Chapter 108
Felicity POV.
One week later,
We were staying at the Melezo's apartment. He had me called by his guards.
"What do you want?" I asked my voice frozen like an iceberg.
"It's all thanks to you that I spared your friends."
I raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"
"Don't play ignorant with me," he said.
I pretended not to know what he was talking about. "What are you saying?"
"Don't play ignorant with me," he said, his voice low. "You know exactly what I'm talking about. Remember when I asked you to be my wife?"
I shrugged, pretending not to understand. "I'm sorry, I don't recall. Could you remind me?"
He let out a frustrated sigh. "Stop playing games with me. You said no. And despite the death of Maximus," he paused, glancing away for a moment before meeting my eyes once again. "Give me your answer now!!"
I felt a lump form in my throat and my heart raced in my chest. "Maximus is dead because of you," I said, my voice shaking. "And no matter what you say, my answer is still no."
He let out a cruel laugh. "Maximus was just an idiot who thought he was smart. You should forget about him. He's dead and gone. But I'm still here, and I can make you forget all about him too."
"I said no," I replied firmly. "My answer hasn't changed. Despite Maximus's death, I still love him and you're his killer."
He laughed cruelly." You should forget about him and focus on loving me."
Tears streaming down my face, I replied, "I'll never love you."
He stepped dangerously close to me, and I backed away. "You don't have a choice," he threatened. "Either you accept my proposal or I kill your baby and your friends. Tic-tac. Time's passing. I want an answer." I wanted to slap him.
"I still needed time," I said hesitantly.
Melezo's face twisted with anger. "How much more time do you need?" he snapped.
"I just need a little longer," I pleaded.
He sighed in frustration. "Fine, No worries!"
Suddenly, he snapped his fingers, and the guards in the room immediately sprang into action. My heart started racing as I watched them. "What's going on?" I asked anxiously.
A few minutes later, the guards returned, but they weren't alone. My friends, Kyle, Ava, Kim, and Ella, were brought into the room, all tied up. Panic surged through me, and I turned to Melezo, furious. "Untie them! Release them!" I demanded. But Melezo simply looked at me with an emotionless face. Slowly, he said, "Since you need time to think, I'm going to push you to think faster."
Confused, I didn't grasp the meaning of his words until one of the guards handed him my baby and a dagger. Terror overwhelmed me as I shouted, "Don't harm my baby! And let my friends go! Please!" Each of my friends had a knife pressed against their necks, and they trembled with fear.
Fearfully, I watched as Melezo stroked my baby's face with the dagger, leaving a small cut on his cheek. My baby cried even harder, and tears welled up in my eyes. "Stop! Please, stop!" I screamed desperately.
Melezo's eyes locked onto mine with a vicious look, and then he said coldly, "You know what you can do to make it stop."
My voice shook as I shouted, "I... I want to marry you! I want to be your wife!" I did it to protect my baby and my friends, though every fiber of my being despised him.
To my horror, his face lit up with a monstrous smile. "Excellent," he said. He ordered the guards to untie and free my friends before instructing them to treat my baby's wound. Finally, he approached me with a mixture of triumph and desire in his eyes. He leaned in to kiss me, his tongue forcing its way into my mouth. I felt disgust, but there was no other choice. I forced myself to kiss him back.
As he pulled away, he kissed me again, whispering, "I love you. I want you under me!" He ordered, and I felt the bile rise in my mouth.
I was repulsed, but I knew I had to play along. Melezo dragged me to his bed, forcibly laying me down. I knew that from that moment, my life would be a living hell.
Weeks passed, and now I was known as Mrs. Vanderbilt. My days were filled with constant torment, particularly when I was forced to fulfill my marital duties. Every night, I would fantasize about killing Melezo, sometimes even going as far as grabbing a knife from under the bed. But I could never bring myself to take that final step. I hated him with every fiber of my being, and I longed for Maximus - my true love. I missed him so much, even Phoenix missed him.
Now, I stood before Maximus's grave, tears streaming down my face with the gold bracelet he gave me, I pressed it. Melezo had wanted to destroy his grave, but I had pleaded with him, trading s****l favors to preserve my late lover's final resting place. On this day, my baby Phoenix's first birthday, he was not here to celebrate with us. Holding Phoenix in my arms, I whispered words of love to Maximus, telling him how much I missed him and how I would love him always.
Suddenly, my baby's voice broke the silence. "Daddy," Phoenix screamed, his first word. Shocked, I stared at him, tears welling up once again. I gently kissed him while crying, overwhelmed with emotions. But then, to my surprise, I heard footsteps behind me. Ava and Kyle appeared, dropping to their knees beside me. They too heard Phoenix's first word and joined in a prayer. They presented their gifts to Phoenix, their love for our mutual friend shining through. I embraced them both tightly, grateful for their presence and support.
Once again, Phoenix uttered "Dad," and Ava and Kyle were just as amazed. We laughed and remarked how delighted Maximus would have been to witness this milestone. Together, we celebrated his memory and the connection he still had with us.
Later that night, lost in a fitful sleep beside Melezo, I jolted awake at the sound of peculiar noises. Confused, I tried to dismiss it and return to sleep, but the noises grew louder. Curiosity and apprehension filled me as I lifted my head and looked towards the source of the disturbance.
What I saw left me in shock. Standing at the bedside, on Melezo's side, was Maximus, holding a dagger in his hand.