Chapter 48: Henry!

I felt the pain from the countless bruises over my body. I checked my reflection on the glass window. My left eye was black and swollen. I had red marks around my throat. My right hand was fractured because I couldn’t lift it. And both my knees were red and wounded.

They tied me again in chains, treating me like an animal, even worse than that. My whole body was aching with bruises, but I didn’t care anyway. I cared about my unborn baby, who was growing inside me. I didn’t know if Henry could find Kian’s whereabouts or not. I hoped he would find it soon. I was an idiot who didn’t tell him the truth. The truth about Kian Taylor. If I had told him about his enemy, things would have been different. Maybe he could have found another way to get his revenge. Maybe we would have been facing this problem together, and maybe I could have seen him till my last breath.

I looked around the darkroom. I didn’t know the exact time, but I could guess that I had been here for over twenty-four hours.

I heard footsteps echoing in an empty room, and the next moment, a tall and muscular man stepped in. He was in a black jacket and black jeans. I couldn’t see his face because of his hood. I knew he was coming here to take me to KT’s room, and I didn’t want to go there. I didn’t want to see his scary face, and I didn’t want his filthy touch. He didn’t rape me yesterday, but it didn’t mean that he hadn’t touched me. He tortured me, broke my ribs and gave me a black eye.

He was a beast!

“If you have come here to take me to his room, then you’re wrong. I won't be going there. Get the fuck out of here. Even if you beat me to death, I would rather die than be his slave,” I gritted out. My nose is flaring with scorching rage. I wanted to kill that man.

The man ignored my words and stepped in front of me, towering over me at his mountain height. I didn’t look at him because I didn’t want to look at any of his men. He sat on his knees in front of me and untied my chains. “Didn’t you hear? I am not coming!” I spat.

He paused for a second as examined my wound and touched it gently and made me flinch. I brushed his hand away. “Don’t touch me.”

He untied my chains and the hood of his jacket was still hiding his face. And the next moment I was free. He scooped me up on his shoulders as if I weighed nothing. “You bastard!” I shouted and kicked him as hard as I could. I gave him several good punches but his body seemed made of stone. He didn't react! Anyway, he was stronger than me, so I couldn't knock him down.

The anxiety swallowed me deep down when my mind drifted to Kian. He was going to rape me and then kill me.

"I said stop it!" I punched him again but he didn't stop his feet and kept pacing down the hallway.

He took me down the staircase where I saw the large glass window was shattered like someone had broken it on purpose so that he could enter this place. And he was taking me out through that side.

I looked around at the dead bodies lying on the floor like there was a war a few minutes ago.

Suddenly, I heard an explosion. I gasped in horror, looking around. What was happening there?

A gunshot flew in the air. He immediately pulled me into his arms and protected me by shielding my body with his. He rolled me off and shot the man in front of him. “Henry!” I whispered when I got a glimpse of that man. He was my husband. "Henry, you…" But before I could complete myself, a hand grasped my forearm and tore me away from my husband.

The sound of gunshots became louder because as the war was running.

“Alice, let’s go.” I heard Vivian, and he yanked me towards the exit. I hadn’t seen him, but I recognized his voice.

The entire time my eyes were on him, the man in the hood. He was the man of my dream; he was the man of my life. My whole life belonged to him. His whole life belonged to me.

How couldn’t I recognize my husband? He had blood spots on his jacket and his hands were bruised like he had given someone several punches nonstop. And the next thing I noticed he had a gun in his hand. Did he know how to use it? Oh my God! He came here for war. Henry came here for a fight. “Henry!” I whispered, but he didn’t look at me, he didn’t glance at me once. A few seconds ago he was with me alone in the room, so why didn’t he talk to me? Why didn’t he hug me? Why didn’t he kiss me and tell me I am here? He didn’t even ask me how I was feeling.

“Vivian, take her out as soon as possible,” Henry ordered him without glancing at my way.

“And you?” I asked him and snatched away my hand from Vivian’s grip and reached out to my husband before hugging his body tightly. “Henry.”

He didn’t feel me. He didn’t move; he didn’t even turn to me. “Vivian, take her out right now!” He gritted out angrily.

“Alice, let’s get out of here before you risk your life again,” Vivian said and grasped my hand.

“No! I want to talk to him.”

“He is not in the state of mind to talk to you. He is fucking angry right now.”

I ignored him. “So you don’t want to see me because I’m looking ugly? Or Because KT touched me? He dirtied me, right?” I knew that this wasn’t the reason, but I wanted to talk to him. And I knew after hearing these words he would retort me back.

And he spun around and grabbed my face in both hands and kissed me hard, aggressively like he wanted to punish me. “Don’t you ever talk like this again! You are beautiful and pure as always. You’re mine.”

I breathed out. “Then why are you not talking to me, Henry?”

He rested his forehead against mine. “I can’t look at you like this. You broke me. You took away whatever was left in me. Just look at yourself, what you have done.” He pressed his forehead and closed his eyes, breathing deeply. “You betrayed me! You kept me in the dark, knowing how much I wanted to kill KT. Why Alice?”

I had never seen him so broken in his lifetime. He seemed vulnerable, lost, and hurt. “Because I never want to lose you.”

He breathed out as fighting with his inner demon. He was so much in pain, broken and dark. He didn’t say a single word for a few seconds. “You thought I’m a coward? You thought I’m weak and that I would not be able to kill my sister's murderer? You thought he would kill me? I've never felt so weak before. You made me feel like a rat. How can you be so mean? You didn’t see my pain. You didn’t see how desperate I was to kill the person who killed my mother and sister. You didn’t see I hadn’t slept many nights just because my sister’s killer was alive. You should have talked to me, Alice. If you would have told me the truth, then I would think once for you.” He touched my flat belly. “For our unborn baby. Maybe things would have been different. Maybe we both would have lived together and lived a happy life.”

