Chapter 6 Part 6 : Will I Be Killed Too

Chapter 6: Will I Be Killed Too?

Bryan looked perplexed, noticing how frightened his wife seemed. "What's wrong, Vallerie?" he asked.

Vallerie kept staring at him with terrified eyes. "I'm scared..." she whimpered, hugging her knees tightly.

Bryan immediately wrapped his arms around her, holding her close. "It's okay, I'm here," he reassured her. But Vallerie's body continued to tremble violently.

Suddenly, Vallerie fainted.

"Vallerie...!" Bryan called out, gently tapping her cheeks.

"Vallerie, sweetheart. What's wrong?" Bryan's voice grew more anxious as his wife remained unconscious.

"Jeffrey, let's get out of here. We're taking Madam to the hospital," Bryan ordered.

"Yes, sir," Jeffrey replied without further question.

On the way to the hospital, Bryan was visibly distressed. He couldn't stop kissing the back of Vallerie's hand, praying that nothing serious would happen to her.

---

Vallerie slowly opened her eyes, taking in the ivory-white room around her. She noticed an IV needle attached to her arm.

"What happened to me?" she wondered aloud.

Then, a memory flashed in her mind-a scene she had witnessed not too long ago. She vividly remembered seeing Bryan killing a stranger.

Vaguely, she recalled Bryan on the phone, saying, "Take care of everything tonight. Don't let a single person survive."

Quickly, Vallerie shut her eyes again when she saw Bryan walking toward her.

Bryan held her hand and kissed it several times.

"Who is this man I married?" Vallerie thought to herself.

"Is he a mafia leader?"

"Would he kill me if I made a mistake?" Vallerie's fear deepened.

"I have to pretend I don't know. I need to figure everything out carefully," she decided.

Vallerie slowly opened her eyes again, seeing Bryan watching her with deep concern.

"Thank God you're awake, darling," Bryan said, kissing her forehead.

"I still can't believe my husband is a murderer."

Before Bryan could say anything else, Vallerie started crying.

"What's wrong, honey? Please, talk to me," Bryan urged.

"God, why does my husband have to be a killer? Just when I was starting to feel comfortable with him," Vallerie thought, the weight of her emotions causing her tears to flow uncontrollably. And before her amnesia, did she know the real Bryan?

She didn't think so.

It was impossible she could've liked, let alone loved, a murderer.

But then, those marriage documents...

Had Bryan hidden everything from her? Even before her accident?

Bryan kept wiping away the tears streaming down Vallerie's cheeks.

"Why are you crying? Please don't make me more anxious," Bryan pleaded softly.

"I'm scared," Vallerie whispered. That was all she could say.

"Scared of what?"

"Earlier, when you left me, I saw a ghost behind the big tree. I'm afraid it will kill me," Vallerie said between sobs, though what she truly meant was that Bryan himself was the 'ghost' she feared after witnessing him kill someone.

Bryan smiled, thinking it was something much worse.

"Why are you smiling?" Vallerie protested.

"I thought something serious happened. Turns out, my wife fainted because of a ghost, hahaha..."

"I'm serious, Bryan!" Vallerie whined.

Bryan became serious again. His stern expression was the same as when he killed that person.

"Don't worry, as long as I'm here, no ghost will dare harm or kill my beloved wife," Bryan assured, trying to comfort her.

"But what if you are the ghost?" Vallerie questioned.

Bryan paused, surprised by her odd remark. Then, suddenly, he laughed, even in such a situation. Vallerie was still capable of making jokes.

"If I were a ghost, I'd rather kill myself than ever hurt you," Bryan said, his tone sincere.

Vallerie stayed silent as Bryan held her hand even tighter.

"Listen, there are no ghosts in this world. You were probably having a nightmare in the car. I told you, you'd get bored out there, and now our little trip ended up with you in this hospital bed."

Vallerie remained quiet, thinking to herself, "If only what you said were true." But she couldn't shake off the memory of her husband coldly taking someone's life.

---

The young woman opened her eyes. The night of terror had swiftly turned into a bright, sunny morning. Vallerie woke up to find Bryan sleeping uncomfortably on the sofa.

She smiled at his attentiveness, but the horror of the previous night lingered in her mind.

"I have to investigate. If I ask him, he'll just deny it-or worse, he might kill me too," Vallerie thought as she gazed at Bryan's peaceful face.

Thick, bold eyebrows, thin lips, a strong jawline, a straight nose, and long lashes. He was truly the type of man every woman dreamed of. Plus, he was kind and caring.

Vallerie tried to convince herself that last night had only been a bad dream. And now, as she woke up to her loving, affectionate husband, it seemed even more surreal.

