Chapter 117

CAROLINE did not know what to expect when she was coming to see her husband in the capital of Niapachad Island, Royal Molftus. She has been riding for one day and a half as she was pushing the horse and herself to the limit to meet her husband.
Her heart ached to see Danial and surprised him.
But what she saw instead when she stepped into the Stone Tower was that her husband has a tryst with a woman that was kissing his lips in front of his friends. She blinked her eyes as she was trying to confirm that it was not her illusion or her tiredness playing tricks on her.
No, it has been real. Too real.
She was too stunned to do anything when the woman passed beside her in the hallway before she heard her smirked at her.
“Have fun with a used toy, slut,” she whispered to her before she went away, leaving Caroline numbed all the way around, more than she was riding the horse for one day and a half. She gulped before she steeled her heart and went to her husband. She was gripping her hands into fists before she was slapping his handsome face with her hand.
The sound was deafening as she was breathing hard and Danial was stunned before he was looking at his assailant.
It was his wife as he came to realize who was sitting in front of him right now.
Tears were streaming down her face before she could control it as she was biting her lower lips.
“I thought you were not like the others that I have encountered. It would seem that my judgment was not right after all,” Caroline whispered before her lips trembled. She stepped away from her husband before she turned the other way and ran away from this long hallway and the hurt that was hurting her heart even more.
Do not think about it, do not think about it, she thought before she was pushing the door open as her husband was calling after her.
“Caroline!”
She did not stop as she was running through the heavy rain that was pouring down on her right now. She did not hear the carriages that were driving the streets where she was making her way to get to the inn that she stayed for the night. Maybe after she found her husband, Caroline can go to the townhouse.
Lords of the Higher Court always have a townhouse in the capital.
But not tonight. Not ever when Caroline was crying her heart out as she was witnessing the betrayal that she would never have guessed to experience it. So much for her own fairy tale to play out right for her.
“Caroline, it’s not what you think!” Danial was still shouting at her as she was pushing through the busy streets before she ran into the forest at the foot of the hills behind the capital. She did not know where she was going but she had to get away.
Away from the hustle and bustle of the city.
Away from everyone.
Away from Danial.
Caroline was breathing hard when she was finally settling down on the ground of the forest as her legs gave up to carry her away anymore. She was tired, not having enough sleep and food like she used to.
And on that spot, she released everything that she felt at that moment. The hurt, the betrayal. Everything that she ever dreamed of having with Danial Cutler was gone.
“Caroline,” Danial called to her as he sat in front of her on the ground. She was crying so hard plus the raindrops that she barely contained anything in her. She let it go and she wanted her husband to know that he had hurt her badly.
“It’s not what you think. I never met that woman before. I never know who she was and I don’t have any relationship with her. Ever. Not when I have you,” Danial said as Caroline lifted her eyes to look at Danial.
His vivid green orbs were shining under the moonlight as she was trying to figure out his sincerity. Or was it a betrayal that she was looking for?
Either way, she saw none of them.
“Come now. We cannot stay here. You will catch a cold,” he said as Caroline was too tired to fight that she let him lifted her and went out of the forest to the destination that she did not know where.
Caroline only hoped that it was not somewhere she will despise.

DAN was looking at the small figure on his bed in his townhouse. He never brought anyone here before, there was no one to bring anyway. But now that he was married to one of the loveliest ladies of the Society, Dan cannot help but wondered what it would be like to have Caroline here.
When he was away for the meeting during the day, which means it was nighttime on the island, Caroline would spend her time at the library that he had in the house. And when he came home from the meeting at the Stone Tower, she would greet him and have dinner before retired and maybe spend some time in each other’s arms.
That was his dream. Danial afraid to know what would Caroline’s dream be when she saw this townhouse.
Caroline stirred in her sleep as she was breathing hard. Danial rushed to her side of the bed before she was blinking slowly before she set her grey orbs on him. She stiffened before Danial was smiling at her.
“How do you feel, my dear?” he said before he touched her forehead for any sign of the fever. He sighed in relief when she was not burning. That was a good sign, he mused before Caroline was looking around the room.
“Where am I?” she asked when her orbs were looking around the room. It was not much. Just a bed, a desk with a chair for Dan to write his thoughts, and a door that was leading to the dressing room.
Nothing to be impressed about.
“We’re at the townhouse,” he said before Caroline was looking at him, grey orbs wary before he took the pitcher and poured a glass of water for her. He brought the glass to her mouth before his wife took it and drank in a matter of seconds.
Clearly, she was that thirsty after all that running and crying.
“How long I slept?” her demure voice was whispering to him as Dan put down the glass before turning to look at her. Her face was thin and her eyes were tired. She did not sleep a lot as Danial went to the inn that she was staying for the night. He looked at the horse that she rode on and it was tired.
Dan has a sense that his wife rode tirelessly to meet him in the capital. And what she witnessed after that? Him being kissed by a woman that he did not know.
“Three days. You have out for three days, my dear,” Danial said before Caroline nodded. She turned to look at her nightgown before she frowned.
“I don’t remember changing into these,” she said as she turned to look at Danial. He nodded before he was smoothing his hands on his knees, getting nervous for her reaction that he changed her while she’s sleeping.
“Well, I thought you will be uncomfortable in the riding habits you wore. I might as well changed your clothes,” he said before his wife was narrowing her eyes at him.
“So, you just changed me?”
“It’s not like I haven’t seen anything,” he retorted, and then Danial realized that it was a mistake to mention that. Caroline was breathing hard before she was picking up the pillow and strike him.
“You have no right to do that, you lying, conniving oaf!” Caroline said as Danial was surprised to hear that she was screaming at him. She just recovered from her ride and then, she changed into a monster of screaming at him.
This woman will be the death of him, Danial mused before something dark was stirring inside him.
‘Mine,’ it whispered as Danial was flat on his back as Caroline was shouting indecent words at him. She was punching him with the pillow before she was slapping him with her hands. She was punching on his skin wherever she can find it before Danial heard a distinct sound.
Caroline was crying as she was punching her with her hands.
Danial grabbed her hands as they were breathing hard. He was looking at his wife’s face who was sobbing silently when she was staring at him. Her eyes were brimming with tears and there were some that were sliding down her cheeks.
“Caroline—“
“Don’t,” she said before she was withdrawing from him. “Just don’t. I don’t think I can take it anymore with all the hurt and betrayal,” she whispered before she turned away from him. He released her wrists before they sat in silence as Caroline was sniffing.
Danial gulped as he did not know what to do. Does he reach out to her? Consoling her and make sure that she understands it was not real?
It never was and never will. Danial loved Caroline too much to think about the others and that was not his demon speaking. Danial blinked.
He loved her.
He stared at his wife before Caroline was taking a deep breath and then, she turned to look at Danial. He has been hoping that she would ask about the incident but what came next shocked him to the core.
“I want a divorce,” Caroline said as the word ‘divorce’ echoed through his eardrums.
Divorce.
Divorce.
Divorce.
Like hell I will let you go, he snarled in his mind and before Danial knows what he was doing, he pinned Caroline on her back as she gasped to look at him. Danial was so furious that he can barely think.
And for the first time ever, Caroline seems to be afraid of him for the first time.