NovelEnglishChapter 356 "Smack!" On the snowy mountain steps, Archie stumbled backward, clutching his reddening cheek, eyes wide in shock as he stared at his furious father, Xavier Fontaine.
"Dad, you hit me!" "Damn right I did! You reckless brat-look at the mess you've made! You ran off with your sister-in-law and vanished for days without a word. Are you trying to givea heart attack?" Xavier was practically shaking with rage; years of cultivated composure vanished the instant he saw his son.
"Dad, I'll explain later!" Archie blurted, twisting away and bolting up the stairs toward the old chapel. His cousin had just hurried up there with Leonard, faces strained and tense-something was wrong, and Archie could feel it in his gut.
He couldn't relax. He was worried for Mila.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtBut he made it only a few steps before several bodyguards intercepted him, hauling him up by the arms and dragging him back down the mountain. Kicking out in protest, Archie shouted, "Letgo, old man! You know what my cousin's like-he's insane! He's completely out of control!" Xavier kept his expression cold as ice. "None of this concerns you anymore. You're finished here. Pack your bags- you're going abroad for college, and that's final!" "Old man, you-mmph! Mmmph-!" The church doors banged open.
A frigid wind and swirling snow burst inside, engulfing the kneeling woman at the altar. Before Mila could react, a forceful grip yanked her up into a hard embrace. Cold lips crashed against her face, then her mouth-hungry, desperate, ruthless. For a moment Mila froze, her mind blank with shock. Then a wave of nausea surged from her chest to her head, threatening to overwhelm her.
She fought back, pounding against the man's head, clawing at his hair in a wild frenzy. Finally, she broke free and collapsed to the ground, clutching her throat as she dry-heaved, her body shuddering with instinctive fear and revulsion, her vision swimming with black spots.
Only then did she realize.
Those memories-locked rooms, psychological torment in the darkness, silent manipulation and control—had haunted her for years. She'd thought they were buried, but now, seeing Lysander again, every wound reopened, raw as if it had happened just yesterday. She'd coped fine these past days apart, but the moment she felt his presence, smelled his scent, her whole body recoiled in panic.
Perhaps only distance-and the slow balm of time-could ever truly heal those scars.
Her gagging finally subsided. Sensing someone approach, she scrambled to her feet, putting distance between them, her voice raw and trembling: "Don't cany closer!" Lysander halted in place.
His dark eyes locked onto hers-he saw her terror, and beneath it, disgust... hatred. Something dawned on him, and his expression sharpened, his gaze narrowing.
"You remember, don't you?" he asked, voice soft but edged.
"I do." Atop the snowy mountain, the wind howled, blowing flurries into the chapel, dusting them both in white. Husband and wife stood across from each other, neither saying a word.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmAfter a long silence- Lysander suddenly smiled and took a step forward, but a glass cup shattered at his feet, fragments scattering between them.
"I said, stay away from me!" Mila's voice rang out, fierce.
Lysander's smile lingered, tone light and careless, but his words cut straight through the stormCMy dear, if your memory's truly back, then you should know what your husband-what I'm capable of. This won't do, you know."
"You want to lockup again? Control me?" Mila took a deep breath, forcing her voice steady. "That's all you know-manipulation and threats.
But I won't be your prisoner ever again." She had reclaimed her heart-the girl she used to be, strong and unafraid. She would never lose herself again.
Standing tall in her crimson coat, her eyes burned bright and unyielding, sharp as a blade Lysander's r's smile flickered; his eyes watched her, but there was no warmth in them. Something had changed.
She wasn't the girl from seven years ago. She was stronger now, and the old tactics would never work again not on her.
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