"I know my husband is handsome, but don't stare too long, or you'll fall even deeper for me," Bryan teased, opening his eyes suddenly.

Vallerie glanced around, flustered. "Don't flatter yourself, Mr. Bryan," she retorted, her cheeks flushing.

Bryan moved closer, kissing both her hands without blinking, making Vallerie's heart race uncontrollably.

"Dear God, please let last night be just a dream," Vallerie silently prayed.

"Daydreaming again? Seems like your handsome husband really has you hypnotized," Bryan teased again.

"...and now your face is as red as a boiled lobster."

"Bryan, stop it!" Vallerie protested, her hands flying to cover her burning face in embarrassment.

"The more embarrassed you get, the more I want to pounce on you right here in this hospital bed."

"Bryan, we're in a hospital! Don't embarrass us!" Vallerie scolded.

Bryan chuckled. "You're adorable when you're annoyed," he said, kissing her hands one by one, sending shivers down her spine.

Ding!

A notification came through Bryan's phone. "Hold on, sweetheart," he said, stepping away to check his phone.

Just then, a doctor entered with a nurse behind him.

"How is Mrs. Pradipa doing today?" the doctor asked warmly, checking the nearly empty IV bag.

"I'm feeling better, Doctor."

"You can go home today, Mrs. Pradipa," the doctor said, jotting down something on his clipboard. The nurse carefully removed the IV needle from Vallerie's hand.

But Vallerie's focus was on Bryan, who was speaking heatedly into his phone near the balcony. His face showed visible anger, and he even threw his phone to the floor at one point.

When Bryan noticed her watching, he quickly masked his emotions.

"Why is he so angry?" Vallerie wondered. "Does it have something to do with last night? Bryan, who are you really?"

"How is my wife's condition, Doctor?" Bryan asked, re-entering the room.

"She's much better now. She should get plenty of rest when you return home," the doctor advised.

Vallerie, however, was too distracted by her thoughts about Bryan. The growing curiosity gnawed at her, but she remained silent.

"Let's get ready to go home," Bryan said.

"Bryan..."

"Hmm? What is it, sweetheart?"

"I saw you earlier, you seemed really angry on the phone."

Bryan laughed it off, "Maybe you were mistaken, honey. Why would I be angry?"

"But the phone..."

"Enough about that. Let's just go home, okay?" Bryan coaxed, cutting her off.

"Alright," Vallerie replied, though uncertainty still clouded her mind.

---

Bryan carried Vallerie from the car all the way to their bedroom.

"Sweetheart, you rest here, okay? I have some important business to take care of," Bryan said, kissing her forehead.

"Okay."

Bryan tucked her in, turning on the TV to keep her from getting bored.

"Can I go outside?" she asked.

"What did I just say?" Bryan responded firmly, his face growing serious as if silently warning her not to go anywhere.

"Fine," Vallerie replied, her gaze meeting his.

"I promise, once you're fully recovered, we'll go out, alright?" Bryan kissed her forehead again.

After Bryan left, Vallerie found herself confined to the TV. He hadn't even allowed her to use her phone.

"I need to contact Karen. She seems to know everything about me, especially since she claimed to be my friend," Vallerie murmured as she carefully got out of bed, watching as Bryan's car disappeared through the gate.

Vallerie descended the stairs and sought out Karen.

"Yes, ma'am? You called for me?" Karen asked politely.

Vallerie felt uncomfortable being addressed as 'ma'am.'

"Can I borrow your phone?"

"Sorry, Ma'am. But we, the servants in this house, are not allowed to use phones or any advanced devices that can connect to the internet."

"That's a ridiculous rule."

"But it's directly from Mr. Dominic himself."

Vallerie became more confused. Why weren't they allowed? Was there a secret?

"Why can't you?" Vallerie asked, her curiosity growing.

"That's because..."

"Karen, what did I tell you about not bothering the young madam?" John suddenly interrupted.

"I'm sorry, Dad," Karen replied, nervously hurrying away.

"But Karen wasn't bothering me, John," Vallerie said, trying to defend her.

"My apologies, Ma'am. You should be resting more in your room. If you need anything, you can contact me or any of the staff here," John explained.

Vallerie felt annoyed. She found John's behavior very suspicious, especially since she was only having a conversation with Karen earlier.

"If there's nothing else you need, Ma'am, I will take my leave," John said as he quickly left the room.

"This is so strange. Now what should I do? I can't even contact Novi. But even if I had a phone, I don't know her number... Stupid, Vallerie."

She stood still, thinking hard about what to do next, until an idea popped into her head.

"Should I go to that secret room?"

To be continued...