Melting His Iced Heart

"What!?" He repeated, his voice appeared calm but with a crisp coldness at the edge that made her shiver.

He had heard her; she was sure.

A sudden lump appeared in her throat, preventing her from repeating her earlier words.

His eyes probed hers, daring her to repeat what she had said, and at that very moment, she just wanted to disappear. She wanted to get as far away from this man as possible.

And so, Lilian's lips slowly parted to speak. "I... I... want a divorce. I can no longer be in this... marriage, Xavier."

His eyes darkened instantly. Her feet stepped back on their own; his eyes remained glued to her. She trembled. He stared at her like a predator, and heaven knows when he would pounce on her.

She hoped he wouldn't. His height and size frightened her; he was at least three times her size, and if he were to, then her chances of survival were slim.

His cold gray eyes nearly froze her to death as he stared at her coldly.

"I... excuse me."

She dashed past him before he had a chance to say another word, and she sprinted out of his sight.

She stepped into her room; she locked the door, afraid he would follow her.

Her suitcases were packed. She was ready to flee, to run as far away as possible.

She would no longer be a Rune, but it didn't matter now. She would finally be free from this cursed marriage.

Her phone buzzed loudly. She jolted; her blood turned cold as her eyes skimmed through the caller ID.

It was her father. She swiped green with shaky hands.

"Did you carry out my instructions?" The cold, raspy voice had the hair on her nape standing.

"Y-yes," she answered, her breath shaky. "I called the lawyer. The divorce papers are being drafted as we speak."

A brief pause followed.

"Good." His word cut through the silence. "Make sure everything goes as planned... if you want to see your mother, that is," he drawled.

She froze, tears brimming in the corners of her eyes as pain erupted in her chest. "Y... yes," she could barely force the words off her lips.

The long silence that followed let her know he had ended the call. Her grip on her phone loosened; the phone slipped and fell with a loud clatter.

She slid down the door, now sitting on the bare ground. The tears she had been holding in fell freely. She wished things were different. She wished she wasn't so helpless.

Her father despised her to the core. She was his illegitimate child, a child birthed through his affair with a maid.

Growing up, she had been told her mother was long dead.

She had lived the life of a servant, despite growing up in a rich household. Both her stepsisters hated her, and her stepmother treated her like dirt.

To uphold a bargain, they had married her off to Xavier Rune when she was only nineteen. Knowing his cold and sinister nature, her father couldn't give out his elder daughters' hands in marriage to him. Despite them being older and more mature than she was, he couldn't risk anything bad happening to them.

But her, he couldn't care less. She was sure he was spiteful about the fact that Xavier hadn't killed her yet.

Three years had passed, and she had been in this loveless marriage. She had caught sight of her husband merely two times throughout their years of marriage.

It had been peaceful, being away from her cruel family, living a comfortable and luxurious life, yet she was lonely, and it had begun to eat deep within her.

And suddenly, she got a call from her father after three long years.

Her immediate elder sister, Nelly, was immensely in love with Xavier.

His orders were clear: divorce him and return to the Hart household. She had refused, not wanting to return to hell, but there was something more. Her mother was alive, and he had been keeping her hidden somewhere. He would let her see her if she obeyed.

Her heart yearned for the mother she had never gotten a chance to know, the one person who might have treated her with love and affection, the one person who would treat her like she was... human.

A strangled cry crept from her throat.

The next day came with its troubles. She couldn't hide in her room forever; sooner or later, she had to confront Xavier again.

The lawyer called.

"The divorce papers are ready."

The information snapped her out of whatever emotional despair she had been in.

Now she had to fight, for her mother.

Her father was a fool if he actually thought she would return home to become a slave. She would rescue her mother and get them as far away as possible.

"Good," she ended the call immediately.

She cleaned up, throwing on some fresh clothes after, and she stepped out of the room.

Her mind raced at the thought that Xavier had left. He had only come here after she texted him about the divorce. She needed him here to sign the divorce papers.

"Lilian."

She turned immediately when she heard the voice, to see him alighting the stairs, a passive expression on his face, his eyes as cold as ice.

Her heart raced in her chest. She dug her nails into her palm, fighting for calm.

He stalked towards her, towering over her completely. "Let's start from where we left off yesterday."

His smooth, deep voice resounded in her eardrums. She took a step back.

"I already spoke with the lawyer." She broke eye contact with him.

"I know." His gaze remained fixed on her, unwavering, calculative.

She shrunk.

And then he waved a couple of documents she hadn't noticed before.

The divorce papers!

Her heart skipped, and right in front of her eyes, he shredded them into pieces.

Lilian's heart crumbled to bits. She went down on her knees, trying to pick up the pieces of paper, but he had shredded them beyond repair.

Her eyes burned with tears. She dug her nails into her flesh.

And then she looked up at him, feeling the large lump in her throat. "Why?" Her voice came out as a strangled cry.

