Out of Ashes Into His Heart

"Jinx?"

I let out a cold laugh. "Are you referring to Mandy?"

Victor's face immediately twisted with displeasure when he heard this. "What nonsense are you talking about? What does Mandy have to do with this?"

The way he addressed her so intimately made my stomach churn.

"You know better than anyone whether she's involved or not!" I had no intention of wasting more words on him. This was still the Gould family; if a confrontation broke out, I would only come out on the losing end.

Turning away, I reassured Amelia to focus on resting and recovering, promising to visit her again soon.

She knew full well what kind of person Victor was and feared I would suffer more mistreatment if I stayed. Reluctantly, she bid me farewell.

Just as I left her room, he chased after me.

"Stop right there, Grace!"

He blocked my way, full of self-righteousness, looking down at me as if his word were law. "Since you're planning to divorce Gavin, get it done quickly. Stop dragging it out!"

I couldn't help but laugh in exasperation.

I had long known about his shamelessness, but I hadn't expected his bottom line to be this low.

What kind of father eagerly wished for his own son's divorce?

But his urgency suited me just fine.

I couldn't wait for Gavin to hurry up and sign the divorce agreement.

"I've already signed the divorce papers. It's Gavin who refuses to sign them!"

Victor frowned deeply. "Impossible! You must be up to some tricks again!"

I scoffed. "Hurry up and make him sign the papers. Once he does, the divorce will be finalized."

He hesitated briefly before nodding. "Fine. You'd better keep your word."

I ignored him and walked toward the door.

But as I approached the door, a sleek black Maybach pulled up. Moments later, Gavin stepped out.

Seeing him, I kept walking, pretending he wasn't there. But he quickly caught up to me, grabbing my wrist. "Where do you think you're going? We're still married."

The overpowering stench of alcohol hit me like a wall as he approached. My stomach turned, and I instinctively yanked my hand away, glaring at him with utter disgust. "Don't touch me!"

"You're my wife. Why can't I touch you?" His expression darkened as he gripped my arm with a force that made me wince.

"Let go of me! We're getting divorced!"

"But we're not divorced yet." He sneered, his lips curling with a cold smile. "Shouldn't you fulfill your duties as a wife?"

Before I could retort, he lifted me off my feet and carried me toward the car.

"Gavin, are you crazy? Let me go!" I screamed and struggled, kicking, clawing, and even biting him with everything I had.

But he easily subdued me, pinning me down in the car with a strength that left me completely immobilized.

"No!" he said through clenched teeth as he loosened his tie with one hand, his tone dangerously low. "Grace, you're not leaving me in this lifetime!"

With that, he leaned down and kissed me fiercely. It wasn't a kiss; it was an assault, harsh and suffocating, making it impossible for me to breathe.noveldrama

I twisted and turned, trying desperately to evade him. When that didn't work, I bit him, sinking my teeth in with all the force of my fury.

Gavin let out a sharp hiss of pain, pulling his head back to glare at me like a predator ready to devour its prey.

But I couldn't care less. The overwhelming stench of alcohol from him had my stomach churning violently. Pushing him away, I doubled over on the car seat, dry heaving uncontrollably.