Chapter 429
Vivian Bennett felt her blood turn to ice.
A bone-deep chill spread from her heart to her limbs.
She stared blankly as the man leaned closer to the bed.
His low, husky voice was painfully clear in the silence. "Just endure it a little longer. It will be over soon."
Her fingernails dug deep into her palms.
The sharp pain was nothing compared to the agony in her heart.
So this was what he called working overtime.
This was why he couldn't answer his phone.
Through the crack in the door.
Two blurred, overlapping figures stabbed into her vision like daggers.
There was no need to see any clearer.
This image alone was enough to shatter her heart.
She turned away stiffly.
Each step felt like walking on broken glass.
Her eyes ached terribly.
A mist of tears blurred her sight.
She didn't stop until she was outside the villa.
A cold wind whipped against her face.
She finally raised a hand to cover her mouth.
Warm liquid finally broke through the dam.
Tears traced paths down her cold cheeks.
Leaving winding trails behind.
The softest part of her heart died completely.
Only barren ruins remained.
The night wind tangled her long hair.
Her slender figure swayed unsteadily under the streetlights.
How ridiculous.
She had actually been making excuses for him.
Thinking perhaps it was the aphrodisiac wine.
Thinking he might have been forced.
But betrayal was betrayal.
No reason could cover the truth.
She tilted her head back, swallowing her sobs.
She pulled open the car door and slid into the driver's seat.
The engine roared to life.
The villa grew smaller and smaller in the rearview mirror.
......
The shower ran steadily in the bathroom.
Liam Sullivan's dress shirt was completely soaked.
The fabric clung to his tense muscles.
He braced one knee against the edge of the bathtub.
His long fingers pressed firmly against Isabella Sullivan's neck.
He pushed her under the cold water again.
Splashes soaked his pants.
Isabella was drenched.
Her skirt clung to her legs, dripping constantly.
Her pale lips trembled.
It was impossible to tell tears from cold water.
The drug had stripped her of reason.
But it only made him more clear-headed.
When her hands wrapped around his neck.
He pushed her away without hesitation.
"You are my sister."
His voice was cold as ice.
She cried that she didn't care.
It earned her a sharp slap.
Cold water continued to fill the tub.
He repeated the pressing motion.
Isabella began to struggle.
Choked whimpers escaped her throat.
"Brother... just kill me..."
She begged between gasps.
Liam's jaw tightened.
Suppressed fury churned in his eyes.
"Endure it."
His voice held no room for argument.
Wet hair stuck to her face.
Water droplets traced her collarbone.
"Just once..."
She leaned closer with glazed eyes. "Vivian will never know..."
"Enough!"
He increased the pressure sharply.
His fingertips turned white from the force.
"I will say this one last time. Impossible."
Time crawled by.
The bathroom held only the sound of water and ragged breathing.
When Isabella finally stopped thrashing.
The drug's effects began to fade.
Liam released his grip.
He grabbed a towel and threw it over her.
"I'll get you clothes."
He turned, stirring the humid air. "Go back to your room after you wash."
Isabella leaned weakly against the tub.
Her voice was barely a whisper. "I didn't mean to..."
He didn't look back.
His knuckles were bone white.