Chapter 9

Jasper’s face darkened, his entire body radiating a coldness that felt suffocating, like the weight of a thousand pounds. Aurora couldn’t help but shiver. She glanced at Jasper’s expression and, steeling herself, continued, "Jasper, I honestly don’t want to see you divorce her. After all, you two…” “Get out!” Jasper interrupted, his eyes turning a fiery red, his fury erupting like a wild animal on the brink of madness. He was all hostility now. "Leave!" Aurora trembled, quickly standing up. She didn’t dare say another word, grabbing her handbag and hastily exiting the room. Once the door closed behind her, Jasper let out a low growl, his anger uncontainable. He kicked the nightstand with force, sending it crashing to the ground in pieces. Arabella—so she had already made up her mind to divorce him! How dare she? The more he thought about it, the angrier he became. It felt like a knife scraping at his heart, over and over again. It hurt. It made him furious. He was like a wild lion, losing control of his temper. He kicked over the coffee table and chairs, his fists clenched tightly. She wanted to divorce him? She wanted to leave him? Not a chance! Jasper released his tight grip on his fists, but in a fit of rage, he yanked open the door to the hospital room. Next door, in the adjacent room. After returning to my room, I began packing, my tears falling uncontrollably. I no longer had a reason to stay in the hospital. Jasper already had someone more important by his side—someone who didn’t need my concern. There was no point in me being here, getting in the way. I grabbed my bag and turned to leave, but as I reached the door, I collided with the furious figure of Jasper charging toward me. His eyes were bloodshot, filled with murderous intent, and his gaze locked onto mine with such intensity I felt like he wanted to tear me apart. I froze in fear, instinctively stepping back. Jasper’s tall frame quickly closed the distance between us, cornering me against the wall in just two steps. He lowered his gaze to the bag I had packed, his voice cold and biting like shards of ice. “In such a hurry to leave? Haven’t you divorced me yet?” I couldn’t understand why he was in such a foul mood again, but I didn’t want to dwell on it. I just wanted to leave. “Move.” I lifted my gaze, forcing myself to stay calm as I glared at him. “Move?” Jasper didn’t step back. Instead, he took a step closer. “What, do you have a lover outside? You’re rushing to divorce me so you can be with him, aren’t you?” His voice grew colder with each word, his control slipping further. The memory of two years ago resurfaced in his mind like a haunting nightmare. They had been married for only a month, and he had been filled with joy and expectations, thinking they would build a family everyone would envy. But that woman… she had slept with a client for a work contract. At first, he hadn’t believed it. But then, he had seen it with his own eyes. He had watched as she, flushed with shame, shamelessly fell into the arms of a strange man… This was Arabella—Arabella, who would do anything for money. He had kept silent about it, using fake affairs as revenge, but he never expected that this woman wouldn’t care at all about his retaliation. "Jasper, what nonsense are you talking about?" I couldn’t understand his words, but the pressure from his increasingly sharp energy made it hard to breathe. I pushed against his chest, trying to maintain some distance so I could catch my breath. “Stay away from me!” She told him to stay away? Jasper’s gaze darkened dangerously, and he completely lost control. He took a step forward, closing the gap between us until our bodies were nearly touching. He reached out, gripping my delicate chin and forcing me to look up. “Arabella, don’t you like money? I’ll give you money,” Jasper’s expression twisted, becoming grotesque. His fingers tightened on my chin, nearly crushing it. “Ten million? A hundred million? Name your price!” Buy me? Does he really think I’m just some object to be bought? A cold chill ran through me as I stared into Jasper’s eyes, which held an unspoken sadness. “Jasper Hawthorne, what do you mean?” “What I mean,” he said, his voice cold, “is that I’ll buy you. You want a divorce? Fine. From now on, you’re not my wife anymore. You’re my slave. A plaything.” I slapped him hard across the face. He jerked his head to the side, stumbling back from the force of the hit. He released my chin. “Jasper, you’re a bastard!” I choked back tears, spitting the words at him as I shoved past him roughly. My body stiffened, but I forced myself to walk away, taking large steps toward the door. As I walked, tears welled up in my eyes. How could Jasper say such things to me? Did he see me as nothing more than an object, something he could humiliate just because he had money? A prostitute he could buy and sell? Bastard! My vision blurred with tears, my mind a chaotic mess. I didn’t even see where I was going, stumbling blindly until I suddenly collided with a solid, warm chest. “Arabella, what’s wrong?” A familiar low, calm voice echoed above me. I snapped back to reality, hurriedly wiping my tears from my face, and looked up. To my surprise, it was my boss, William Caldwell. As soon as I saw him, I instinctively tensed and took a step back. But then, I felt a tightening around my waist as William reached out and pulled me into his embrace. His brow furrowed, concern evident in his eyes. “Is someone bothering you?” I shook my head, about to say it was nothing, when suddenly, Jasper’s angry roar echoed from behind. "Arabella, get back here!" His words were harsh, completely devoid of politeness. My body froze, and the tears I’d just managed to hold back came rushing out again. I didn’t want Jasper to see me so weak and crying, so I grabbed onto William’s arm. "CEO Caldwell, please, help me. Take me away, please!" I pleaded desperately. William’s gaze shifted as he listened to me, and without a word, he pulled me closer, shielding me from Jasper’s cold, piercing stare, not flinching in the slightest. "Let her go!" Jasper’s voice seethed with fury. I clutched the front of William’s shirt, my shoulders trembling, betraying the fear I felt towards Jasper. William sensed it. He gently patted my back, his touch tender but filled with unspoken comfort. Jasper glared at us with murderous intent, his eyes burning with rage. But William, unfazed, turned his gaze away and began walking, still holding me, leading us both away. We moved together, close and intimate, as we left the scene. It was like throwing gasoline on the already raging fire that was Jasper’s anger—intensifying it even further. Now, he hated them both—William for daring to stand in his way, and me for making him feel so helpless. "Arabella, I’ll say this one last time." Jasper’s fists clenched at his sides, trembling with barely contained rage. His voice was low, venomous. "Come back to me!" This was his final offer. If I returned, he would forget everything that had happened before. But if I still chose to walk away, he would drag me back to hell if he had to!