Chapter 18
That night, Aaron was discharged and returned to the estate.
It didn’t take long for the guards to drag Nancy in front of him.
Her face was covered in red welts–clear sign of resistance. Her clothes were torn, hair disheveled. She looked a complete mess.
The moment she saw Aaron, she flinched–just a tiny reflex–but it didn’t go unnoticed. Then, as if remembering something, she suddenly rushed toward him, eyes brimming with crocodile tears.
“Aaron, they hit me! And locked me in the damn storage room,” she whimpered. “You have to punish them!”
Nancy wasn’t stupid. She wasn’t here to beg–this was a test. She needed to know how much Aaron knew. If he still showed even the slightest concern, maybe she had a shot. Maybe she could still manipulate her way out of this.
But if he didn’t… she had no clue what would come next.
A flicker of panic crossed her face. She remembered too well the ruthlessness he was capable of. Her breath caught and for a second, her teeth chattered as if winter had seeped into her bones.
Aaron gave her a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. It was calm, almost pleasant–but the cold in it could freeze fire. Nancy shivered under the weight of it.
She quickly tried to change tactics. With a fake little laugh, she lowered herself onto his lap like some submissive kitten, stroking his ego the way she used to.
“Aaron, no matter what, I’m still your wife,” she cooed, brushing her hand gently across her belly. “What they did to me… it’s like saying they don’t respect you. And don’t forget, I’m carrying your child.”
Aaron’s eyes darkened.
That gesture–her hand on her stomach–hit a nerve. All he could see was the footage he’d just watched: Nancy using that very same child to frame me. As if the baby wasn’t even a life, just a tool to win a war.
His gaze hardened.
Reaching out slowly, he extended his hand toward her. Nancy, mistaking the gesture for affection, leaned into it and smiled softly.
Then his fingers wrapped around her throat.
In one swift motion, he tightened his grip, choking the breath out of her. Her face turned red within seconds.
“Nancy,” he growled, eyes burning with hatred, “did you really think I wouldn’t find out what you
did to Cassidy? Or did you just assume I’m some gullible idiot you can play for a fool?” “Where the hell did you get the guts to lay a finger on my wife?” His voice was steady, but the fury boiling underneath it was unmistakable.
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Nancy clawed at his hands, gasping. “N–no… Aaron… you’ve got it wrong.…..”
Even now, even at the edge of death–she still refused to admit
Just before she blacked out, Aaron let go.
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She collapsed to the ground in a heap, coughing and sucking air like she’d been drowning. It took her a full minute before she could even move. Finally, she crawled toward him, eyes streaming, nose running, makeup ruined.
“Aaron… I didn’t do anything. I swear. I don’t know who told you what, but someone’s framing me!”
“You know me… I couldn’t even kill a bug without crying–how could I ever hurt anyone?” She reached for his hand like a desperate child.
