Chapter 17
I slept too much during the day, and after being scared by William at night, I couldn't sleep that night.
I sat on the sofa by the floor-to-ceiling window, looking at the night view outside, enjoying the peace of the moment while sorting through my thoughts.
After everything that happened these past two days, I became even more determined to divorce William.
William and I had known each other for ten years, yet it felt like I only just met him these past few days.
Thinking of his crazed, twisted expression when he was banging on the door, a chill ran down my spine.
If this was William's true self, then he was truly terrifying!
He had been acting in front of me for ten years. If I hadn't discovered his affair, would there come a day in the future when, after a heated argument, he would suddenly become violent with me, or do something even more horrifying?
Images of those wife-murder cases involuntarily flashed through my mind, making me even more anxious and uneasy.
No, for my personal safety, I had to divorce him as soon as possible and get away from William, this ticking time bomb!
With this thought, I took out my phone, opened the browser, and started searching for the best divorce lawyers in Emerald City.
Just as I was concentrating intently on my phone, a cold, ghost-like voice suddenly came from behind me.
"Honey, do you really want to divorce me that badly?"
I immediately jumped up, every hair on my body standing on end, and rushed to the nearest switch to turn on the lights.
"Honey, are you that afraid of me?" William leaned against the entrance door, waving the key card in his hand. That handsome face that once attracted me was now filled with sinister malice.
"Layla, you still don't understand what I'm capable of. As long as I want to, there's no place I can't get into."
The sense of unfamiliarity with him grew stronger, and I couldn't help but doubt myself—was this William with his twisted face really the person I had loved for ten years?
Or had he always been like this, and my love for him had beautified his cruel and frightening face?
William sneered as he closed the door and slowly approached me.
In an instant, cold sweat broke out on my back, my whole body went numb, and I grabbed a vase from the cabinet nearby, trembling as I pointed it at him.
"Don't come any closer! William, what you're doing now is illegal trespassing. If you leave now, I can pretend nothing happened."
"Layla, we're married. Do you really have the heart to call the cops on me?" William suddenly put on a hurt, pitiful expression, but the malice in his eyes still made my whole body tremble.
I was so afraid of how he looked right now that when I spoke, my voice was shaking. "William, this is my friend's place. Don't cause trouble here. If we have something to talk about, let's go outside and talk, okay?"
Weighing the pros and cons, I didn't mention that this was Matthew's house. I wanted to keep William calm for now.
Looking at his aggressive demeanor, if I stayed alone with him in this room, I could very well become the next victim in a wife-murder case.
So I had to find a way to trick him into going outside.
Only outside would I have a chance to escape.
I calmly analyzed the situation, trying to calm myself down and speak to William in a gentle tone.
"Your friend's place? Layla, do I look like a fool to you? Which of your friends don't I know? Do you think any of them can afford to buy a place here? And..." William took a few steps forward, backing me into a corner with nowhere to retreat.
He drew out his words, then suddenly raised his hand, pressing it against the wall by my ear, trapping me in his arms.
His eyes were full of disdain as he grabbed my chin, forcing me to look at him. "And do you really think those friends of yours actually care about you? Except for Emily, the others are only friends with you to get close to the Brown family."
At this point, William frowned, running his fingers back and forth across my cheek, sighing softly. "Layla, I really do like you. Why couldn't you just keep pretending you didn't know? With all the years we've been together, I only cheated this one time. Why can't you forgive me?"
"Layla, I've been really good to you. You know men in my circle—which one of them doesn't keep many mistresses on the side? I only had Olivia, and I didn't even sleep with her willingly at first. Why can't you give me another chance?"
Looking at William's crazed appearance, I was shaking with fear.
The way he looked right now was just like those psycho killers in movies—smiling on the surface but hiding a knife, his whole body radiating an uncomfortable coldness.
"Layla, I really love you. Let's not get divorced, okay?"
One second, William was frightening, and the next, he turned into a wronged child, acting cute as he rested his head in the crook of my neck, nuzzling like a kitten.
If this were before, when he acted cute and said a few soft words like this, my heart would instantly melt into a puddle, and no matter how angry I was, I would give him another chance to change.
But these past few days, I'd seen his true self. Especially his sinister, terrifying look just now still had me shaking with fear. I felt like there was a knife hanging over my neck, ready to dismember me at any moment.
My brain was racing, thinking about how to keep William calm, when suddenly I felt wet kisses on my neck.
Under my clothes, a hot hand gradually moved upward and unhooked my bra.
In an instant, I broke out in goosebumps. The disgust I felt from deep within made me instinctively push William away.
"William, calm down." I clutched my collar, holding out my hand to keep William from getting closer.
"Layla, whenever I think about you divorcing me, I can't calm down. Layla, we're fine. Don't divorce me. Let's just pretend nothing happened and go back to how things were, okay?"
William's eyes were watery, like a pitiful abandoned puppy.
But the obsession and madness in his eyes were terrifying.
I thought that William right now was a ticking time bomb, ready to take me down with him at any moment.
My back was pressed against the cold wall. There was nowhere left to retreat.
"Layla, don't look at me like that. I love you. I know you mind about Olivia and the baby in her belly. Don't worry, I'll give you a satisfactory answer. I won't let her become an obstacle between us."
Seeing him reach out to hold me tight again, I used all my strength to push him onto the sofa.
Taking advantage of the moment before he got up, I ran toward the door with all my might.
Just when I was only two steps away from getting out, I suddenly felt pain in my waist, and my whole body was lifted into the air.
After a dizzy spin, I found myself in William's arms.
I struggled with all my strength.
But it had no effect on him. Instead, he used just one hand to restrain both of my hands so I couldn't move.
At that moment, I deeply understood the difference in strength and size between men and women.
Like a lamb waiting to be slaughtered, I helplessly watched William close the door and carry me toward the bedroom.
"Layla, you're becoming more and more disobedient. I need to teach you a good lesson today." William threw me forcefully onto the bed, wearing an evil smile as he loosened his tie.
I desperately tried to back away, trying to find something I could use to defend myself.
But he saw through my intentions first, suddenly grabbed my ankle, and dragged me back to the edge of the bed.
He used his tie to bind my hands above my head, tying a tight knot.
"William! This is against a woman's will. I can..."
"Layla, that little trick only works once. Use it too many times and it gets boring." William took off his shirt and casually tossed it on the floor, then stuffed a handkerchief in my mouth. "Be good. I know you still have feelings for me. Our ten years together—that's not something you can just let go of."
"You don't like Olivia and the baby in her belly, so I won't keep them either." He pressed down on me, shirtless.
William's restless hands roamed over my body. As he unbuttoned my clothes, he said in a husky voice, "Actually, last night I almost got rid of that baby..."