Chapter 34

The moment she heard the loud sound of a chair moved violently, she pushed Christian from her with all her strength. She didn’t care if he thought she was rude. Not causing problems between her and Luke was more important than thinking about good manners at this point. She had been fearing for this moment to happen. She looked at her husband whose strides were angry and quick. By the looks of it, she was sure that there was no way she could stop him doing something violent. But this was worse because Luke didn’t know Christian. She hurriedly ran to him. She blocked his way. They were not at the middle of the restaurant but they were still definitely catching attention.
"Babe,” her voice was small and pleading.
He was breathing raggedly as he came to an abrupt stop just a few feet from Christian.
"Who the f*ck is that d*ckhead?!" he asked while he was gritting his teeth.
He was a little shock when he had the chance to really look at the man's face who was also looking at him. They were both frowning. They were almost the same height and the man had stubble like him. But the other man's eyes were lighter in color than his and had lighter hair than him.
Am I seeing things or does this *sshole looks a little like me? Luke thought.
Isabelle held her breath as Christian came closer to them.
"Belle?" he called her but his eyes were on Luke.
He probably noticed too that he resembled her husband. She swallowed when Luke gripped her waist to pull her closer to his body. Christian’s eyes narrowed as they followed his arm on her.
"Care to introduce us babe?"
She touched his chest as she looked at him then at Christian.
With puzzled eyes Christian asked, "Why is he calling you babe? Is he your ex? Why are you together?”
Her body went cold with his unexpected question. The moment she heard Luke cursed, she knew that the brawl was about to start. He released her to attack Christian and began smacking him. His back was on her and she could hardly see Christian's face too. The sound of her husband's fist hitting his jaw was clear to her.
"No babe!" she cried.
Everyone was shocked. She screamed for help when she saw Christian hurled a chair to Luke who stepped back to avoid the chair before attacking Christian again. She closed her eyes in fear but continued crying Luke’s name and telling him to stop. At last, the waiters intervened. It took more than six men to separate them since both men were strong and hunky. Christian knew self-defense too hough Luke was more well-trained. Christian was able to fight back a little unlike the other men he had beaten up.
"You stay away from my wife or I'll kill you!" he threatened as three waiters were holding him.
Two men were holding Christian. "She is not your wife anymore!” came his angry reply which made her eyes widened.
She was so shocked hearing that from him.
"No babe!" she screamed when she saw how her husband's rage intensified.
He cursed loudly then with all his strength, he freed himself to ran to Christian again. It was all too much for her. She felt light-headed.
"Miss!” one of the customers exclaimed when she suddenly lost consciousness.
***
She opened her eyes. She was in the car with Luke. She didn’t look at him. Here eyes were on her lap. She was still afraid to see anger on his eyes and face. She raised her head but she turned to her right. They were still a bit far from the house. She couldn’t bear the silence anymore. She heaved a sigh then slowly turned her head to him but she almost regretted it. His right profile looked scary. His jaw was clenched and his hands were gripping the steering wheel. His eyes were focused on the road but she knew that his mind was elsewhere. He was a skilled driver so the car was running smoothly. She sighed to gather courage.
"B-Babe, " she called him in a small voice but got no reaction from him.
She lowered her eyes again and chose to nervously play with her fingers as she looked at them.
"We'll talk at home!"
***
Christian Smith was her step-mother's nephew. He was about the same age as Luke. He was an architect who was based in California. The first time she saw him during a family gathering, she did a double take. He looked like Luke but she never entertained the thought of being friendly with him especially because he showed interest in her during their first meeting. She soon discovered that her father told him that she was in the process of divorcing her husband so he became confident to tell her about his feelings. She didn’t want him to woo her but she didn’t directly tell him to stop simply because he and her dad knew that her marriage was fake. Her father just wanted her to move on so he played a matchmaker. He liked Christian for her. He might resemble Luke but he is not Luke Contrero. She couldn’t easily forget Luke however hard she tried. She didn’t want to be in a new relationship just yet. Christian asked her many times to go out on a date but she refused in a nice way. She couldn’t totally avoid him because he was Martha’s relative. He was a good catch and if she wasn’t from a rebound, maybe she might want to be his girl. Her dad and her stepmom wanted them together so now she wasn’t sure if it was just a coincidence that he was also in the country or not. She had to call her dad to ask him.
***
She was massaging her temples because she was beginning to have a headache. She wasn’t sure if it was the effect of her fall or she was just stressed out. It was her first time to collapse due to strain.
"You were lucky I was able to catch you before your head hit the floor," Luke said in an expressionless voice.
She just directed her eyes at him without saying anything.
"Was that orchestrated?" he asked without looking at her.
She just looked outside the window. She couldn’t believe that he asked her that.
" You should know that I am not capable of doing such a thing,” she said in a sad voice.
He let out a sarcastic laugh, "I am not even sure if I really know you anymore,” he commented.
She bit her bottom lip. That hit home.
"The Isabelle I knew won't even think of letting another man touch her and much worse allow any *sshole to embrace her in the same room where her husband is! But you have been in the US for three years so I guess you are used to that,” he said sarcastically.
He was furious because his mother lied to him. She told him Isabelle didn’t date anyone. But that trash at the the restaurant looked more than just his wife's acquaintance. The way he hugged her showed that he felt comfortable doing it. He didn’t want to think that Isabelle considered the American as his substitute. Now he couldn’t fathom why he was in the country. Did the bastard follow his wife? He couldn’t help cursing with his thoughts. His foot stepped harder on the accelerator which sent the car to almost fly.
