Chapter 5
The man looked at me with suspicion, and Clay took the opportunity to continue:
“Go ahead and tie up Riley if you want,” he said, “Maya and I have a bridal appointment tomorrow. We don’t have time for your games.”
After saying that, he even reached out to me, his voice unbelievably gentle.“Maya, let’s go.”
At that moment, a chill spread from my heart to my
limbs.
I finally understood.
Clay was using me as a shield, trying to divert the kidnappers‘ attention and let Riley go!
The man hesitated, his expression uncertain.
Suddenly, he pushed Riley away, turned around, and charged straight at me!
“You’re the one he loves most!” he snarled with a ferocious smile, grabbing my hair and dragging me toward the edge of the bridge.
Clay’s pupils shrank, and he lunged forward, but the first thing he did was to grab Riley.
“Riley…”
Meanwhile, I was roughly pulled by that man, falling off the bridge!
The wind howled past my ears, and the cold river water flooded into my mouth and nostrils, making it almost impossible to breathe.
As the cold water closed over my head, I vaguely heard Clay’s voice from the bridge.
“Get the kidnapper first, don’t let him escape.”
“Get him to jail to prevent future trouble.
“I can’t let him hurt Riley again!”
I wanted to laugh, but the water filling my lungs made my vision black out from the pain.
Before I completely lost consciousness, I finally understood-
In Clay’s eyes, my life was worth less than even a kidnapper!
When I woke up in the hospital, I heard the doctor’s serious voice:
“Ms. Moore has been severely depleted over the past few years–long–term alcohol consumption, mental exhaustion, plus old injuries from experimental drugs…Falling off the bridge this time worsened her condition. You need intensive care, otherwise…”
Before he finished, Clay noticed I was awake and hurried to my bedside, his voice unusually
tense:
“Maya, you’re awake! How are you feeling? Any discomfort?”
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I looked at him, my eyes flat.
If he truly worried about me, why had he instantly chosen to save the kidnapper first?
Clay, seeing my silence, reached out to touch my face, but I turned my head away.
He hesitated, his voice low, tinged with guilt.“It was my negligence this time. I’ll make it up to
you.
I curled my lips without saying a word.
Clay, you owe me so much.
And these debts can never be fully repaid.
Perhaps feeling guilty, Clay stayed with me in the hospital for two full days.
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When I was discharged, he immediately took me to an auction, claiming it was to “compensate”
- me.
I tried to refuse several times but failed, so I just went along with him.
At soon as we arrived at the auction, we ran into an old acquaintance–Riley.
But this time, Clay didn’t even glance at her; instead, he stayed close by my side, helping me adjust my shawl, pouring hot water, peeling crabs, and occasionally whispering to ask if I was cold.
I knew he was acting.
For whom?
Maybe for himself, to ease his guilt, to make himself feel better.
Before the auction started, Clay took a phone call and left for a while.
I stood alone by the champagne table when suddenly a man approached, smiling as he asked for my contact info:“Hello, you’re beautiful, can I get to know you?”
Before I could respond, a hand suddenly reached from behind, gripping my waist tightly and pulling me into an embrace.
“She’s my fiancée,” Clay’s voice was icy, his eyes dark and intense, fixed on the man. The man’s expression changed instantly, hurriedly apologizing and leaving in a rush. Clay looked down at me, his brow furrowed.“Maya, someone hit on you, why didn’t him?”
I said calmly,“Aren’t we not married yet?”
Clay was momentarily stunned, then he touched my face, his tone possessive and unwavering:“We will get married sooner or later.”
“Besides me, who else would you marry?”
you reject
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Chapter 5
His eyes
bore into mine, serious and deep, one word at a time:“Anyway, I’m marrying you in this lifetime, and no one else.”
I looked at him and suddenly smiled.
How ironic.
He clearly didn’t love me, yet he dared to swear he’d marry only me.