His jaw hardened, somehow pissed or annoyed about her teary eyes or the fact that she had dared to question him.

"You can't just ask for a divorce, Lilian," he said, his voice stern.

Yes, she could. She was a human, a living, breathing human with emotions, and she had a right to make her own decisions.

She slowly stood up, her eyes glaring at him like she intended to burn him to a crisp. She would if she could.

"I'll have the lawyer draft up another contract." She turned to leave, but his words stopped her from taking a single step.

"And you think I'll sign it?" he scoffed. "Listen, princess, I didn't come all the way here just to push through with the damn divorce."

She squeezed the pieces of the shredded divorce papers in her hand, crumpling them. A lone tear rolled down her eyes against her wish.

"And why wouldn't you push through with this?" she croaked. "This isn't marriage; this is hell."

Her throat tightened. He had given her a roof over her head, luxury she could never have afforded even if she sold her soul, yet she felt lonelier than ever. She felt like a commodity that had been bought.

His rule was simple: she was forbidden from meddling in his life, and she wasn't allowed to call or text him when he was away either. Throughout their three years of marriage, she had only seen him twice. This wasn't the life she wanted, but she had been grateful for being rescued from her family.

Now it was up to her to rescue herself from him and her cruel family, and most importantly, rescue her mother.

This divorce would happen whether he liked it or not.

A look of surprise dawned on his face, one she failed to catch with her back still facing him.

"Hell?" he repeated, cold brush through her spine.

She pinched her fingers, feeling his hard stare on her back. Now she wanted to run. She had never talked back to him before; she had never talked back to anyone before.

"I'm leaving," were her last words before ascending the stairs and heading back to her room.

She took a deep breath and then she picked up her luggage, taking them out of her room. She took the elevator and arrived back at the living room.

She tightened her grip on the handle, seeing him still standing at the exact spot as minutes ago.

She tore her gaze away from him. "The lawyer would send the divorce papers again. Please sign them."

She dragged her trolley, walking past him to the large double door.

"Lilian," he called her. She halted, refusing to stare at him.

The sound of her own name caused a rush of goosebumps on her skin.

His footsteps echoed, mixing with the drumming of her heart in her eardrums. He stalked towards her, his hand slammed against the door frame, right beside her head.

And then he leaned in, his breath fanning her neck.

She stilled, her heart racing.

His breath brushed her neck. "Even if you decide to push through with the divorce, you are still mine, Lilian." His tone was calm, with a cold sharp edge.

His words didn't sound like a threat; rather, they sounded like a promise.

Her breath hitched. Even if she had been married to this man for three years, she still didn't know anything about him, nor did she know what he was capable of.

She managed to calm herself. His words would only materialize if he was ever able to find her. He wouldn't; she would make sure of that. She would escape his clutches and that of her family.

"Goodbye, Xavier," she swallowed. "See you in court."

She pulled the door handle, and thankfully, he stepped back. She didn't waste another second before stepping out of his house and possibly out of his life.

She took a cab to a hotel where she intended to stay till the divorce was over.

She had some savings. Could she hire someone to find her mother? She didn't have the resources; she didn't know anyone.

Even though her husband, Xavier, was the biggest and richest CEO in Hong Kong, she barely got to leave the house, and when she did, she had guards tailing her.

After the divorce, she would finally get what she wanted, freedom.

Her phone buzzed. She pulled it from her purse. Her hands trembled at the text she received from her father, Yhuan.

It was a picture of her mother, a cloth tied over her mouth and bruises on her face.

Tears clouded her vision immediately. She took a deep breath in and managed to blink them away before reading his text:

'Hasten up with the divorce, else the next picture might be her corpse.'

Her heart squeezed in her chest, quiet sobs pushing past her lips.

She tried hard to keep calm. She called the lawyer once more, asking him to draft another divorce paper as soon as possible.

It took two days this time, and now it was ready.

She had texted Xavier to meet her in court. She had broken his rule for the second time, but it didn't matter now. She was no longer his wife; she was no longer obligated to bend to his wishes.

She dressed smartly, wrapping her hair in a low bun, and then she stepped out of the hotel, taking a cab to court.

She stared at the divorce papers. She had signed every one of them, and the empty spaces left were for Xavier to sign.

Today, this divorce would happen.

Her eyes blazed with determination.

The cab stopped in front of the courthouse, and it was then she noticed it had begun to rain.

She stepped out nevertheless, but she took no more than two steps before a black umbrella suddenly hung over her head.

Her eyes fell on the black polished shoes first, and then her gaze slowly trailed up to land on him.

Xavier.

His cold gray eyes bored deep into hers.

Her heart hammered against her ribcage. His lips tilted up into a sinister smirk, one that promised to break and destroy her resolve.

Lilian clutched the straps of her handbag, trying hard not to break eye contact.

She wouldn't look weak.

She would show them all she wasn't that scared and helpless girl anymore. Now she had something worth fighting for.

