Pinned against the silk sheets, Audrey stared up at Barrett. Her mind struggled violently to process the sudden shift from the freezing, crushing ocean to the stifling heat of the bedroom.
Barrett tightened his grip on her wrists. His large hands clamped down like steel vises. His knuckles turned white from the strain. He interpreted her wide-eyed, gasping silence as stubborn, calculated defiance.
He leaned closer. His body heat radiated against her skin. His breath was hot against her cheek, smelling of mint and hard liquor.
"Were you really going to do it?" he demanded, his voice a low, dangerous rumble. "Were you really going to jump out the second-story window to meet Carl?"
The mere mention of Carl's name sent a visceral jolt of nausea straight to Audrey's stomach. She remembered now. In the original timeline, just before the final argument that led to her leaving, she had been standing by that very window, tightly clutching the burner phone Carl had given her. The chilling sound of Carl's voice right before she died was still fresh, echoing in her ears.
Audrey violently shook her head side to side. She tried to deny the accusation, her long brunette hair tangling wildly on the silk pillow.
Barrett misinterpreted her head shake. He thought she was refusing to answer. His jaw muscles ticked visibly. His eyes darkened with possessiveness and terrifying fury, which was quickly replaced by endless defeat. The terrifying business tyrant now looked like an abandoned beast.
"Fine..." he whispered hoarsely, slowly loosening his grip. "If you really hate me that much... I'll let you go."
He tried to stand up and leave.
No! Before Barrett could fully straighten up, Audrey's survival instinct—and an overwhelming, soul-crushing wave of guilt—took over her sanity.
She lunged upward. She gently wrapped her hands around his large, rough palms, holding them back.
Barrett flinched violently. Facing her voluntary touch, his entire body went as rigid as iron. He tensed up, fully prepared for her to scratch his skin or bite him, just as she had done countless times in the past.
"Don't let me go..." Audrey took a deep, trembling breath. Her throat still felt raw from the phantom saltwater. She forced herself to speak, her voice coming out as a fragile, broken whisper. "Hubby."
The word tasted foreign on her tongue, yet it acted like a gunshot, shattering the heavy, suffocating silence of the bedroom.
Barrett froze completely. His dark eyes widened in absolute shock. The furious rage drained from his face in an instant, replaced by a profound, staggering disbelief that made him unsteady.
He stared dead at her lips. He watched her mouth, as if trying to verify that the word had actually come from her. His breathing suddenly became rapid and shallow.
"Hubby," Audrey repeated. This time, there was more conviction in her voice.
Her eyes welled up. Genuine tears, filled with profound regret, relief, and sorrow, completely blurred her vision.
A single, heavy tear escaped her eye. It tracked a hot path down her temple and soaked into the silk pillowcase, reflecting the dim light of the bedside lamp.
Barrett yanked his hands back as if her skin was made of burning coals. He stared at his own palms in utter confusion, his chest heaving.
"Brilliant acting," Barrett said. His voice was terrifyingly calm, though the tight muscles in his jaw twitched violently. "To help that pathetic loser escape, you're even willing to call me that?"
"No..." Audrey shook her head desperately. She closed the distance again, grabbing his large, slightly trembling hands tightly with both of hers. Tears spilled from her eyes as she looked up at him, her voice filled with agonizing regret. "I don't want to go with him. Hubby... I'm so sorry. I'm really not leaving."
That second "Hubby" and the tearful apology acted as a sledgehammer, completely shattering Barrett's forced calmness.
His heart, already battered and scarred, was instantly pushed to the absolute edge of madness. He wanted to believe her—he wanted to believe her so badly it was driving him insane! But his severe trauma screamed at him, warning that this was just another cruel, calculated trap.
He abruptly grabbed her wrist—his grip terrifyingly strong yet carefully avoiding her bones—and dragged her forcefully toward the wide-open window!
"You want to see him so badly?!" Barrett snarled, his eyes bloodshot as the freezing night wind whipped across their faces. "He's waiting right outside the gates! Go on! Jump! If you don't die from the fall, I swear I'll sign those damn divorce papers tonight!"
He was pushing her to the extreme. He was certain Audrey would now scream, cry, and yell Carl's name, just like she always did.
However, Audrey merely stared quietly into the pitch-black night. The biting cold wind felt exactly like the freezing water of the Atlantic. It was in that very ocean where Carl had casually ordered her execution.
A surge of intense, venomous hatred boiled in her veins. With a sudden, explosive burst of strength, she yanked her wrist out of Barrett's iron grip!
As Barrett watched in horror, fully believing she was actually going to jump, Audrey abruptly spun around. She grabbed the cheap burner phone sitting on the windowsill—the exact phone Carl had secretly given her for tonight's elopement.
Audrey raised the phone high, and right in front of Barrett's eyes, she hurled it out the window with every ounce of strength she had!
Smash! The phone shattered into a dozen pieces against the stone courtyard below, completely destroyed.
Barrett flinched, his pupils contracting violently.
Audrey turned back and slammed the window shut. She took a deliberate step toward him, staring directly into his shocked, defensive eyes. Her voice trembled, but it was filled with unwavering resolve: "I'm not jumping, and I'm not leaving. I don't want that piece of trash Carl. Barrett, I only want you."
