Chapter 3 Why do you hate me

Angelica felt overwhelming terror as she observed the menacing expression in his dark gaze prompting her to take a fearful step back. She couldn't find the source of bravery she had mustered in herself anymore the minute she saw that look in his eyes.

"I... I was just..."

But before she could explain, Nicholas had taken a frightening step towards her, his voice ripe with annoyance, "I asked you a question, how dare you think you have the liberty to touch me?"

Rendered speechless, her first instinct was to back away from him but he continued to approach her, his aura menacingly cold. She couldn't escape from the trap of his broad body when he finally walked her back to a wall.

"How many times should I tell you this Diana Wilbert, you will never have another chance to pull me into any more of your traps. You are my wife now, but only in name, and the rest of the world might know you as Diana Stoll, but to me you're just a lowlife pathetic woman who stoops as low as to force herself into a man's life. Do you know something else people address a woman like yourself? A pathetic gold digging slut."

Nicholas's words rang in her ears like a ringing bell, like a dagger they pierced into her heart even if she knew these insults were only addressed to someone else, the anger in his eyes and the hatred in his tone formed a jagged arrow that bit into her chest painfully tears gathered in her hazel eyes.

For some reason, seeing the deep hurt in her eyes he sneered, as if even her tears were not enough to move him, he turned around about to walk away again when a soft bunny like voice that sounded like the softest note played on a violin spoke up In front of him for the first time, "You might not accept me, but I am still your wife."

Nicholas froze, the windows Angelica had stood up to close earlier were blown open causing the wind to drift into the room again. He felt chilled by the rainy wind as sparks of lightening glimmered in the distant sky.

Nicholas seemed to have fallen into a trance for some time after that voice drifted into his ears, seconds turned into minutes before he finally seemed to come back to his senses, he slowly turned around to face the frail woman he had earlier backed up into the wall to meet her determined hazel eyes looking steadily at him with forced courage, but she seemed like she wasn't ready to back down. His voice was low when he asked, "What did you just say?"

The intimidating look in his eyes didn't make her cower this time, she seemed determined to stand up for herself so she didn't break away from his gaze despite how frightened she looked earlier.

"I... I said that no matter how much you dislike me, I am still your wife, we were legally married in front of the world and..." she lowered her head, nervously biting her lips. Nicholas's eyes stayed on her face and he frowned subtly seeing that gesture. "...and you have made a vow to spend the rest of your life with me, you can be angry at me because you never wanted to marry me, but you can't seal me away from your life."

She looked up at him again, her doe like eyes showed a sense of wisdom and maturity he had never once seen in her before because every impression he had of her was her acting spoiled and coquettish in front of him, trying to gain his attention, however this time, she looked sensible and gentle, traits that Nicholas had never associated with her before. Her sweet voice continued to speak again, and for some reason the sound felt pleasant to his ears, his frown deepened as if he hated associating the woman in front of him with anything positive.

"Whether you like it or not, we are tied to each other as a married couple, and marriage isn't just a game played between two people, it's a responsibility, a relationship that can't be broken willfully, nor can you just put a distance between us just because you dislike me. It is a bond that will tie us from now, until forever." There seemed to be traces of pain in her tone as she spoke those words.

However, hearing what she just said, something in him suddenly snapped, he grabbed her arm pulling her roughly towards him, Angelica let out a pained sound, flinching in his arms as his angered voice sounded again.

"Don't try to fool me by playing innocent in front of me, and if you put the impossible thought in your mind that I'll be with you forever then you're sorely mistaken, I know exactly what you're after and that is the one thing you can never get from me. I will never give you the status of my wife, nor will I ever let you have peace for barging into my life. If your mission is to become madam Stoll entitled to a fortune a million times larger than what your family owns, then my mission is to torture you for every single moment of your life until you've had enough...!" pinching her thin arms in his large palms she was pulled towards him, her eyes gazing directly into his dark ones that held nothing but rage, while hers held pure sorrow as a tear slid down her cheeks.

"If you dislike me so much, why did you marry me?" she voiced the curious question which she couldn't really understand or find the answer to. He seemed to despise Diana, but then he had married her, why?

That question seemed to have stunned him, he didn't reply falling silent, his palms pinching her arms loosened a bit. "If you hate me this much, why did you agree to the marriage? Why didn't you refuse instead of subjecting me to your torture?" Angelica felt sympathetic towards Diana, had Diana been the one here at the moment, she would have also had to be the one to face his hatred in this manner and she was sure it would break her heart, just as much as she was feeling hurt and heartbroken at his torturous actions and words. She wondered why he agreed to the marriage when all he felt for Diana was hate, but his reply was something that further confused her.

"Because I wanted you to feel what pain and hell feels like."

Bewildered, she stared at him with a frown, he seemed calmer now, but the rage in his eyes hadn't disappeared at all.

"You want to bear my child don't you? You want to give the Stoll empire it's heir so you can rule as it's queen right?" he pulled her arms even tighter and she sucked in a pained breath, "But I won't let you, I'm going to make sure you never get to acquire this ambition of yours, no matter what you do, you'll always be stuck in this marriage, living a life like hell until you beg to leave on your own accord." With his eyes glimmering dangerously he suddenly dragged her along with him without warning, holding her by an arm he pulled her towards the tall glass doors that opened up into the balcony, pushing the glass door open he unhesitantly flung Angelica outside where the cold biting wind seeped into her skin painfully. Nicholas turned and went back into the bedroom returning a second later, he flung over a pillow and a single blanket to her which fell right in front of her by her feet.

She stared at him with a bewildered and pained gaze.

"I hope you didn't make the assumption that I will be sharing a room with you. You are not worthy to share the same space as I do." His handsome face looked unwaveringly stern, not a single ripple could be seen on his rigid expression as he turned around shutting the doors on her face and pulling the curtains close.

Standing on the vast open space of the balcony, Angelica's feet were glued to the spot until the chilly wind woke her from her stupor. No matter how professional she had tried to make herself, hearing such hurtful words from the mouth of a man she had feelings for hurt her deeply.

'You'll always be stuck in this marriage living a life like hell until you beg to leave on your own accord.'

Nicholas's words were an evident promise that he would torture her enough that she would be the one to ask for a divorce from this marriage, and he seemed to have no plans of ever getting intimate with her anymore after he'd thrown her out of the bedroom.

If she had her way, Angelica would rather leave, she wouldn't want to stay and experience such pain of seeing and hearing him despise her like this, Angelica knew that Nick had never liked her in the past, and she had accepted that, but receiving his hate was even more painful than his rejection.

And with his constant hatred, how was she ever going to get pregnant without ruining Diana's marriage?