With a dark expression,he dragged Liora to the hospital,forcing her down and pressing her head against the rail of Callista’s hospital bed.
"Liora,what else did you do to Callista?You scared her so badly she nearly had a miscarriage.Apologize to her now!"
Her forehead slammed hard against the bed rail again and again and her pale face twisted in pain.
Still,she gritted her teeth and refused to bow her head.
"I didn’t do anything.Callista jumped into the fire of her own free will.What does that have to do with me?"
Edward’s anger flared even more.Always the composed one,he lost control and tightened his grip violently.The veins on the back of his hands bulged.Then,without hesitation,his polished leather shoe struck Liora hard in the knee.
"You’re still making excuses?Why would my brother ever marry someone so cruel?"
Cruel?
The word made Liora let out a bitter laugh.
She slowly straightened up on trembling legs,locking eyes with the man in front of her.Her black pupils were calm and piercing,unaffected by the blood trailing from her forehead and clouding her vision.
"If you want to talk about cruelty,then you should be saying that to Edward."
She had married him,carried his child,given up her career and all of it.And in return,he faked his death,betrayed her and slept with his so-called sister-in-law,pretending to be his own brother.
And now he had the nerve to call her cruel?
"What are you talking about?"
Edward froze,his lips pressing into a thin,tight line.
Right then,Liora appeared calmer than he had ever seen her.
Not just calm but cold and detached.Her eyes held nothing but clarity…and deep,bitter hatred.
The sorrow was gone.
It was only now that he noticed that Liora,the woman who was once so well cared for,was now bruised and battered,her entire body a mess of injuries.
A wave of panic hit him and he immediately let go,reaching out instinctively to call for a doctor.
But just then,Callista was awake in her hospital bed and suddenly screamed and cowered beneath the covers,shaking violently.
"Liora,I know I was wrong.I shouldn’t have touched your things.I shouldn’t have stayed in your home.I’ll pack my things and leave right away,just please let me go."
Instantly,Edward’s expression changed.
He shoved Liora back with all his strength,fury flaring in his eyes like a storm about to break.
"Liora!You hurt Callista just to drive her out?"
"As your brother-in-law,I have a duty to teach you what family means for my brother’s sake!"
After that,he barked an order for the housekeeper to bring the family paddle.
Liora resisted stubbornly,catching the descending blow with her bare hands.
Instantly,her already wounded palms split open further,blood trailing down her arms and dripping steadily onto the floor.
She gritted her teeth,enduring the searing pain,but then let out a wild,mocking laugh.
"Brother-in-law,huh?Are you really Edmund?"
The moment she said it,she clearly saw Edward hesitate.
But only for a beat.His expression quickly darkened again.
The next blow that landed on her was even more brutal.
Before long,Liora’s vision blurred into blackness and she passed out.
When she came to,she was jolted awake by a splash of cold water.
Edward stood over her,chest heaving,eyes bloodshot.He gripped her arm tightly and yanked her from the bed.
"Liora,where did you send Callista?"
That was when Liora learned Callista had gone missing from the hospital.
And Edward,without question,believed she was behind it.
She had no intention of getting involved,but in the end,she was forced,escorted by his bodyguards,to help search for Callista.
Under a relentless drizzle that only grew heavier,Liora was made to comb the area for five full hours.Her legs had long gone numb.
By the time she reached home,she nearly collapsed at the door.
However,the door did not open.The fingerprint scanner rejected her and her calls went unanswered.
Just as she was about to hang up,the call finally connected.
Breathless moans,the rustling of fabric and low gasps filled the line.
Then came Callista’s soft,seductive voice.
"Ed,it’s pouring out there…isn’t it a bit much to leave Liora locked outside?"
Edward’s voice was flat and cold.
"It’s the perfect time to teach her a lesson.Let her learn who is in control."
In control?
Funny.The deed to this house was in her name.Liora Wrenford.
She scoffed,wiped the rain from her face and called a locksmith.
As soon as they arrived,she stepped aside to let them in,completely unfazed by the fact that Callista and Edward were half-dressed and in disarray inside.
