Chapter 55
Ella was being choked so hard she couldn't breathe.
Her small face instantly turned red.
She raised her hands, trying to pry Michael's fingers away, desperate for air.
But Michael was completely triggered. He bent down close to Ella, rubbing his face against hers, trembling all over with agitation.
"You said you had two children, and I accepted that. I didn't care."
"But now you're telling me you have a husband? How can you have a husband? Your husband can only be me."
Michael stared at Ella, his hands around her neck, looking completely insane as he coaxed her between tears and laughter, "Ella, you can't have another husband, okay? You can only have me. Say it—say you only want me."
Ella was in too much pain to speak.
Her chest felt so tight she thought she might die any second.
Even looking at Michael in front of her, her vision started to blur.
The butler was terrified and tried to remind him, "Mr. Johnson, Mr. Johnson, you're going to strangle Mrs. Johnson like this. Please let go first."
Michael was startled and suddenly released his grip. He crouched beside Ella, grabbing her hand and apologizing.
"I'm sorry Ella, I didn't mean to. I'm just so scared you'll leave me."
"I'll go kill that person outside right now, then you'll only belong to me."
As Michael spoke, he stood up, his face instantly darkening as he ordered the butler, "Get my gun."
"Mr. Johnson."
The butler tried to stop him, his face full of worry. "That's the CEO of the Thomas Group. We can't fight against him."
Michael shot the butler a cold look, not caring at all about the CEO of the Thomas Group.
Anyone who coveted Ella had to die.
Finally able to breathe, Ella coughed violently. It took her a long time to catch her breath.
Seeing the butler go to get the gun, she was really afraid Michael would shoot Joshua dead, and she wouldn't be able to explain that to Aiden.
She quickly got up and grabbed Michael, pleading, "Don't kill anyone. I'll go out and talk to that person outside. I'll tell him I don't like him, that I'll divorce him, and make him leave. Is that okay?"
Michael looked at Ella tenderly, his slender fingers arranging a few messy strands of hair on her forehead, smiling cunningly. "No, Ella. You can only be mine. You can't have a second husband. Once we kill him, everything will be fine."
Michael patted Ella's shoulder, coaxing gently, "If Ella is scared, go back to the room and stay with the children. I'll come find you after I'm done."
Ella shook her head, trying hard to persuade him, "No, Michael. Joshua has done me favors after all. I'll just divorce him. Don't kill anyone. I'm scared."
Ella knew very well that when Michael had an episode, he really would kill someone.
No matter how much she hated Joshua in her heart, he was still Aiden's only grandson.
Aiden had been so good to her. How could she repay kindness with betrayal?
Michael softened.
Seeing Ella so scared she looked like she was about to cry, he pulled her head into his embrace and compromised. "Fine. Ella, go divorce him and make him leave. I'll go upstairs to stay with the children. If you can't make him leave, I'll just shoot him from upstairs."
Now Michael wasn't afraid of Ella escaping anymore. He pushed her away and turned to go upstairs.
Ella broke out in a cold sweat.
She hurried outside.
Outside the castle's iron gate, Joshua stood there in a suit, restless and anxious, his expression worried.
Seeing that no one from the castle was coming to open the gate, he really wanted to drive right through it.
But just as Joshua was about to get in his car, a familiar figure gradually approached from inside the iron gate.
Seeing Ella, Joshua's dead heart came back to life. Unable to suppress the excitement deep inside, he called out through the iron gate, his lips trembling.
"Ella, it really is you."
Joshua stepped forward and grabbed the iron gate, his chest heaving. "You're alive. Why won't you see me? Why did you leave with Dorian after going back?"
"Do you know how much pain I've been in this past month since you disappeared?"
He wanted so badly to break through the iron gate and hold Ella.
He wanted to hold Ella tight in his arms and really feel her presence.
At this moment, Joshua felt like he'd been reborn, looking at Ella with eyes full of joy and happiness.
Even his eyelashes were wet with tears.
But Ella's face showed no expression.
She stood behind the iron gate and said coldly to Joshua, "Didn't you always want me dead? If I died, wouldn't that be exactly what you wanted?"
She used to think that Joshua and Scarlett were just entangled without actually having sex.
It wasn't until Ella saw with her own eyes the two of them in her marriage bed that her heart completely died.
This Joshua was even dirtier and more disgusting than she had imagined.
Thinking about how Michael might be upstairs in the castle behind her, holding a gun, ready to kill Joshua at any moment.
Ella looked at him and said coldly, "Just leave. Go draft divorce papers. We're getting divorced. From now on, don't bother me anymore."
"What did you say?"
Joshua looked at Ella's attitude toward him.
He found it hard to accept. Because the iron gate was closed and he couldn't get in, couldn't get close to Ella.
Joshua could only try his best to control his emotions through the iron gate and speak to her properly, "Ella, stop this, okay? I don't blame you for not coming back to me when you were alive. I don't blame you for hiding the fact that you have two children."
"Come out now and go home with me. From now on, I'll treat your two children well, and we'll live a good life together."
Joshua reached his hand through the iron gate, trying to hold Ella's hand.
"Ella, be good. Give me your hand."
Ella stood frozen, not moving.
Seeing Joshua still pretending to love her so much.
If she hadn't seen him having sex with Scarlett with her own eyes, she might have believed him.
Smiling, Ella pointed at the castle behind her. "Guess why I'm here?"
Joshua glanced at the castle in the distance. Brian had looked into it for him.
This castle had been here for thirty years.
No one had lived in it for nearly ten years, but someone had moved in just in the past two weeks.
The owner of the castle was surnamed Johnson.
Brian told him that the Johnson family developed businesses in dark industries. The elders had moved abroad because they were afraid of being arrested for breaking the law.
The person now living in the castle was a younger member of the Johnson family.
As for the name, Joshua wasn't quite sure.
Joshua didn't know how Ella got involved with such a dark family, but he absolutely couldn't allow his woman to associate with people from such a family anymore.
Otherwise, sooner or later, she'd end up in prison.
Looking at Ella, Joshua coaxed her patiently and gently.
"Ella, be good. Open the door and come out. I'll take you home."
He had come alone, otherwise he would have just had people break down the door.
Ella still stood there without moving, looking at Joshua coldly, steeling her heart.
"I lied to you again. Actually, the father of my children isn't dead. His name is Michael, and he came to find me."
"I just want to be with him and my children. And you're old, you treat me badly, and you constantly humiliate me for other women. Why would I go back with you?"