Isabelle held on tightly on her seat belt.
"B-babe p-please slow down..." she was scared as hell.
Luke had always been careful when he was driving especially when she was with him. This was the first time he drove crazily like this. He looked grim and he didn’t seem to hear her. A muscle was jerking in his right jaw. He stepped on the accelerator even harder. She covered her eyes and started to sob. She didn’t know how long she was in that state. They were lucky they could come home safely but she was still shaking when they reached their house. Her husband slammed the car's door and marched into the house without even glancing at her.
"Issa are you alright?” Tina asked her worriedly when she got off.
She still looked pale and her eyes were red from crying. She nodded and entered the house too . Luke was at the bar counter. He was drinking liquor like it was just invented. When he sensed her presence, he glared at her. She lowered her eyes because she couldn’t stand the hate and rage she saw in his eyes.
"You better have a good explanation later! if not, God help me, you will really witness my wrath!" he said while grating his teeth.
She felt her heart thumped. She had been scared of him before this was the angriest she had seen him so far since he had beaten up Reed. She ascended the stairs with her hand on her chest. She was dreading the time being alone with him in their room.
Luke’s hands were slightly shaking from rage. The scene where that bastard had his arms around Isabelle kept playing in his mind. He furiously threw the glass against the wall. It made a loud noise as it shattered.
Beth and Tina gaped when they saw what he did. They came from the garage and now they quickly went to the kitchen. They were so afraid of Luke’s reaction. It was their first time they saw him break something out of anger.
Luke took the bottle of scotch and drank straight from it. Then his phone started ringing. He angrily took it out from his pocket. His eyes narrowed. His mother was calling him at a perfect time. He was more than ready to talk to her.
"Luke? What time are you coming? Your father..." she wasn’t able to continue when he interrupted her.
"How could you this to your own son?! I went with what you suggested though I was against it! I trusted you! But all these time you were telling me pack of lies!!" he rasped.
***
While waiting for her husband in the bedroom, Isabelle called her dad. She was glad that he took the call though it was already late in California.
"Honey?" came his voice.
"Daddy why is Christian here?" she asked him immediately.
She didn’t have time for a small talk because Luke could come anytime.
"I don't know. Hold on. I'll ask Martha if she knows."
She heard him asked her stepmom but she couldn’t make out what her stepmother said.
"Belle? Martha said she had no idea why Christian is there. She is as surprised as I am."
"Daddy, Luke and I saw him today. My husband is really furious, " she said tears in her voice.
"I'm sorry honey. Now I feel guilty for encouraging him by telling him that you are divorcing your husband."
" We didn't know that time that our marriage was legal. I was so stupid for not clarifying things so it's not your fault. “
"I'll ask Martha to call Christian’s mother. She probably knows why he's there. Don’t worry, maybe he will just attend a seminar or convention for a few days."
"I hope so dad. Thanks. Good night, " she said without waiting for her father to reply.
When she hung up, she walked near the window. She really needed to calm down. She didn’t want to mess up her explanation about Christian to Luke if she would let fear engulf her. She should convince him that the man wasn’t a threat in their marriage because there was nothing between them. She made a sound of surprise when the door was violently opened. Her hand went to her chest when she saw her husband's very grim face. And when she heard the door clicked, indicating that it was locked, she swallowed.
While staring at her, Luke slowly unbuttoned his shirt. "So who the f*ck had his arms wrapped around you in the restaurant, dear wife" he asked menacingly.
She slowly moved away from him sideways without taking her eyes off him. She was slowly making her way near the bathroom.
Unhurriedly, he moved to her. His top was unbuttoned and she could glimpse his chest and six-pack.
"H-he’s Christian. My stepmother’s nephew,” she told him in a trembling voice.
"Is it just me babe? Or the f*ck*ss looks a little like me?" he asked chillingly.
His eyes were half slits .She swallowed but she didn’t give him an answer. He stopped walking towards her when he was just a few feet away. He was unbuckling his belt as he looked at her with narrowed eyes.
"Babe? Doesn't he resemble me?" he asked again while almost grinding his teeth.
With her hand, she tried to feel the closet while she still slowly found her way to the bathroom. She knew he would pounce on her like a tiger anytime. The way he was trying to control himself was even scarier. He was like a volcano about to erupt.
"Did you consider him a substitute for me?" he asked in a tone which sent chills down her spine.
She shook her head. She couldn’t even speak because of fear.
"No? Are you f*cking sure? Did you go out on dates with him? Maybe you also let him touch you!" he hissed.
He started advancing towards her again. Out of instinct, she darted to the bathroom. She heard him cursed.
"Oh no you don't!" he said furiously.
She screamed when she felt him tore her top. Her back was on him. From behind, he wrapped her waist with his other arm and lifted her.
"B-Babe! Put me down!" she cried.
He was carrying her to the bed while her back was against the front of his body.
In her ear, he whispered in clenched teeth, "I will f*cking punish you for letting another man touch what's mine!"
She could smell alcohol from his breath. Alcohol and anger were a deadly mixture. She knew that she was in for a big punishment.
Babe please!" she pleaded.
He threw her to the bed, though he made sure that she safely landed on her back while he stood at the foot of it. She sat up eyes wide. His towering figure looked really menacing. Frightened, she held her ripped blouse together. She hid her body from him because he was looking at her breasts still in her lacy bra with rage and lust. There was a white ring around his mouth and he was breathing shallowly from anger and desire.
"I will show you who you f*cking belong to!" he angrily said as he unzipped his pants.