Chapter 194 Imprisoned
Chapter 194 Imprisoned
Scarlett's POV:
Recently, I couldn't sleep well. Charles and Rita's family would always appear in my dreams, disturbing the peace of my slumber.
I looked at my reflection in the mirror, staring at the dark circles under my eyes. Sighing dejectedly, I covered them with my make-up. After that, I went to sit at the table. The cream cake Charles had brought for me before was there again, and I subconsciously pushed it away. "Don't buy this cake anymore," I muttered to Tracy.
"What? But, I didn't buy it..." Janet quickly let out a small cough, interrupting Tracy's words. Immediately, Tracy fell silent. Belongs to © n0velDrama.Org.
No doubt, Charles was the one who sent the cake again today.
What on earth was he trying to do? He was helping Rita to seize power and showering me with his love at the same time. It was puzzling, to say the least.
After breakfast was finished, Janet and Tracy drove me to work.
We passed a commercial building, where the huge screen was playing a news broadcast. The anchor reported that the court had sentenced Nate Lively to 10 years in prison.
At this, my head shook terribly, feeling like a bell struck violently with a giant hammer. My ears began to buzz.
Finally... finally, he was punished!
And yet, it was still too late.
"Scarlett...? What's wrong?" Janet's faint voice shook me out of my musings.
I couldn't come to my senses until she touched me gently on the shoulder.
"Are you okay?" Janet asked again, sounding worried.
"I... I'm fine. Just leave me alone."
I buried my face into my hands as turbulent emotions surged within me all of a sudden. I couldn't hold my back straight, and ended up curled up in the back seat of the car.
The car soon arrived at my destination, but neither Janet nor Tracy made a sound.
I tried to stifle the emotions swirling uncontrollably in my heart. "Don't worry. I'm fine."
So saying, I got off the car and strode into the TV station.
Despite my efforts in restraining my emotions, I spent the whole morning being in a dull trance. Concentrating on work was nearly impossible.
I tried to focus on the documents, but in the end, my mind would go blank and I would forget about the contents on them. An hour passed, and I still couldn't pull myself together. Helpless, I set down the documents and requested for leave.
I didn't ask Janet and Tracy to pick me up. Instead, I left the TV station alone. It was drizzling outside, but I paid no attention to the weather and wandered around aimlessly.
The crowded street was bustling with people, all of whom enjoyed the company of their friends and families. They were sharing the same umbrella, while I was drenched in the rain, all alone.
My eyes suddenly grew moist as hot tears poured down my cheeks.
I used to have a kind and wonderful father who would give me an umbrella during rainy days such as this. He would hold me in his arms to prevent me from getting wet in the rain, but because of that, most of his shoulders and his back got soaked by the rain.
But Nate killed him. Just like that, my kind father whom I loved with all my heart disappeared from my life forever.
My warm and harmonious family collapsed in the blink of an eye. After my father died, my mother rotted away in depression and soon departed the world. And I... I was left all alone in this cold and cruel world.
As I recalled my past, all strength in me left and I was too weak to take even a step forward. I squatted on the ground, suddenly feeling so tired. I held my knees and burst into bitter tears, sobbing and crying to myself.
The rain grew heavier and heavier. There was only the sound of pouring rain and my bitter tears left in my world. It was as if I was isolated from the entire world.
After what seemed an eternity, a pair of leather shoes appeared before my blurry eyes. Someone had stopped in front of me.
The raindrops that kept hammering on me for so long suddenly vanished.
I clenched my hands into fists, my fingernails digging into my palms hard. Barely suppressing my tears, I slowly raised my head and looked up. A tall figure towered over me, blocking my view. He stood in front of me, holding an umbrella over me. He was tilting the umbrella towards me, shielding me from the downpour while the heavy raindrops pelted him with merciless abandon. His elegant suit became soaked in the blink of an eye.
A strange sensation touched my heart. My heart began beating rapidly as unspeakable feelings filled me. My brain was a mess, and I couldn't decide what I should do.
"Charles, you..." I sobbed. The uncontrollable emotions crashing into me made it difficult for me to say even a complete sentence. My voice was soon drowned in choked sobs. I lowered my head again, not wanting him to see my tear-streaked face.
