Part 4

“My food!” I yelped, shoving him away.

Kael blinked in confusion and caught my wrist before I could escape. Even though he didn’t ask, I knew he was wondering why I was avoiding him all of a sudden.

“I was cooking in the kitchen... so... I... need to get back to the kitchen.”

“Are you avoiding me?”

I quickly shook my head. “No. Not at all.”

I pushed against Kael’s chest to keep him from getting any closer. Taking a deep breath, I hurried out of the room and headed straight for the kitchen, stopping weakly in front of the counter.

Sunlight streamed through the kitchen window, reflecting off the cold marble countertop.

I pressed a hand against my chest. My heart was all over the place, and my breathing had turned uneven.

What was I supposed to do?

According to the doctor, Kael seemed unable to control his emotions.

No.

His urges.

He was suffering from hypersexuality.

Oh God.

I was living under the same roof as an aggressive man.

Stupid. So stupid.

Why hadn’t I protested when Mitch left Kael here? Why hadn’t I told him to take Kael away?

Why are you such an idiot, Ivy?

I was busy cursing myself that I didn’t even realize a pair of strong arms had trapped me between the counter and a solid body behind me.

I’m dead.

“Kael?”

“You said you were cooking.” His voice brushed against my ear in a whisper. I bit my lip and forced myself to stay calm, even though my heart was pounding like a war drum.

My hands gripped the edge of the counter tightly as I fought the urge to scream, especially when I felt something hard pressing against my back.

“I... was about to cook.”

“You’re lying.” He hissed in annoyance. “You are avoiding me.”

Kael stepped away and walked into the living room. His eyes swept across the space as though he was trying to remember anything he could about this place.

Unfortunately, no matter how hard he tried, Kael wouldn’t remember.

Suddenly, he turned toward me. I was still frozen in front of the kitchen counter.

“I couldn’t find any wedding photos of us.”

Damn it. I forgot about that.

Argh, think, Ivy! Think! Use that brain of yours!

I forced a grin and scratched the back of my neck. Quickly, I stepped over to Kael, who was now staring at a photo of my mother and me sitting on a small cabinet beside the television.

He pointed at it.

“Your mother?”

“Yeah.”

“There aren’t any photos of me with you?”

“Kael, you should go back to your room and rest. You just woke up. You shouldn’t be walking around yet,” I said, trying to distract him. But the man seemed completely immune to pain. He simply shrugged and continued walking around.

“Kael...”

“Where are our wedding photos?”

I stared at his face as he waited for an answer.

He stepped toward me, causing me to instinctively back away. My back hit the wall, and Kael immediately took advantage of it, pressing me further into the corner.

“We... got married illegally.”

“Illegally? You mean without our parents’ approval?”

One of Kael’s eyebrows lifted. “Did we elope?” he asked quietly.

I swallowed hard and nodded.

“Yeah. Our families didn’t approve, so... you asked me to run away with you.”

Kael ran a hand through his hair and stepped back.

“I brought you here?”

“Yeah...” I answered hesitantly.

“Damn. You’re isolated out here. I was such an idiot.”

Regret filled his voice.

I blinked in surprise.

He rubbed his face roughly and cursed under his breath. His large hand curled into a fist, and without warning, he slammed it into the wall.

My eyes widened. Both hands flew to my mouth.

“I never should have made you suffer like this.”

“Kael, stop! You need to rest. You—”

“Tell me about our marriage.”

“What?”

Damn it, what was I supposed to say? I hadn’t prepared anything for this ridiculous fake marriage story.

Oh God... give me an idea... give me—

Ah!

It was like a lightbulb suddenly went off inside my head. I immediately remembered one of the novels I usually read. I took both of Kael’s hands and guided him toward the couch.

“Sit down first. You’re still recovering. Calm down, okay? I’ll tell you everything.”

Kael obediently nodded.

Sitting beside him, I began piecing together a fictional story about our marriage.

I took a deep breath.

“Kael, our marriage wasn’t as good as you think. At first, we loved each other, but your behavior... made everything fall apart.”

Kael’s eyes widened in shock. He started moving closer, but I stopped him, and his expression instantly turned sad.

“How bad was it, Ivy? Was I cruel to you? Was I... was I an abusive husband?”

“Yeah. I was always afraid whenever you came home looking angry because I never knew what you might do to me afterward.”

I pressed my lips together and watched his reaction.

Kael lowered his head like a scolded puppy. The light in his eyes faded instantly. His large hands clasped together.

In a quiet voice, he asked, “Is that why you get tense whenever I touch you? Because I gave you trauma?”

So that’s the conclusion he came to?

Good.

At least he’d keep his distance from me.

I quickly nodded.

Kael lifted both hands to the sides of his head. A low groan escaped him, making me turn toward him.

“Are you okay?”

“My head hurts,” he muttered. His fingers dug into his hair so hard that the veins beneath his dark skin became visible.

I reached for his shoulder, but Kael brushed my hand away.

“Don’t touch me, Ivy. I was horrible to you. I’m a bastard...”

“Kael, calm down. You’re still sick...”

Kael stood up from the couch. “I should’ve died,” he muttered. But after taking only a single step, he staggered and collapsed back onto the sofa.

Using all my strength, I helped lay his large body down.

Fortunately, Mitch arrived right then. He helped me carry Kael back to his room before loosening his tie.

“The doctor already told me about Kael’s condition.”

I ran a hand through my hair. “He woke up and started asking all kinds of questions about our relationship.”

“And what did you tell him?”

“I...”

Mitch narrowed his eyes at me.

Scratching my head awkwardly, I continued in a small voice. “...I told him I was his wife.”

For a moment, there was no response. I thought Mitch was angry about my ridiculous idea.

Quickly, I added, “Sorry. I’ll tell him the truth later.”

“No need. Let it stay this way.”

“You sure?”

Mitch gave me a faint smirk. He stepped closer and lowered his voice.

“Let me tell you something. Kael isn’t just the heir to the Montenegro family.” His lips nearly brushed my ear. “He’s also a mafia boss. I’m telling you this so you’ll be careful from now on.”

I was speechless.

Slowly, I glanced toward Kael.

My knees nearly gave out.

All this time, I thought I was just taking care of an amnesiac man.

Turns out, I had just lied to a mafia boss.