Chapter 5 A dangerous decision

The room was thick with tension of fear, so quiet you could hear the rustle of paper or the distant hum of the ceiling fan. I sat stiffly in the defendant's chair, wrists trembling in my lap. Across the aisle, my parents looked broken. Dad's eyes were fixed on the floor, unable to meet mine, while Mom sat hunched, her hand clutched to her chest like she was holding her own heart in place. Neither of them spoke. They didn't have to, the pain was written all over their faces. The lawyer adjusted his collar and cleared his throat. I knew what was coming. My judgment.

The words that would either set me free or end me. The silence thickened as he opened his mouth to speak what he has to say.

Then, the courtroom doors burst open with a bang that made everyone jump. What could it be? A man stumbled in, breathing so hard, shirt clinging to his body, sweat dripping from his temples like an antelope who had been running for miles. His eyes were wild. Haunted. "I'm Kylan Everest!" he shouted, voice cracking under the weight of urgency. The judge froze immediately. The spectators and the officers gasped. Kylan Everest?

The man everyone thought was dead? The man whose absence had brought me to this court "I'm the missing man you've all been searching for," he said laughing wickedly, he continued, stepping forward, unbothered by the shocked stares. "I hid away. I disappeared... because I wanted Patrick Susanna to suffer." His voice wavered but didn't falter well. "She denied me on the second day of our marriage, she refused to sleep with me. I needed her, and she turned her back."

The air shifted like someone had sucked all the oxygen out of the room. No one could breathe well The judge's hand froze mid air. The jury sat motionless as he looked confused.

Even the lawyer so eager just moments before stood speechless, mouth slightly open, the words on his tongue dead before they ever saw daylight. Time didn't move. No one breathed. The truth hung heavy in the room, undeniable, like a bell that had just stopped ringing. For a second, I couldn't even feel my body anymore.

And then... it hit me of joy. Relief. Not loud or celebratory just a quiet, overwhelming release that flooded my chest. My heart, once heavy with fear, felt light enough to float. Immediately, The threat of death that had haunted me for months slipped quietly from my shoulders. Now my shoulder is weight like before, I wasn't going to be punished for something I didn't do. I wasn't going to die a maid I believed. I was going to walk out of this courthouse not in chains, but in freedom. And though my legs still shook and my breath was uneven, I could already feel the sunlight waiting for me on the other side of the doors.

Dad and I hug each other in joy.

"Susanna I trust you, you can't harm an ant talkless of a whole human being, I knew you could not kidnap your husband," Dad said in joy.

Tears streamed down Mom cheeks as she sang it loudly, and Dad reached for her hand, his own eyes brimming. The room didn't know what to do with the sound this soft and perfect, trembling melody that floated above the cold wood and iron of justice. The judge lowered his gaze surprise. The jury sat still, their expressions cracked open by something deeper than law.

Two court guards approached with an undecidable behavior, their expressions firm and voices sharp. One of them says "This session is over," one of them said. "You need to vacate the premises now, or you may face sanctions." Wish could be a fine

I fedely heard the warning. A wave of joy crashed over me warm, rushing, unstoppable. I was free. Truly free without be harm. The courthouse that had held my fate in its cold, grey walls no longer had a grip on me. So happy, My feet felt light as I stepped out, almost like I was walking above the ground. In that moment I Made Mom and Dad proud.

That joy, the happiness, however, was quickly shadowed. The moment we left the courthouse, officers approached Kylan Everest with questions. He didn't flinch. Didn't argue. He was handcuffed in silence and taken away, his face unreadable and sad. I watched as he disappeared behind the doors of the police van, I was full of joy as he was take away, a small part of me hoping this was the end of his chaos.

But that hope didn't last long. Somehow barely hours later Kylan Everest was out again. Just like that. I have to fellow him again since he still my husband, the law enforce me to fellow him.

And now, I was seated beside him in his car again, heading to his mansion. My fingers curled tightly around the edge of the seat as I whispered a quiet prayer under my breath. "Please, just let us get home safely. No crashes. No madness. Just let me breathe." Because when Kylan Everest was behind the wheel, different rules vanished. He drove like he was invincible

We moved through traffic fast and faster, sharp turns jarring my body. He lit a cigarette as if nothing mattered, like nothing has happen recently, dragging deeply and exhaling smoke that filled the car. What? I glanced around nervously, police patrolled this road often, and there is a strict law against smoking while driving. But he didn't care. He knew the law. He just didn't respect it.

"Kylan," I said not too loud, trying to show the fear out of my voice, "please stop smoking while driving."

He didn't turn his head, he focused on his driving while smoking. "You want to land in more trouble?" He asked in an cold voice.

"No!" I snapped, cutting him off before he finished.

"Then shut your fucking mouth," he spat, his voice colder. "Or I'll shut it with this cigarette light."

I froze like a dead person on the passenger seat, swallowing the lump that had formed in my throat instantly. I turned away and looked out the window, stunned. His rage wasn't loud. It was sharp cutting. And I knew better than to speak again.

The car pulled into the driveway of his mansion, and my breath caught for a moment.

The house was beautiful too beautiful. The walls were coated in rich, flawless paint; the structure was modern, elegant. Every detail felt carefully placed, expensive, excessive everywhere in the house. "This place... it looks like a dream," I whispered to myself. But inside, I felt the exact opposite. No matter how polished the walls were, It can never be peaceful. Until, if Kylan Everest and the storm he carried inside him depart from him.

I left for one of the most comfortable bathrooms I had ever experienced to my life,

What!