"I'm here." Charles's gentle voice was very light and soft, but it sounded particularly clear despite the noisy rain. It reached my ears and dispelled my cloud of depression, just like magic.
Without warning, I burst into tears.
It was the only way I could let out all the sorrow and sadness in my heart. I cried so much, it almost exhausted me.
Tired, I lost my balance. My body swayed and I fell to one side.
"Scarlett!" Charles quickly pulled me into his arms, worry coloring his face.
I leaned weakly against his strong chest and raised my head to look at him. His face was as handsome as always, but his eyes were filled with concern.
He helped me to stand before asking softly, "Can you still walk...?"
His hands were cold from the rain, and his suit was soaking wet.
"I'm fine." I quickly broke free of his hold.
Though I wanted nothing but to leave, my legs were sore and I could only move at the pace of a tortoise.
"Where are you going? I'll give you a ride." Charles caught up with me easily, putting the umbrella over my head again to protect me from the rain.
I turned to look at him, but I didn't say anything to refuse his offer.
*******
A week later, I braved myself to go to the prison in order to see Nate. Janet accompanied me all the way, until we arrived at the door of the meeting room.
The solid glass divided the room into two parts. I could see Nate sitting at the other side, behind the glass.
I thought I had calmed down enough, but the sight of his face sent me into an emotional mess. He had destroyed my family, and yet, he was sentenced to only ten years of imprisonment. I wished for nothing more than to kill Nate, but I knew that would be impossible.
I could never be as despicable and cruel as him.
"Long time no see, Scarlett." Nate took the initiative to speak first, but his voice was extremely hoarse. If I hadn't stood in front of him, I wouldn't have believed that it was his voice.
I stared at him, my face blank and expressionless. "You deserve it. You should've gone to hell."
"Well, my life right now is worse than hell."
"Do you regret it?"
Nate stared straight at me with his repulsive eyes. "Of course not. What I can't get can only be destroyed."
My heart skipped a beat. "What do you mean?"
"Oh, so you don't know it yet?" Nate grinned, looking sinister. "Your mother should've been with me for the rest of her life!"
"That's nonsense! You don't deserve to say my mother's name!" My voice hardened as I shot him a furious glare.
"I'm telling the truth. I went after her first. I was earlier than your father. When she was about to agree to be with me, your father suddenly appeared and took her away from me!" Nate's face twisted into a horrible expression. Judging from the resentment in his eyes, I could guess that seeing me reminded him of another woman.
All the hairs on my body stood on their ends. Nate had been in prison for only a week, but he had already turned like this.
Nate suddenly pounced towards me, crashing into the glass. His face was squeezed in a horrifying shape, and his angry roar could be heard through the glass.
"You betrayed me! You fell in love with Alex instead of me! Didn't I treat you right? I gave you everything I had, but you trampled on my heart! You left me and married Alex! Do you seriously think that I'd let you go so easily?! Hah! Perish that thought!"
I was shocked and horrified. Nate was mistaking me for my mother!
Nate took a step back before bursting into maniacal laughter. Then, he shot me a resentful gaze. "I found out your schedule and snuck into your home when no one was around. Then, I installed a camera. In your bathroom."
"You... you freak!" My scalp tingled at his disgusting words. I couldn't help but curse.
"Yes! You betrayed me and made me a freak! Installing the camera in your bathroom was just the first step of my plan. What?! Can't stand it already?" Gritting his teeth, Nate continued, "That day, I
finally stopped Alex at the door of Charles's company. Can you imagine the look on his face when he saw your and your daughter Scarlett's nude photos? It was so funny!"
My body stiffened, and I stared at Nate in disbelief. "Nude photos? What are you talking about?"
"Yes, nude photos! That Alex was such an idiot! I just threatened him a bit with your nude photos, but I didn't expect him to compromise so easily. He actually agreed to do whatever I said!" Nate let out a ferocious laugh, cackling non-stop. The look on his face was as awful as could be, like a devil straight out of hell. He had ruined my family, and he actually felt proud of himself.
My mind was a tangled mess. I left the prison in a dull trance, unable to think straight.