Tears ran down my face as I stared at him, shocked. He couldn’t do this. He couldn’t. He loved me.

The sounds of a gunshot echoed in the hall as if it would hit our body. Vivian immediately shielded us.

Henry gently pushed me aside. “I'll kill Kian Taylor!”

Vivian immediately turned around, facing us. “Henry, you can’t go! Because my men have already put the bombs in each corner of the warehouse and it is going to explode at any minute, so we better get out of here as soon as possible. It is dangerous to stay here even for a minute.”

I grasped Henry’s hand and pulled him towards the doorway. “I’m not leaving until I kill that fucker,” Henry said through teeth and didn't budge from his place.

“Believe me, Henry, he won’t make it out of this alive.” Vivian convinced him.

“That bastard touched my wife. I’m not leaving until I have put ten bullets in his brain and ripped his body apart,” Henry growled. His eyes were burning with anger and his body was urging him to kill him.

Vivian glanced around the hall before turning back at us. The entire time, his hand remained on his gun. If someone mistakenly came into his path, he wouldn’t think twice to put bullets into his head.

Henry’s body is always ready to fight back against any man. I knew he was a martial artist and he was very attentive if someone would come from behind, he wouldn’t take a second to knock him down. I had never taken him weak. I knew he could easily kill him. But the difference was that Kian had a highly skilled army, and Henry had nothing except his skills. I didn’t want him to put his life in danger.

The gunshot got louder and yells erupted. “What’s more important, Henry? Your wife and child or your revenge?” Vivian narrowed his eyes on him.

“Both!” Henry’s jaw clenched harder.

“Think again, Henry. I can’t back my plan. I can’t remove the bombs and it is going to explode within nine minutes.” He showed a small machine where time was already being counted. The only time left was eight minutes and forty-two seconds.

“Then I will choose Kian's death.” Henry’s eyes fixed on me the entire time. He didn’t take them off me like it was his last time.

I wiped away my tears. “You are not going anywhere,” I whispered, and gripped him tightly. I hated the idea of losing him, and I would not let him go.

He pulled me into a tight hug and kissed my forehead. “If I didn’t kill him today, I will regret it my entire life, Alice. Don’t stop me.” A small teardrop escaped at his corner of the eyes. “I love you.” He kissed my lips tenderly.

I hugged him tighter, unable to handle the possibility of something happening to him. “I love you, Henry. Please don’t go! Please,” I cried out. “Kian will die. He will die. I can’t risk your life. The bomb will explode any minute…”

Henry tore me away from him and shoved me to Vivian. “Vivian, take her away!” His voice was hard even though he was shattered from inside.

Vivian came to my side but I brushed his hand away. I couldn’t leave my husband here to die. I wouldn’t let him go. “No! Then take me with you.”

Henry gripped my hand and pushed me towards Vivian like trash. “Take her away right the fucking now! Make sure she won’t get any scratches on her body.”

“Henry!” My legs were wobbly. I couldn’t even stand on my own feet because every moment I felt panic. “Vivian Please stop him!” I begged him.

“Sorry, Alice. His pride is more than anything right now. He is stubborn and he won't change his decision.”

“Then let me go. I don’t want to leave without him.”

He gripped my hand tighter. “Sorry, Alice. I won’t break my promise. I’m the man of my word.” He pulled me towards the exit door. “I have arranged the ship and you’re coming with me.”

His men followed us with their guns. “Boss, we have already called him. He will be here at any moment.”

My heart was throbbing under my chest like I would have a heart attack anytime. Sometimes I was feeling dizzy, sometimes I was feeling panicked and sometimes I was feeling extremely weak. Every inch of my body was anxious. My chest was aching. I didn’t want to leave my husband here.

I kept glancing at the warehouse as I expected Henry would follow us. Maybe he would change his mind, maybe he would think about me and our child. Maybe he loved me more than his revenge. And then my eyes were shifted back to that small machine which was showing the time of the bomb.

And my heart went to my throat when the alarms buzzed out, showing the red light of the danger.

“Fuck!” Vivian breathed out and snapped his head at the warehouse. For the first time, I saw fear in his eyes. “Henry!” He whispered.

Henry’s life was in danger!

I elbowed Vivian’s face. When his grip loosened, I spun around and rushed towards the warehouse.

I wanted my husband back.

I loved him.

He was the father of my child.

He was my soul mate.

He was my everything.

And if he would die, then I would also welcome him.

I ran as fast as I could but the warehouse exploded with an angry blaze; I froze in my place. I was blank, dizzy, scared at the same time.

Blast!

And then one more!

Then again!

And last!

Four blasts in three seconds.

The bombs blew up, burning the air. Fire blew out doors and windows and sprayed glass across the ground, shattering the house.

I could feel the heat surrounding me, burning me, scorching my skin, causing me to cry out wordlessly in pain. But no! I didn’t cry because this time I wanted him.

“Alice!” Vivian screamed at the top of his lungs and jumped on me, shielding my body with his.

“Henry!” This couldn’t be happening. This was a nightmare, the worst nightmare. I hoped I was dreaming. When I opened my eyes, I saw my husband lying beside me, kissing me, his arms wrapping around my waist and my head resting on his chest.

Vivian cupped my face. “Are you okay?”

I nodded.

He pressed his forehead against mine. “I’m sorry Alice.” His eyes were moist even though my eyes were dry. I didn’t cry. I didn’t want to cry because I knew he was alive. Henry was alive. He couldn’t leave me like this.

“Let’s go.” He pulled me into his arms and led me towards the ship.

“And Henry?”

Vivian wrapped his arms around me and pressed my head against his chest and said nothing.