I was not happy with Kylan Everest because it is more like a rape.

Kylan Everest laughs wickedly as he holds his dick. "Susanna I knew you would have been tired because you were at the court during the day, but you have no choice but to be in this situation with me now," Kylan Everest said as he moved closer to me.

"Which situation is that," I asked

"Which situation would have you demand you to have sex with me forcefully.

"Which situation would have you demand you to have sex with me forcefully.

Kylan Everest didn't hesitate to answer any one of my questions,

Kylan Everest comes nearer to me and he inserts his dick into my mouth forcefully, I sucked it unwillingly.

He then fuck me till I feel pain from the button of my stomach.

Thank God it's over, I whispered to myself, though the weight of it still clung to my s

It was a quiet Monday morning. Sunlight crept through the curtains, warming the floor in golden strips. Kylan Everest walked unto me, He handed me a cup coffee tea, the way Mom usually do for me, with a splash of natural milk. For a moment, I stoped and I thought it was a gesture of tenderness. But.....

In short time he reached into his pocket and pulled out a thick brown envelope. Without hesitation, he placed it on the table between us.

I wasn't shock with that, I knew he behaves like a stinky bamboo.

"Susanna," he said, his voice low and detached, "I'm giving you this because you satisfied me well during last night's sex."

What! I'm weak to hear that.

He said it like it was a business transaction, like I had earned a tip.

The air left my lungs. I stared at him in shock, stunned, as he buttoned his suit jacket and adjusted his Tie like nothing unusual had just happened. He then picked his watch, Then he turned and walked out the door, leaving me in that silence with the envelope and its weight On the table.

I open to access the envelope, $5,500. That's what last night was worth to him. That's what I was worth to him.

I dropped down the money, then at the untouched tea in my hands. My fingers trembled slightly as I set the cup down. The heat of the drink didn't compare to the slow burn of humiliation crawling up my chest.

Is that all I am to Kylan Everest? Just for sex? Someone he calls when he's lonely, then pays off like a hired fantasy? Does he see me as anything more than a body he can buy for the night?

Ohh no, I have to rid of this.

I sat still for a long time, being confused, trying to hold back the storm building inside me. There was something cold and final in his voice. Something that told me this wasn't just a slip it was who he really was.

And now, I needed to decide who I was going to be in this story. Before I get out of hand.

Not long after Kylan left the house, the gatebell rang. The sharp chime broke the silence in the Air like a needle to a balloon. I blinked, startled.

Who could that be? It couldn't be Kylan again he had just left moments ago.

I walked slowly toward the gate like a queen, suspicion tugging at my thoughts. My bare feet padded quietly across the tile floor. As I neared the gate, I called out cautiously, "Who's there?" In hard voice

A familiar voice responded, "It's me My Davy."

My Davy?

My heart stuttered. Mr. Davy? I hadn't heard that name in years ago?

I opened the gate. And there he was standing tall in a sharp grey suit, briefcase in hand like a CEO. For a moment, the world froze as our eyes locked. Heavily, Silence pressed between us, heavy and strange. Mr Davy. Dad's personal former assistant. A face from the past I could remember vividly.

"What are you doing here?" I asked, trying to hide the confusion in my voice.

"I'm the new personal assistant to Kylan Everest," he replied, calm and composed adjusting his tie. "He sent me to deliver his new Benz. It just arrived this morning top of the line. The most expensive model in the world right now."

I glanced over his shoulder. The car gleamed in the driveway, black and sleek, like something that didn't belong in real life. It looked impossibly perfect, like it had been sculpted by hands that didn't know limits.

"Yeah," I muttered, eyeing the vehicle over and over, "truly it's a beast. Better than the last one."

But Mr Davy didn't leave right away after he drop the car. He lingered, starting to ask prying questions about my father, his health, the business and family. I could feel his curiosity dressed as concern, and I didn't appreciate it.

Anyways, I didn't answer. I didn't offer him water, food, or even a seat. My silence was loud in reaction. Eventually, he delivered the message and left, unwelcomed.

I shut the gate behind him in anger, a dark, wild thought sparked in my mind. A flame of anger that burned hotter than reason.

Kylan Everest bought a new car?

After treating me like some high end call girl?

After handing me money with one hand and walking away with the other?

He ties me to his bed and calls it pleasure.

Let him feel how it hurts.

Let him watch something he loves burn.

I whispered it aloud to myself, almost smiling.

"I'm going to do it."

No going back.

I walked up to the car like I belonged to it. My hands moved with purpose on the car, my heart pounding like war drums. I poured fuel more than enough into the engine. With a quick motion, I sparked the lighter, and a small flame erupted.

The flame danced, then screamed till it get bigger. The engine the engine start burning, and fire swallowed the front of the car.

I stood back, breathless and brave of revenge, the heat brushing against my face. A strange peace washed over me. The car burned, and with it, a piece of the power Kylan Everest thought he held over me.

I prayed he wouldn't come back early. I needed time. Time to disappear or figure out what can come next.

But fate had other plans.

Tires crunched on the gravel. I turned, the fire still raging behind me and there he was. Kylan Everest. Back earlier than expected today.

His eyes widened as he saw his new car burning with with lighter and fuel on my hand. Then they locked on me. His expression froze somewhere between shock and fury.

And just like that, the fire between us was no longer just metaphor.

I was left in totally darkness about what Kylan Everest might do next, standing there with no explanation as he caught me destroy his brand new car with fire.

What would happen next as Kyan Everest caught me burning his car?.........