Chapter 181 Death Would Be Too Kind an Escape for Her
Her words were sharp needles, piercing Patricia's heart with ruthless precision. As she had suspected, the absence of marks on the arms, yet their presence on the body, was a calculated move to prevent discovery by others.
"I am Davis Sadie, a royal princess! I couldn't bear the son of a mistress, nor could I tarnish the royal family's reputation! The best course of action was to pose as a loving mother in public, but act as a devil in private."
This woman, Davis Sadie, was Hunter's father's lawful wife. The more Davis revealed, the more violently Hunter trembled. His face was a mask of fear and dread. Patricia, feeling his terror, grasped his hand tightly, her voice tinged with pity.
"Stop, let's not discuss this further. I don't want to know."
She regretted her curiosity, realizing she shouldn't have delved into his painful past. Yet Hunter continued, as if he had finally found a release for his pent-up heartache.
"After my mother's death, my father brought me back to the Miller family in Country M. Despite Davis being a royal princess, the Miller family's status and wealth made them fearless. Initially, she was kind to me. I respected her as my own mother, thinking she was another victim, like my mother. The real villain was my father, who had deceived two women who loved him. I never blamed her for my mother's death. I was naive. I didn't blame her, but she blamed me and my mother.”
“Once she had established her image as a caring mother and deceived everyone, my nightmare began."
Hunter visibly shuddered. Patricia's heart clenched painfully, knowing the buried nightmare he referred to must have been horrific. Hunter continued.
"Whenever my father was absent, she'd order her people to hang me from the beams. Belts, whips, cigarette butts, ashtrays—she used whatever was at her disposal. I tried to resist.”
“But the entire Miller family was under her control. Who would risk offending the mistress for a bastard child? They only added to my torment. I was a teenager; they outnumbered and overpowered me. How could I have fought against them?”
“I also tried to escape. But I was always captured and brought back. If it wasn't for my brother's protection, I would have been tortured to death by Davis Sadie.”
Patricia trembled with rage at Hunter's words. Her blood boiled at the thought of the vile woman, and she longed to kill her for her wickedness.
"Why didn't you tell your father?"
Hunter scoffed and laughed bitterly.
"What good would telling him do? As the head of the family, he must have known about the abuse. He always turned a blind eye to it, pretending to be oblivious as long as Davis didn't kill me."
He spoke with surprising calmness, which only fueled Patricia's rage further. She trembled uncontrollably.
Thinking about how he was abused every day in Country M, yet when he called her, he would still smile and say how well he was living, enjoying delicacies from the mountains and sea, living a life akin to a crown prince. Now it seemed that he was afraid of worrying her, so he had been lying to her all along. Seeing Patricia's reaction, warmth blossomed in Hunter's heart, and he couldn't help but gently pinch her nose.
He tried to comfort her, "It's alright, it's all in the past now. I survived, didn't I?"
Patricia asked, "How did Davis end up allowing your father to hand the company over to you?"
Hunter's eyes narrowed, a chilling severity flashing through them as he sneered, "Now, she no longer has a say in it."
Patricia had never seen him with such an expression and was taken aback, "Is she dead?"
"Death would be too easy an escape for her..." Hunter's smile was cold and sinister. He wanted Davis to live a life more painful than death. The suffering she inflicted on him; he would repay tenfold, no, a hundredfold!
Patricia did not quite understand and looked at him, her eyes filled with questions. Hunter didn't want Patricia to know too much, so he forced a smile, set the cup down on the coffee table, pulled Patricia into his embrace, and spoke to her.
"Let's not talk about her anymore. Everything is behind us now. Even though life was hard before, just thinking of you made it bearable. The reason I survived was to come back and find you.”
“Patricia, I've liked you since we were young, and my feelings for you have never changed. I regret going to Country M. If I hadn't, you wouldn't have married Martin.”
“You wouldn’t have suffered so much, and we wouldn't have missed out on so many years. From now on, let me take care of you, alright?"
She found herself unable to utter any words of refusal. Patricia let him hold her, unable to bring herself to push him away.
Hunter continued, "Davis was afraid someone would expose her evil deeds, so she deliberately erased all information about me from the internet, leaving behind only the basic details."
Patricia suddenly realized why Charles hadn't been able to find any information about him. It turned out that he was maliciously erased by Davis. She knew Hunter couldn't be the problem.
"Patricia, I'm only telling you this. Once you step out today, forget it, okay? I don't want this painful memory to affect your life."
How could Patricia possibly forget everything he had said? It was impossible. But to stop him from worrying, she nodded and agreed with him.
"Yes! I will forget. We shall never mention it again, and you must forget too, really forget, not just pretending."
“Pfft,” Hunter couldn't help but let out a chuckle, with a mix of helplessness and indulgence, agreeing with her.
"Alright, we'll both forget."
They were both young, alone in a room together. Their emotions running high, it seemed inevitable that sparks would fly, between them.
"Patricia..." Hunter's voice was alarmingly hoarse, as if suppressing something.
"Hmm?" Patricia, puzzled, looked at him.
Hunter gazed deeply into her eyes, leaned down and moved to kiss her ruby lips. Patricia's heart pounded like a drum, thumping loudly in her chest, feeling like it might leap out of her throat at any moment.
The silence around them was so profound, their breathing could be heard clearly. Patricia stiffened, and for a moment, she forgot to dodge as his thin lips drew nearer, and an unfamiliar breath swept towards her.
Log in with Google Account
Chapters
Favorite
Settings
