Chapter 18
"Katherine, what happened to you? Are you fine?" He asked, he already had a plan of calling a medical officer to meet him at home so that Katherine can be treated.
"Just stay with me," she pulled him closer again, as attractive as she seems, Derick knew he would eventually regret what she's insinuating for them to do so she took her hands off his body forcefully and closed the door.
His breathing became a little erratic expecially when her bold and beautiful face appeared in his mind. If he didn't have self control, he would have already locked his lips in hers and kiss her passionately. But that woman seems to be drunk... Perhaps, she drank too much and lost consciousness.
Derick got to the driver's sit at once and sped home. Once he parked the car, he got down and carried Katherine outside of the car then went to place her in her room. Katherine's eyes remained shut but she doesn't look calm.
Derick then placed a call ordering for an high ranking medical officer to come over immediately. While waiting, he received a call from Alessio and he answered, "Marshall, we were able to save Donna before the man have his way with her and we have stopped the live recording. The man who is trying to force her way to her is a civilian. He must have sneaked his way inside the base, what judgement should we place on him."
"Shoot him dead immediately." He said but an idea popped on his mind so he changed his mind, "no, keep him in prison and find out his identity."
"Got it, sir." The call then came to an end.
Derick doesn't give offenders chance to live for even one second. Once you are wrong, you die. But for this man who has his eyes on his fiancee, he wants to know whom the person is before passing judgement on him.
Then his eyes fell on Katherine who was laying on the bed, her face had become pale and softened. Derick wondered why she was holding onto him the other time.
Soon, there was a knock on the door and Derick ordered for the person to walk in at once. The male medical officer immediately examined Katherine and said to Derick, "she was drugged, sir. There are harmful substances in her blood."
Drugged? Derick wondered who could have drugged her. "Treat her quickly."
The medical officer got to work at once while Derick remained standing. He didn't see any need to sit. After two hours had passed. It was already 2AM, midnight. "She just needs some time to rest and she will be fine."
"Okay." Derick said and the medical officer walked out at once. Derick was used to standing expecially when he's troubled. He's not like an ordinary civilian who sit or lay when in anxiety, as for him, he stands. During war, there are times he would neither sit nor lay for three days straight. He's either running, walking or standing.
He stood right before her bed, watching her and hoping for her to get better. He was doing this because of his mother. He was still yet to know why his mother wanted him to marry her but he knows that his mother would reveal the reason someday in the future.
When it was 5:10AM, Katherine's eyes fluttered opened. Took a while before her eyes adjusted to the light that shone moderately in the room. When her eyes caught sight of a broad man before him, she quickly put on a defense but she soon realized that this man was Derick. So she let her guard down and sighed.
"Katherine, how do you feel?" He changed his standing position and asked.
Katherine held her forehead as a slight pain permeated through her head," feeling better."
"The doctor said you were drugged. Did you drug yourself or did someone else did?" Derick asked.
Katherine was still trying to process everything that happened to her, after a few minutes of recollecting all that happened before she lost consciousness, a feeling of anxiety crept inside her, that bastard- Richard dared to infiltrate the military camp just to forcefully have sex with her? He even drugged her. He was definitely not scared of his life.
"I think I was drugged." She responded. "Can you sit?" She was not comfortable with Derick who had been standing gallantly since she was awake. If only she knew that he had been waiting on her for more than three hours.
"I need to know you are fine," he said.
Huh? Why? Does he care? As far Katherine was concerned, this man before her doesn't care for her a bit. And that may be true, Derick was only acting this way cause he didn't want to offend his mother.
"I'm getting better, please sit, Marshall," she said. Only then did Derick went to sit. His eyes were still fixed on her.
"Whom did you think drug you?" Derick asked. "And why did you think the person drugged you?" He needs this information so he can know how to deal with the culprit.
"I think it must be my ex husband. After getting to the welcome dinner party of General Wendi, I sat comfortably and took my first drink only to start feeling somehow. I managed to walk out but heard my ex husband's voice. Then he started dragging me to a room, I guess. But I was able to escape and ..." The rest of what happened wasn't clear so she trailed off.
Derick then placed a call across to Alessio. Once he answered, he spoke, "have you found his identity?"
"Yes, Marshall. He's Richard Caldwell. General Katherine's ex husband." Alessio answered.
After Derick hung the call, he asked her, "your ex husband broke our codes and conducts by entering the military base outside of the hours we permit civilian in. Not only that, he seemed to drug you and we even caught him trying to force himself on Donna. You already know what judgement will be passed to him, right?"
Katherine knew Derick was indirectly saying he would be killed. Katherine wouldn't have mind if he gets killed but what if Richard was her children's father? Will she be agreeing to the execution of her children's father?
If she was sure Richard wasn't her children's father, she wouldn't have bothered. Richard had crossed the military line and any civilian who does that must face instant execution. It's even surprising that Richard isn't already shot dead already.
Katherine didn't know exactly what to say but she will never agree for Richard to be executed.
When Derick's saw Katherine's expression, she knew she was unwilling to let him pass the judgement to execute Richard. "You still have feelings for him." He concluded.
She looked up at him at once," feelings? Never! How can I have feelings for someone who cheated on me and sent me out of his house with nothing to my name? Only an insane person will have feelings."
"So why don't you want him dead?" Derick asked and quickly added, "oh! I get. You don't want to kill your children's father."
Katherine was surprised at how Derick spoke accurately.
"He's not my children's father though."
"Permit me to ask, why do you keep saying he's not your children's father when he's clearly the one. It's not like you have sex with anyone else seven years ago apart from your husband or are you also secretly cheating on your husband?"
"Ex husband!" She quickly corrected and added, "I didn't cheat on my ex husband but yes, I had sex with someone else." She looked away shamefully after saying this.
"You had sex with someone else while married to your ex husband and that isn't cheating?" Derick mocked her words.
Katherine didn't know how to explain to him that she was set up by Donna and her ex mother in law. If they were truly lovers in this marriage, she would expose all her past to him but considering the fact that their marriage was just a temporal one, she can't expose the truth to him..
"It's complicated," that's all Katherine could say.
But her revelation detest Derick. He stood with a look of disdain clearly written on his face. What did his mother see in this woman that made her tell him to marry her? She's a lier, she's deceptive and she's even a cheat.
He pushed his grudges against her aside and spoke, "the doctor advise that you should rest very well." Afterwards, he began to walk out.
Katherine wanted to call him back and explain to him cause she knew that he would have definitely misunderstood what she said but she didn't have the strength to. She just watched until he faded out of her sight.