood her ground, her voice steady. “No, I don’t. That’s why I won’t fight you, but I can stay out of your way.” She gave him a sharp look. “Are you divorcing me or not? I’ll leave with nothing. I don’t want a single cent from you.”
David raised an eyebrow, his expression unreadable. He thought his wealth and power made him untouchable, but Caroline didn’t care about his money. It was just another way for him to control her, and she refused to be controlled.
David’s grip on her chin tightened, forcing her to meet his gaze. “You seem pretty confident after meeting Nash, huh?”
“My confidence comes from knowing I can stand on my own two feet and survive in this world,” Caroline replied firmly, not backing down.
David’s lips curled into a sneer. “No company will hire you,” he taunted. “Stop wasting your time.”
Caroline had already guessed as much. Of course, he wouldn’t let her find a job so easily. “I left Ellison Group, and you immediately blacklisted me, didn’t you?” She stared at him with disdain. “David, you’re so petty. What did I ever do to you to deserve this kind of treatment?”
He leaned in closer, his breath warm against her skin. “I just enjoy toying with you,” he said softly, his voice laced with cruelty.
Caroline clenched her jaw, enduring the pain in her chin. This guy was a complete psycho. She said nothing, not willing to give him the satisfaction of a reaction.
David’s face was now less than an inch from hers, his gaze dark and predatory. “Beg me,” he said, his voice low and mocking. “Maybe I’ll consider letting you go.”
Caroline’s chest tightened. She knew what David wanted—he wanted her to bow her head, to admit defeat, to submit. But she was determined not to give him that power over her. She refused to beg, no matter how much he pushed her.
Locked in this dark room, nearly breaking her hand in the process, blacklisted by everyone she knew—she had never once begged him. And that frustrated him to no end. She would rather turn to Nash for help than beg David for anything.
With her chin still in his grasp, Caroline lifted her head and met his gaze squarely. “I’d rather beg for food on the streets or dig through trash than ask you for anything!” she spat, her voice full of defiance.
The tension in the room froze, thick and suffocating.
David’s lips curled into a thin, mocking smile. “You won’t beg me, but you’ll beg Nash?” His voice was laced with disbelief and a hint of anger. “Do you really think he’d risk going against me for you?”
Caroline’s heart skipped, but she didn’t back down. “He would!”
David’s glare could have cut through steel. He leaned in closer, his eyes colder than ever. Caroline could feel the weight of his gaze on her, and for a moment, her confidence wavered. Deep down, she knew Nash had once chosen his family over her. But right now, she had to hold her ground, even if she felt a knot of guilt twist in her stomach.
“You think too highly of yourself,” David said, his voice dripping with disdain. “Nash already has a fiancée. What do you think you are?”
David shoved her away, releasing her chin with a dismissive motion. He leaned back on the couch, grabbing a lighter and lighting a cigarette with practiced ease. Smoke curled around him, giving his sharp features an ethereal, almost ghostly quality.
Caroline didn’t flinch, though her heart was racing. “His fiancée doesn’t change the fact that he loves me,” she said, her voice calm, though there was a touch of bitterness in it. “He chased me for four years. I’m his unattainable love.”
She couldn’t resist adding sarcastically, “They say a man’s heart always has room for more than one woman. There’s always an unattainable love and a bittersweet muse etched into his soul.”
David flicked the ash from his cigarette, unimpressed. “Do you always have to be so shameless?”
Caroline didn’t flinch at his insult. “That’s on you,” she said, her voice flat.
David’s expression darkened. “You haven’t seen what I’m truly capable of, Caroline.” His voice was cold, threatening. “If I truly unleashed my power, you wouldn’t survive.”
He didn’t need to elaborate for Caroline to understand the depths of his cruelty. He wanted to break her slowly, to watch her struggle, to make her believe she couldn’t escape. It was all a game to him, an entertainment, and Caroline was just a pawn in his twisted little world.
She stared at his face, unable to hide the disgust rising within her. The longer she looked at him, the more nauseated she felt.
Finally, her stomach churned violently.
“Ugh…” Caroline gasped, clutching her abdomen as a wave of nausea hit her hard. She stumbled slightly, her breath shallow.
David’s eyes narrowed, and he watched her intently. “What’s wrong with you?” he asked, his tone cold but with a faint hint of concern, though it was more out of curiosity than care.
Caroline didn’t answer. She barely had the strength to respond, her body shaking as the nausea overwhelmed her.