"Good to see you came," she managed to say.

"Why wouldn't I?" An evil glint flashed in his eyes.

She shuddered.

She wanted to step away, even if it meant enduring the cold, chilling rain, but he acted before she could.

He handed her the umbrella, and with furrowed brows, she watched him step into the rain, unbothered about the heavy downpour , drenching him.

He simply walked, with hands in his pockets. His whole demeanor, the charisma in every stride, gave her the feeling that he had never failed in anything he set his mind to do. The rumors about him weren't just myth.

He was indeed shrewd, calculative, and there was something about him that made cold brush down her spine whenever he looked at her with those icy gray orbs.

Now she began to doubt if she would succeed in this.

No, she shook those thoughts away. Everything would go as planned.

But whose plan? Hers or his?

She stepped into the courthouse. Xavier was already seated, his face unreadable as always.

His eyes landed on her, never tearing his gaze away.

And for a moment, she couldn't tear her eyes away from him either.

There he was, sitting like a god. He looked the part also, and every part of him screamed perfection.

She clutched the divorce paper in her hands and then tore her gaze away from him.

She handed the paper to her lawyer and then carefully took a seat next to him.

She noticed that he didn't even bring a lawyer. Why?

The family court judge arrived, and her eyes widened when he bowed to Xavier with utmost respect.

She gulped. With his affluence, this man could get whatever he wanted without moving a finger.

The proceedings began. Her heart raced, and then the final question came.

"Are you certain you want this divorce, Mrs. Rune?" the judge asked her.

Lilian nodded instantly. "Yes," came her definite response.

He turned to Xavier. "Do you want this divorce, Mr. Rune?"

The silence thickened with every second.

She couldn't breathe, and then his curt response came:

"Yes."

Her eyes flew wide. She stared at him in shock. He... agreed? The more she tried to decipher his thoughts, the more unreadable he became.

Why would he agree just like that? Did he have an alternate plan?

She had expected relief when this moment came, but instead, worry bathed her.

Did it matter? She was moving far away anyway. Whatever he planned would not work.

This is the last time he would ever lay his eyes on her. After this, she would disappear for good.

"Alright then, that wraps up this case," the judge finalized.

She stood up immediately, staring at Xavier briefly, but he wasn't even looking at her. Instead, he walked over to the judge to discuss matters she knew nothing about.

There was no use staying. She turned, leaving.

She took a cab back to the hotel, and then she packed her things immediately.

Thankfully, she had booked a flight back to Russia, to her home country, just in case everything went according to the way she planned.

All these felt surreal to her. Finally, she would be going home, and then she would be reunited with her mother.

Tears welled in her eyes, remembering the picture her father had sent her, the condition her mother had been in for twenty-two years now, for as long as she lived.

She sniffed in her tears, and then she sent a text to her father, telling him she had divorced Xavier and now she was going home.

Meanwhile, back in the courthouse...

Xavier stood outside, a grin expression on his face, and then his right-hand man, Marco, hurried to him, bowing deeply.

"We must return right away, boss. They are planning an attack. Your grandfather demands your presence this instant."

Xavier pulled a stick of weed from his coat pocket, and then he flicked the golden lighter in his hand, lighting the tip , and then took a long drag, his cheeks turning hollow as he did.

And then he puffed it out. He remained calm, as if unaffected by the words Marco had just spoken.

There were other important things in his mind.

He checked his watch. Her flight was scheduled a few minutes from now.

"Boss," Marco carefully called him, trying to get his attention to the pressing matters.

"There's somewhere we have to go first. If my grandfather dies in my absence, then that's good news for me."

His words had Marco's eyes widening, even if he doubted that he meant that.

He loved his grandfather; he was sure of that. But what could be more important than him? What could be more important than his people right now?

Without questioning, he opened the car door for him, and once he got in, he got into the driver's seat and drove them out of the court.

When they arrived back at Xavier's mansion, it was past midnight. Marco retired to bed, but Xavier remained wide awake.

He stood at the balcony, a glass of vodka in his hand, which he leisurely drank from.

The cold breeze brushed against him occasionally, but he didn't flinch.

He held on to the railing, his mind working fast.

And then he felt a presence behind him. He didn't turn, knowing who it was.

Marco poured himself a glass of vodka, and then he stood beside him, maintaining a careful distance. He knew very well how much he hated anyone getting into his personal space.

Moments of silence passed between them.

"Boss," Marco called, breaking the silence.

He said nothing, but he knew he was listening, and so he proceeded to ask, "I know how dedicated you are to the empire, yet you came all the way here and stayed for nearly a week the moment you got her text. So then... why did you let her go?"

Marco watched him place the rim of the glass on his lips, and then he pulled it back, savoring the bitter taste of the alcohol on his lips.

His lips tilted up into a smirk.

Marco became wary instantly, knowing he never smiled for a good reason.

His next words ran low, frighteningly calm:

"I enjoy the chase."