Chapter 17
When Paige heard the front door open, she stood up happily. She knew Adrian wouldn’t be so hestess. But when she saw the expression on his face, her mile instantly froze.
Adrian’s eyes were cold as ice as he walked straight toward her:[]
“Adrian. you.” Her vake trembled as she instinctively stepped back ||
“Why?” His voice was low, suppressing a storm, as he wuddenly grabbed her wrist, squeezing until it hurt. “What the hell did Stella ever do to you? Why did you keep hurting her?”
Paige’s face went deathly pale as she struggled to get away. “T…. I didn………. ||
“Dida?” Adrian suddenly threw a stack of photos in her face. They scattered across the four–rveillance screenshots from the lakeside vil records of her transactions with overseas hitmen.. all the evidence was dumning ||
Seeing all this evidence, Paige’s legs gave out as she collapsed to the floor, tears streaming down her face. “Adrian. I did all this because I love you! I was so terrified of Insing you..]
“Love me?” Adrian laughed bitterly, his eyes full of disgust. “Your love mens scheming, lying, murder?
your love mess putting Stella in morial danger?
He roared, grabbing wine bottle and smashing it against the TV screen, which shattered instantly.
Paige screamed in terror, but then Adrian pulled out something ele–the journal she’d seen before. The one he’d written about her after they separated, every page filled with burning devotion. But now, those words meant less than trash
Under her helpless gaze, he viciously tore the pages in har
“RIP–I-
Patge screamed and lunged forward, trying to grab the pages. Don’t You wrote this for me-
skin, blood tracking out.
Adrian grabbed her wrist and slammed her against the wall. The vicent pict sent pain shooting through her back as glass shards cut into her skin, blood Paige completely broke down, crying bysterically. “Adrian How can you test me like this for that womant I saerificed so much for you!r“]]
“Sacrificed?” He smiled mocking “All you sacrificed were the lies you fed me. Your chinees only brought Stella painer“]
Paigeach on the floor, frantically trying to piece together the torn journal pages. But those fragments that once read “will shays love Paige” were too shredded to (repait. Just like her twisted love–it could never be salvaged.]]
Tears still wet on her cheeks, clutching fragments of the journal, she suddenly heard a cald voice from above. “The her up.”
The icy tone made her whole body shiver. Before she could reart, he bodyguards had already forced her to kneel heavily on the glass shards.
“AHHHH!!” The excruciating pain made her scream, but this was just the beginning
“What.what are you doing? she looked up in terror, meeting a pair of bloodshot eyes
Before getting an answer, the bodyguard raised a whip and rock her back viciously. Page let out a piercing shrick.[]
“That’s for pushing Stella into the lake.”
CRACK!
The second blow sent her spraying. That’s for causing my y accident and making Stella give blood“]]
As the whip was raised for a turde, Paige cranded through her tears and not to gloch his legs, her face filled with terror
“I was wrong… Adrian, 1 was really wrong please spare me, you’re going to kill nor…-||
Her back was already covered in bloody wells, but it was nowhere near roungh||
Adrien locked her away and gestured for the bodyguard to continue. As soon as he spoke, searing pas shot through her body as the bodyguard wielded the whip suking her again and again ||
Page was soon beaten bloody, her agonized screams echoing throughout the basement. When they reached the 95th lash, Adrian crouched down and uned her terrified face with his Ongenip. “What do you thank your precious family would say if they saw you like this?“|||
Paige’s pupils trembled in shock.
Just then Adrian’s phone buzzed–photos from his Middle East security team. Stella was handlaging a wounded soldier, smiling gently in the sunlight]
Adrian’s ejus dnally showed a trace of warmth,
Then he looked down at Paige on the floor, her clothes shredded from the whipping, and spoke with cold indifference. “I won’t let you die. I want you to spend the rest of your life paying for what you’ve done. He turned to leave as Palge’s heart wrenching sohs echoed behind him
“Adrian! You’ll get what’s coming to you
Before leaving, he waved his hand without looking back. “Ms Cooper claims to have depression, right? Send her to a psychiatric facility. I dont care how much she suffers–just keep her alive.“[]
The door med shut, sealing the hysterical curses hide
In the pouring rain, Adrian looked up, letting the winter wash over his face. He’d accept whatever punishment came his way–he needed to atone for what he’d done to
