Chapter 63
“What if I died?” Olivia’s almost inaudible mumble bounced off the walls of the bathroom, taking him by surprise. “You won’t die because you have me.”
Sure, he might have endless power and wealth one could wish for, and he had access to the top medical resources in the world. But no doctor would guarantee success in treating late–stage cancer.
Ethan might appear omnipotent, holding power over the life and death of other beings. But he was a mere mortal at the end of the day and powerless to save her from the hands of the Grim Reaper.
She chuckled. “Ethan, since my family owed you a life, shall I atone for that with my death?”
“Liv, I would have taken your life two years ago if I wanted to. I hate you, but I love you at the same time. That’s why I’m keeping you alive to punish you.”
“Did you just say you love me?” She snorted. “If that’s true, you wouldn’t have betrayed me. I told you I wanted to build a mega–hospital with express access for the needy. So, you built a hospital worth a few billion and named a wing after Marina.” She went on, “I said I loved the ocean and picked a spot for our future home, but you ended up building Collington Cove for Marina; I wanted to name our child Connor, but you stole that name for your child with Marina.”
“Ethan, do you call that love?”
The icy water trickled down his jaw. It was hard to see the emotions in his eyes because he was staring at the ground. He‘ seemed to have a lot to say and opened his mouth. But nothing came out in the end.
At first, she had wondered if he had a good reason for treating her in that manner. If not, given his character, he wouldn’t have kept the pa*scode around.
Upon second thought, she concluded that he was a conflicted man who could love and hate someone simultaneously. Perhaps, that was his way of taking revenge. He wanted to keep her alive, and he knew where it hurt most.
Her eyes dimmed. Grabbing his collar, she hissed, “Your love is revolting.”
“Liv, do not anger me. That wouldn’t do you any good.” He unbuckled his belt, a move that set her alarm bells ringing.
“W–What do you want to do?”
“Liv, you need to be punished for your mistake.” He enunciated each word of his threat before tying her hands behind her. “No, Ethan, you can’t do this to me.” Olivia panicked, but he was in no mood to listen.
He swiftly tied her up and positioned her under the shower with the help of a towel, all while she struggled futilely. He had a unique way of tying the knot, which made it impossible to be undone. Her soft skin reddened under the rough handling.
He lifted her chin in his fingers and mumbled into her ear, “Liv, I’ve seriously considered giving up on you.”
Despite the tenderness in his voice, he gave her the creeps. He went on, “But whenever I see other men near you, I want to tear them into pieces. Tell me, where else did Keith touch you?”
His mania grew with his increasing tenderness. Reminded of Keith’s car crash, she frantically cleared Keith’s name, “I only ask that he pay extra attention to my dad at the hospital, that’s all. I don’t know why you said that about the apartment- Dad’s caretaker introduced that place to me. My landlord is abroad.”
“Liv, I wanted to trust you, but he visited your place for a few days with stuff for you. Care to explain?”
Tears filled her eyes as she suffocated under his craziness and possessiveness.
“I couldn’t get out of bed because I was sick for a few days. He was worried about my health and brought groceries to cook for me. Can’t you tell that he’s only stayed for two hours tops each time? He’ll leave after cooking for me.”
He furrowed his brows and played with her cheeks. “Are you really sick?”
It seems Ethan only ever married Olivia to take revenge for what happened to his little sister. While Olivia is plagued by her sickness, he holds her chin and says coldly, “This is what your family owes me.” Now, she has no family and no future.
Her father becomes comatose after a car accident, leaving her with nothing to live for. Thus, she hurls herself from a building. “The life my family owes will now be repaid.” At this, Ethan, who’s usually calm, panics while begging for Olivia to come back as if he’s in a state of frenzy …
