Ch. 43: Mr. Edwards' Unraveled Life chapter 43

Chapter 43Kevin held Norah tightly, wishing he could take away all her pain. His chin rested on her head as he spoke with deep regret, "I'm here, Norah. It's okay now, everything's okay."

Norah buried her head in his chest, her body still trembling. She cried out, "Why did you come so late? It was almost too late… I almost didn't see you!"

Kevin held her close, his fists clenched in anger, but he kept his voice gentle, trying to comfort her. "I'm sorry I was late. Don’t be afraid. I won’t leave you alone again."

He had rushed over because he was worried about her, but still, he had been too late.

Norah, overwhelmed by fear and anger, hit him on the chest as she sobbed, "You always leave me! Before, now, you always abandon me."

She couldn’t even remember how many times she had felt abandoned, and each time, it left her feeling lost.

Kevin held her tighter, wrapping his suit around her protectively. "I won’t do that again, Norah. Please, trust me this time. I’ll never abandon you again."

Norah continued to cry but stopped hitting him. She couldn’t control her fear, shrinking further into his arms, trembling as if trying to shield herself from the world.

Kevin patiently soothed her, gently stroking her forehead until she calmed down and stopped shaking so much. He then carefully laid her on the sofa and asked someone to watch over her.

Afterward, Kevin slowly rolled up his sleeves and glared at Mr. Lopez, who was lying on the ground, half-drunk and half-conscious.

A basin of water was poured on Mr. Lopez’s face, jolting him awake. Realizing the mess he had caused, he looked up at Kevin, whose cold stare filled him with fear. Panicking, Mr. Lopez pleaded, "Mr. Edwards, I didn’t mean it! I was drunk. Please, don’t take it seriously!"

"Not meant to? Do you think that excuses it?" Kevin’s face remained expressionless, his voice icy as he stepped on Mr. Lopez’s fingers with his leather shoes. "Anyone who touches her will pay for it!"

"Ah—" Mr. Lopez screamed, clutching his crushed fingers. "Kevin, we’re business partners! You can’t do this to me. If I stop working with you, you’ll suffer huge losses. Is this worth it for a woman?"

Kevin sneered and leaned closer, his voice full of menace. "Mr. Lopez, you’re too naive. If I want, your position will be gone by tomorrow."

Fear gripped Mr. Lopez. Kevin’s words made it clear that his status could be stripped away, and their partnership would continue without him.

"Impossible, Kevin. You’re bluffing. If you harm me, you’ll regret it… Ah!" Mr. Lopez’s words were cut off by a sharp kick to his stomach, leaving him writhing in pain, blood staining the floor.

The others in the room, terrified by what they saw, trembled and stammered, "Mr. Edwards, we didn’t do anything! This was all Mr. Lopez’s doing!"

They desperately tried to distance themselves, hoping to avoid Mr. Lopez’s fate.

Kevin, his hands now stained with blood, looked nothing like his usual composed self. He seemed like a demon from hell, indifferent to their pleas. Without another glance at them, he wiped the blood off his hands, then gently picked Norah up from the sofa and walked out.

As they left, the room echoed with the sounds of Mr. Lopez’s agony.

Norah fell into a deep sleep, haunted by nightmares of being chased by a demon. She tried to run, but her legs wouldn’t move, and the overwhelming fear suffocated her. She sobbed, her tears flowing uncontrollably.

Seeing this, Kevin wiped the tears from her face.

Norah was burning up with a fever. Tessa, crying by her side, was about to call for help when she saw Kevin arrive just in time to prevent disaster.

Through her tears, Tessa apologized, "Mr. Edwards, it’s my fault. I didn’t take care of Ms. White. She’s burning up. We should take her to the hospital."

Kevin, cold and distant like a block of ice, replied, "No need. Kian, take her home."

He then carried Norah to the car and drove away.

Tessa, still blaming herself, continued to cry uncontrollably. Kian tried to reassure her, "Don’t worry, Tessa. Mr. Edwards is with her. Norah will be fine."

But Tessa, trembling with fear, cried out, "Ms. White is in danger, and Mr. Edwards… he seems like a different person, like he’s ready to kill someone. I’m so scared."

Kian didn’t delve into their relationship, but any doubts he had were now gone. He warned Tessa, "It’s okay now, but you should be careful in the future. Norah is very important to Mr. Edwards, and none of us can afford to upset her."

Though Tessa didn’t fully understand, she nodded.

…

In the dark bedroom, Norah woke up from her nightmare, screaming, "No!"

Disoriented and wide-eyed, she instinctively recoiled, rejecting any touch. "Stay away!"

"It's me, Norah," Kevin whispered softly.

Recognizing him, Norah slowly realized where she was, but she still shivered uncontrollably.

Her face was red and swollen, and Kevin gently applied ice to her bruises. "Did the pain wake you? I’ll put some medicine on it soon."

Norah’s eyes welled up with tears, and she lowered her head, wrapping her arms tightly around herself.

Kevin, sitting beside her, noticed how distant she seemed and tried to comfort her by holding her close. But Norah pulled away, saying sharply, "Don’t touch me!"

Realizing her outburst, she turned her head away, trying to regain her composure. "I want to take a bath."

Kevin replied, "You’ve already had a bath."

"I want to take another one," she insisted, her voice tense as she scratched at her skin.

Seeing her distress, Kevin agreed, "Okay, I’ll get the water ready."

He went to the bathroom, filled the tub, checked the temperature, and then called for her when everything was ready.

Norah walked in and immediately said, "Leave."

Kevin hesitated, concerned, "Are you sure you’ll be okay alone?"

"Yes," Norah answered firmly.

After one last glance, Kevin left the bathroom, unaware of just how deeply she was struggling.

Once he was gone, Norah let her guard down. Her face pale, her eyes red, she felt dirty everywhere.

She sat in the tub, turned on the shower, and scrubbed herself harshly with soap, as if trying to wash away every trace of what had happened. She scrubbed until her skin was red and raw, but she felt no pain—only the deep disgust from being touched by someone so vile.

Kevin, waiting outside, kept an eye on the time. Ten minutes passed, and he knocked on the door. "Norah, are you finished?"

There was no response.

Sensing something was wrong, Kevin’s face tightened with worry. "I’m coming in."