Chapter 3

Amanda's reddened eyes burned with a look of obsession that seemed almost unhinged. "As long as you make her get rid of the babies, I won't care how you got out of that hospital or who you slept with after that.

"As long as you come back to me, I can give you anything—be it shares in Crane Group, my assets, or even my life."

She grabbed the front of my shirt in desperation, gripping so hard I could barely breathe.

"I know you still love me! You're just angry with me. What happened back then was my fault. I shouldn't have sent you there… but I did it for your own good!" she insisted.

"You became too extreme and obsessed. You even held a knife to your throat! All I wanted was for you to calm down a bit."

I scoffed in anger. "You need to get something straight, Amanda. My wife is 36 weeks pregnant. You want her to get an abortion when she's almost due? Are you trying to kill her, too?

"And secondly, you had locked me in a room barely bigger than a closet. You let the attendants pin me down and force the medication down my throat, making me beg like a dog. Are you trying to claim that all of that was for my own good?"

"That's impossible!" Amanda froze for a second before immediately refuting me. "I sent you to the best psychiatric facility there is, Steven. I spent a fortune to make sure that they took good care of you! I know you're upset, but—"

Ignoring her, I rolled up my sleeves to reveal a dark scar.

"You're the reason why I developed my so-called mental illness, Amanda. And this is what I got when those people pinned me down on the floor and beat me up after you sent me there. Is this what you meant when you said they took good care of me?"

At the sight of the scar, Amanda looked as if she'd been struck by lightning. Her hand trembled as she reached out to touch the scar, but I flung her hand off.

"Don't touch me!" I snarled before adjusting my shirt that had gotten wrinkled from her grip.

"And one more thing. The twins are the result of the love my wife and I have for each other. I will never let anything happen to them. If you dare touch any of them, I'll drag you and Ian down to hell with me!"

Amanda stumbled backward. She'd never seen this side of me before.

"No… That's not what you said in the past… You said you couldn't live without me…"

"You said it yourself. That was the past." I eyed her coldly. "And right now, all I want is for you to stay the hell away from me."

"Mandy…"

At that moment, a timid voice cut in.

Ian walked over, holding a cup of coffee, his gaze flicking back and forth between us.

"Mandy, I've been waiting for you so that we can have lunch together. Why did you run over here without saying anything?"

The hatred and possessiveness in Amanda's eyes made Ian feel threatened, prompting him to act.

"Don't be upset anymore, Steven," he said with his typical innocent, appeasing smile.

It was the same tired trick again.

"Back then, it was all my fault. I was the one who insisted on calling Mandy to help me fix my computer. It's my fault for not being able to get a ride from the airport because of the rain. If you want to blame someone, blame me. Stop torturing Mandy with everything."

Ian deliberately brought up those past incidents, clearly wanting me to fly off the handle, start a fight, and cause a scene like some lunatic.

That way, he could duck behind Amanda and act all pitiful, saying, "Why is Steven being so aggressive?"

It was the perfect foil for his own innocent act.

He'd done it countless times three years ago. However, the old me back then reacted that way because I cared about Amanda. I loved her and didn't want her to get too close to another man.

I empathized with her for the emotional trauma she'd endured since childhood. I wanted her to feel loved. I remembered every word she ever said to me back then.

But this time, I simply frowned and remarked, "Your acting is a little over the top this time, Mr. Lewis."