Chapter 11

As Bethany left, Trystan grew increasingly agitated. He pinched his brow, feeling an ember of rage smoldering deep within him. Megan slid over and leaned against Trystan, touching him on purpose. "Trys, don't drag your feet on the divorce. I heard from Aunt Serene that Beth has arranged a blind date, and she's quite content with it," Megan said, her tone insistent. She spoke while observing Trystan's reaction. She had definitely spiked that drink earlier. Trystan was too preoccupied, impatient, and in no rush with the divorce proceedings. Megan couldn't wait any longer. Megan knew something had to happen tonight. She needed to pressure Trystan into divorcing Bethany quickly. Soon, Trystan's headache intensified, and the fire in his chest seemed to spread through his body. He felt like he was losing control. Memories from a year ago came back to him in a flash. He knew what was going on right away. He had been drugged again. The drink on the table caught his eye. It was Bethany, that awful woman, again. What was she up to this time? Was she trying to get him to cheat so she could demand a divorce settlement from Lawson Group? Enraged, Trystan shoved Megan off of him and stormed out. Megan was shocked. She put aside her pride and ran after Trystan, hugging him from behind. "Trystan, don't leave. I'll give you whatever you want," she pleaded. Using his last shred of reason, Trystan pushed Megan's hands away. "I'm not in a clear state of mind right now. It's not fair to you," Trystan managed to say before quickly leaving. Once he was out of the banquet hall, he called Elijah Lennon, his secretary. "Tell Bethany to meet me on the top floor." Elijah was about to ask why, but Trystan had already hung up. What was going on? Trystan had sounded off. Bethany? Where could she be? Just as Elijah was getting anxious about where to find Bethany, he spotted her coming out of Emperor Hotel's entrance. Elijah hurriedly got out of the car and intercepted her. "He wants me to meet him on the top floor?" Bethany found it all very strange. "Yes, it's urgent." Elijah emphasized the message, mirroring Trystan's urgency. "Mrs. Lawson, please hurry." Bethany sighed. She wondered if Trystan had signed the divorce papers and wanted to discuss the proceedings, just as she had mentioned. While she was filled with confusion, Elijah ushered her into the private elevator that would take her to the top floor. Emperor Hotel's top floor had a beautiful presidential suite. Bethany rang the doorbell, but there was no answer. She tentatively pushed the door and saw that it wasn't closed. "Trystan? Can I come in?" As Bethany stepped inside the room, the door slammed shut behind her. Someone's solid, burning body crushed against hers. Bethany was instantly horrified and opened her lips to scream, but she was silenced with a kiss. Bethany was scared and anxious, and tears ran down her face. She seized the opportunity and bit the other person hard. In agony, Trystan drew back and let her go for a second. In a daze, Bethany recognized Trystan's face. Even more perplexed, Bethany screamed, "Trystan, have you lost your mind? Do you know who I am?" Trystan gripped her hips and lifted her. Bethany pushed Trystan with all her might. "Let go of me! What are you doing?" "You spiked my drink. Isn't this what you wanted?" Trystan couldn't control himself any longer and kissed Bethany again. "No... It wasn't me..." Bethany struggled desperately, determined not to repeat the same mistake again. Trystan let Bethany go. His voice was low and hoarse from breathing hard. He tried to coax her, saying, "Even if it wasn't you, who else could I go to in this situation? "We're still married, and you're my wife. All I need from you right now is for you to fulfil your obligations as my wife. Be good. It'll be over soon." As much as Trystan didn't believe in Bethany, he couldn't think of anything else now. All he needed was Bethany's compliance. … By the time it was over, Bethany had passed out. The next morning, she woke up feeling like she had been run over by a truck. The marks on her body were even worse than before, suggesting Trystan's insane behavior last night. The experience was worse than it had been on the last two occasions. Was last night's drug that powerful? Bethany attempted to sit up and noticed a document on her bedside table. The document's title, Divorce Agreement, was written in large, visible letters. Bethany groaned sadly, feeling like a rag that had been used and tossed by someone. She picked up the document and discovered it had already been signed, and the divorce settlement section had been left blank. The bitter feeling that steadily spread through her mind made her feel lost. Why had she had any expectations from this marriage? Bethany pitied herself even more. It was Monday that day—Bethany's deadline to submit the drafts to Regina. Bethany quickly tidied herself up and took the elevator down. Unexpectedly, she ran into Megan in the lobby. Memories of last night flashed through her mind. Bethany felt ashamed, thinking she was even less worthy of facing Megan now. She bowed her head, hoping to hide. "Beth!" Megan had obviously noticed her. Bethany's disheveled state fueled Megan's jealousy. Bethany tugged at her collar, trying to cover the marks on her neck as much as possible. Suddenly, Megan pulled Bethany aside and hugged her. "Beth, I'm so sorry." Bethany's eyes widened in surprise. "They put something in Trys' drink last night, and I didn't realize it until later. I came to you because I was frightened that Trys, who was under the influence of drugs, would harm you." Bethany's eyes remained wide as tears silently streamed down her face. "Beth, I'm really sorry. I wanted to ask Trys to stay. We sincerely love each other. I said I didn't care if we had sex before marriage, but Trys refused. He demanded that we save our first night for our wedding night." Bethany could barely stand. She should have known. Trystan saw her as a tool, while Megan was his prized jewel. Megan let go of Bethany, and her mood slightly improved when she saw Bethany's pale face. "I'm really sorry, Beth. We'll make it up to you." Bethany was unwilling to say anything. She turned and left. Megan caught up again. "Beth, are you going to the office? Let's go together." Bethany shook her head. "I need to go back for something. Ms. Katz assigned me a task a few days ago, and the deadline is today." "I see." Megan checked the time. "You won't make it in time by cab. I'll drive you back, and then we'll go to the office together." Bethany wanted to refuse, but Megan didn't give her a chance. "Consider it my way of compensating you, okay?" Bethany could only nod. While they were on the road, Megan inquired further about Bethany's task. She became curious when Bethany returned to the car with the design drafts. "Beth, do you mind if I take a peek at your drafts? I heard your last design was a hit with the client. I'm eager to see what you've come up with."