Chapter 36

Roxanne

I opened my eyes to a very unexpected sight. Derek was in front of me with the faintest of smiles on his lips. My head felt light as I tried to move my body. The last thing I remembered was some kind of explosion and a figure coming to carry me from that place where the robbers attacked me.

I immediately deduced that it was Derek who came to my rescue. Why did the man always appear to be in the right place at the right time whenever I was in danger? It seemed that he was always there to rescue me from danger. Even though I was still angry at him for everything he'd done to me, I was moved by waking up to find out that he was the one who had saved me.

"Hello." He said to me, with a short wave of his hand.

I still felt somehow numb all over my body. Then I remembered that I had been shot. I quickly tried to locate the area near my chest where I had sustained a gunshot. I couldn't find any. It was all gone and restored back to how it was. I was shocked. Surely, even the best of doctors couldn't have stitched me so perfectly.

I felt everywhere with my hands trying to locate where this injury was but I found nothing.

"I've been asleep for how many weeks?" I asked Derek.

"Weeks?" He looked confused. "You were only unconscious for hours. Why do you think you've been sleeping for weeks?"

"I can't find the injury. I was shot. I remember that vividly. I thought I had been in a coma for weeks or even months. It might explain why I have healed up."

"Oh. About that… Let's say I was able to get you some help and everything is okay now. You're safe now. You need not worry anymore." He said.

How dare he speak about being safe when he was the reason for my impulsive migration in the first place. How did he even find me? It seemed as though as I tried to run away from Derek, he found a way to get even closer to me. The situation was looking really hopeless and it was beginning to seem as if I could never escape this man and his hold over my life.

I became instantly angered by his presence. The issue of the sex tape was still there and he was responsible for it. Saving me from what he caused didn't absolve him of all that.

"Why won't you just leave me alone? You destroyed my life with the video that you leaked to the world. You've brought shame and embarrassment to me and everyone who knows me now thinks lowly of me. I already told you, I don't want to have anything to do with you anymore."

He kept staring at me with amusement as I spoke and when he got the chance, he said, "You should conserve your energy and rest well till you gain more. You lost a lot of blood but you'll feel much better if you rest. If there's anything you need, just inform me and I'll get it for you." he offered.

I was a little surprised by this gesture.

"Why are you acting so nicely when I know that all you want to do is destroy my life?"

"I don't know why you have that opinion of my intentions but it couldn't have been further from the truth, Roxanne. I care about you and all I want for you is to be safe and healthy."

"Why?" I asked.

"Does it require a reason for one to love someone else?" he said quickly.

"All we have between us is a contract agreement. There's no way you're going to get more than three years because we both know this relationship is only transaction-based. And more importantly, I don't need your love in my life, Derek."

The last statement unraveled him and it showed on his face. He set his body over me in an abrupt manner but paused midway and stared at me for a brief moment. I held his gaze and pursed my lips to show my discontent.

"You should recover first." He said as he finally got away from me. "But know this, you belong to me for the rest of the contract and there's nothing you or anyone else can do about it."

"I won't fall for your threats anymore. There's nothing you can do to me, you wicked being."

He paused and smiled for a moment before he said, "Do you want me dead, Roxanne?"

I was shocked by the question but I tried not to show it. I only kept staring back at him and waiting for what he was going to say next. When he saw that I wasn't going to do or say anything, he took a fruit knife from the table and passed it to me.

"You can do it yourself if you wish," he said with a wry smile on his face. "If you really want me dead, now is your chance. Don't miss it, Roxanne." He prodded.

I couldn't understand what he was on about but knowing Derek well, he had something else under his sleeve.

"Take it. You know you want to." He said again.

Instantly, I grabbed the knife from him with anger and aimed it at his chest but he stopped me easily before I could make any impact. I was still so weak that I couldn't even get my balance after he stopped me. I needed to lean against him for support.

"You weakling." he mocked and started a very loud laugh. "You really think you could kill me? Maybe your friend could do it but I doubt you could. Especially in your current state." He said and continued laughing.

I felt completely helpless and embarrassed by his mockery. I couldn't believe I let myself think that I could really get a chance to stab his heart and be done with it. There wasn't any chance. Not when he was the one that offered it. I felt even more embarrassed as I saw this.

"Get some rest, Roxanne." He said and walked away.

Diana

As I walked away from the house like an abandoned child with my bags, I began to regret every step I had taken to make Derek love me back over the past years. It was the greatest pain I had ever felt in my life—the fact that Derek didn't feel anything for me up till this moment. Despite the kind of arrangement that the marriage was formed on, I had thought that he would later come around over the years.

I had even hired a private investigator to help me extract anything that I could use against the girl from Derek's computer. That was when we found the video. I'd thought leaking the video on the internet would make everything better. Maybe if she was being insulted by everyone, Derek would be too ashamed to associate himself with her anymore. But I couldn't have been more wrong. It seemed as if all I had done was help strengthen their relationship.

The pain of losing Derek went deep within me and affected every inch of my body. I was oblivious to my immediate environment as I walked like a ghost through the street. Suddenly, a man appeared behind me.

"Diana," he called out.

I turned around to find a man with an indistinguishable face under a cloak behind me. I didn't know how he got so close without making any sound.

He spoke again, "What if I tell you that if you make a deal with me, I would not only make Derek your own again, I would also make him obedient to everything you say."