"She's already made up her mind. She's getting a divorce. Just go to the Civil Affairs Department now! We'll be there soon," Carlos said into his phone impatiently. With that, he walked up the stairs, loosening his tie.
'I have to get her there this afternoon, even if I have to force her to go, ' he thought.
"Well, no problem," Ivan answered. His assent made Carlos feel a little better. He picked up the pace and walked rapidly towards Debbie's bedroom.
As soon as Ivan hung up on Carlos, he called Debbie. "Hey. Carlos called me and asked me to go to the Civil Affairs Department. He seemed to be in a hurry," he said quickly.
Debbie locked her bedroom door and said in a whisper, "Don't go there. I won't."
"Aren't you afraid of him?"
Ivan asked, worried. He was afraid that Carlos would go to drastic lengths to get Debbie back, now that he had his memory back.
"If things get out of hand, I'll just tell him that our marriage is fake and that you are going to marry Kasie," Debbie answered nonchalantly. She didn't want to tell Carlos the truth now. She wanted to teach him a lesson. She had suffered for three years, and it was time to let him suffer for a change.
Footsteps sounded from outside the door. Debbie got scared and immediately hung up on Ivan.
"Open the door!" said Carlos as he knocked heavily on the door. It rocked on its hinges. Though he was on the other side of the door, she could see each knock as it landed.
Debbie trembled at every impact, as if he were pounding on her heart. "I...I'm very tired. I need to sleep," she stammered.
"Don't make me break this door down!" he threatened.
But he didn't have to. Debbie opened the door abruptly and looked him in the eye.
Without any delay, he grabbed hold of her wrist and dragged her out.
"Ouch! You're hurting me, asshole!" Debbie cried out. "Carlos Huo! Who do you think you are? Why do I have to divorce Ivan just because you say so? I'm not divorcing him. I love him!"
Her words successfully froze Carlos in his tracks.
He fixed his eyes on her, his face livid. "I won't let my woman live with another guy. Keep living with him and I'll send you both to hell."
The icy tone and his vicious words made her shiver. 'Is he running out of patience?' she thought.
She tried to calm down, took a deep breath, and told him, "It was James Huo who made me divorce you. Go after him and leave me alone."
"I know that. He's being dealt with. You don't need to worry about that."
"Okay. Then give me a few more days. I'm really busy now. After I'm done—"
"How many days?" Carlos interrupted her. He finally gave in.
After pondering for a while, she said, "Maybe half a month."
"Three days!"
"Ten days!" she countered.
Fighting the urge to strangle her, Carlos said through gritted teeth, "Five days."
"A week!" she argued.
"Fine!"
"Argh! What are you doing? Put me down!" she yelled.
Carlos scooped her up in his arms, walked into the room and threw her onto the bed. "Stay here. Don't leave. Don't see anyone. Your work can wait."
Debbie widened her eyes. "Are you seriously keeping me prisoner?"
He unbuttoned his shirt and cast a cold glance at her. "Yes. You can't contact Ivan unless you discuss divorce.
She stood up on the bed and protested, "Who the hell are you? A caveman? I need my freedom. I need to work."
'Why is he taking off his shirt? Is he going to...?'
She took a step back. The young mother had a bad feeling about this.
After throwing his shirt onto the floor, he whipped off his belt with one motion and dropped his pants. "You'll have your freedom and you can go to work. But you must sever all ties with Ivan first." He threw his pants away and reached out his hand.
"I will. But why are you taking off all your clothes?"
"It's my fault you still have the energy to find another guy. I swear I'll never let that happen again," he said coldly.
"Don't do this, old man. We already made love so many times last night. My legs are killing me. Please..."
"You can stay in bed for a week to heal." Carlos pressed her against the bed and kissed her lips hard to stop her from talking.
He felt both guilty about hurting her and angry at her for putting him through this. When his anger got the best of him, he tortured her by pushing inside her harder and harder.
Ever since he discovered Evelyn was his daughter, he got so angry sometimes. When he thought about it, he wanted to strangle Debbie because she asked his daughter to call Ivan "Daddy."
'It's all her fault! I never saw my daughter for three years! And she even calls Ivan "Daddy." What in the actual fuck!' he thought.
But in his calmer moments, he realized that it was actually James who had forced Debbie to divorce him and leave the country. She had suffered a lot during that time. His heart ached a lot.
As a result, their intimate time alternated between ruthless and vigorous, and extremely tender and loving. Pleasure-filled moans echoed through the bedroom, and the only other sound was the bed that creaked loudly thanks to how active they were. Her hands were held to the bed frame as he continued to ravish her sensuous body. The more she screamed, the more he was enticed to move quicker, deeper, and stronger. He never failed to make the woman beneath him scream out his name endlessly.
Two days later
Carlos and Tristan showed up at a mental hospital in New York. Tabitha sat in the courtyard, staring blankly at a tree. A nurse was there by her side to take care of her. When she saw Carlos, she greeted him with a smile, "Mr. Huo."
Carlos nodded at her and gestured for her to leave. The nurse left as she was told.
Although Tristan knew Tabitha wouldn't respond to him, he still greeted her politely, "Mrs. Tabitha Huo."
She cast a glance at him, her eyes empty.
Tristan sighed and said nothing more.
Tabitha didn't even recognize Carlos. When she saw him, she asked with a smile, "Lewis, is that you?"
The name was like a sharp knife slicing the proud man's heart to ribbons.
He stood still and thought, 'Three years ago, when Debbie was first introduced to her, she was still the elegant and graceful Mrs. Tabitha Huo. She was my mom. And she treated Debbie well, in contrast to the rest of the family.
But James destroyed her. Day by day, he tortured her, mentally and physically. He broke her down bit by bit. He even threw mud at her. And this is what's left.'
When Carlos didn't respond, Tabitha stood up and grabbed his hand. She had a hopeful expression on her face. "Lewis, I made your favorite meal. Let's go eat."
Tristan really felt sorry for Carlos. He was a tough and strong CEO, but when he was around Tabitha, he was just a son who wanted to be loved.
'Mr. Huo loves Tabitha and sees her as a mother, yet all she cares about is Lewis.
Before flying to New York, Mr. Huo asked Frankie to contact the best mental hospitals in Y City. He had the assistant exhaustively check out each facility until one met his exacting standards. He wants to take her back to the city and even intends to help her get revenge on James, ' Tristan thought.
Tabitha's reaction chilled his blood. She was really far gone.
Carlos, however, acted as if he didn't mind at all. He took her hand gently and said in a soft voice, "Mom, what did you cook?"
Tabitha led Carlos to her ward. The ward was very clean. It smelled of cleaning agent, and the acrid smell hit his nostrils. The staff were in there every day, cleaning. At least you couldn't complain the place was dirty.
When mother and son entered the ward, Tabitha regained her senses. She immediately released him and said, "Carlos, you came."
Carlos took out a handkerchief from his pocket and wiped his hand. He didn't like other people's germs, and was particularly fastidious. "Of course I'm here. I want to take you to Y City.