Married To My Billionaire Nemesis のすべてのチャプター: チャプター 51 - チャプター 60

EDEN Hayden is sitting on the biggest couch in the sitting room. I'm curled between his legs, my head resting on his thigh, his fingers laced tightly through mine. He hasn't let go since we sat down. His thumb keeps moving in slow, unconscious circles over my knuckles. I don't think he even realizes he's doing it. Neither of us has spoken for almost ten minutes. Then he takes a breath that sounds like it hurts. "Rachel..." he begins. "She wasn't just cruel. She was a sadist. And a masochist." I stay very still. I don't look up at him. I keep my eyes on our joined hands. "She liked watching me bleed," he continues. "She called it blood play. She said it was artistic. That pain was the purest form of connection." A bitter little laugh slips out of him. "She'd slice me open. Then she'd lick the blood off the blade. Or off my skin. Sometimes she'd make me watch while she cut herself too. She said it made us the same." My stomach revolts. I swallow bile. I want to g

EDEN The mouthwatering smell pulls me downstairs a while later. I'd gone back to sleep right after Hayden left the bedroom. Now, I'm still half-asleep, my hair a tangled mess, Hayden's oversized T-shirt hanging off one shoulder. I can smell garlic, butter and something like thyme. Lemons too? My stomach growls so loudly, it sounds like the growl of a beast. I stop at the door of the kitchen. Hayden is standing at the island with his back to me, his broad shoulders moving in that easy rhythm he has when he's focused. A black apron is tied around his waist. The strings are knotted in a neat bow at the small of his back. He's shirtless underneath it. And he's humming. It's an old, silly pop song, one we used to hum together in high school. Off-key. My chest does something painful and sweet at the same time. I pad across the cool tiles on silent feet. He doesn't hear me until I'm right behind him. I hesitate for a moment, then I slide my arms around his waist, pres

HAYDEN "Dad. Don't." Eden's voice is shaky, her fingers cold around mine. He doesn't look at her. His eyes are locked on me. They are red-rimmed, furious and terrified. "Tell me his name, Eden. Tell me who took your virginity in that goddamn art room and left you like that for the whole school to see." Her mother lets out a heartbreaking sound and presses both of her hands to her mouth. Tears spill over her knuckles. Eden's breathing hitches. She shakes her head hard. "I don't want to talk about it. It's over. It's been over in a long time. We can't change anything." Her dad clenches his jaw. "Do you think I can just sit here and pretend that I didn't see that picture?" His voice rises and then it cracks. "My little girl—my baby—wrapped in a sheet, looking like she'd been—" He stops, choking on the word. "Someone did that to you. Someone used you. And you won't even tell me who?" Eden squeezes her eyes shut. "Please, Dad." The pain on her f

EDEN Mum is finally asleep. She fought it for almost an hour. She’d continued stroking my hair, murmuring that everything would be okay, that we'd figure it out together, and that I was still her brave girl. But exhaustion won. Her breathing slowed, her hand went slack on my arm, and now she's curled on her side facing me, her face soft in sleep. I watch her chest rise and fall for a long minute. Then I carefully slide out from under the covers. My legs feel like they belong to someone else, wobbly and weak, but the dizziness is mostly gone. The IV fluids and whatever anti-nausea cocktail they pushed through the line did their job. My head is still throbbing faintly, but I can stand. I can walk. I need to find him. I pull on one of Hayden's old hoodies and pad barefoot out of the room. The hallway is dark except for the faint blue glow of the night-light. I glance into the closest guest room as I pass. It’s empty. The bed is still made. My stomach tightens.

EDEN The security guard is already walking away when I open the door wider. He gives me a quick, professional nod. "The package has been scanned, ma'am. No threats detected. Have a good day." "Thank you," I say, even though my pulse is hammering in my throat. He disappears down the corner. I stare at the white box in my hands. It's heavier than it looks. The red ribbon is tied in a perfect bow. There's no card on the outside. No return address either. I carry it as if it just might explode. Every step across the foyer feels like I'm walking through a minefield. Biscuit trots beside me, sniffing curiously at the bottom edge, his tail wagging like this is the most exciting thing that's happened all day. Hayden is still on the couch when I walk in. He's sitting up now, one hand pressed to his bruised ribs, the other scrolling through something on his phone. The second he sees the box, his whole body goes still. "What is that?" His voice is dangerously low. "Del