Chapter 54
Stephen’s pov
“Merlyn, everything that you see is not the truth. There are certain things that you can only believe and should perceive. The most important thing that should prevail between husband and wife is trust. I am telling you I am drugged by that rascal. Give me sometime, I will prove everything to you. There is no woman in my life other than you and I have been loyal to you always.” I try to convince her but she turns a deaf ear to my requests and continues to pack her bag.
“I have given you enough chances Stephen. You killed my father because you wanted to save your family and company’s reputation. But I accepted you understanding you were a different man then and you did not know me. Your family ruined my life and my brother’s turning us into orphans. Thankfully my aunt and her husband are supportive. Though they do not have money, they brought us up with love and care. Otherwise I cannot imagine what our condition would have been. But I convinced myself that the situations were not in your control and whatever happened was a part of my fate. Do you think I did not know that you wanted to kill me if I was too stubborn to take back my case? The sincere cop who handled my case and whose wife you mercilessly brought under the wheels told me everything.” Merlyn’s eyes turned to me in a burning volcano but with tears she couldn’t control.
I was dying a thousand soul’s death at the same time hearing her revelation. The times when I committed the most brutal crimes, I was alright. Why am I suffering the crucification now?
“And now when I thought everything was going normal between us, you go on my back and have an affair. In the first instance, it was with your ex-girlfriend which you cleverly managed calling her your past and now I see you again in the same path right in front of my eyes. How can I stop understanding? You were drugged? How do you manage instant explanations, Stephen?” She spat the words with venom.
I grunted and narrowed my eyes at her in indignation. “I can take you to the hospital and prove everything to you through the reports.” I was about to hold her hand to take her to the nearby nursing home but she took a step back pulling her hand behind from not reaching me.
“For how much did you bribe the doctor? Bribing is not new to you. You bribed the entire police department of Newyork, bribed the judges, and court to bury my parents’ accident case.” I sighed, running my fingers in my thick black hair. “That was my past. I am a changed man now. You changed me. Nevertheless, when you can’t trust me no matter the explanations and proofs I cannot convince you.”
“Right. You cannot convince me. So let me leave.” She screeched between her cries.
I wanted to console her. Take her in my arms and say everything is alright between us. But I know she would not believe me. Why did everything that we had come back to a sudden stop?
“How many times should I tell you, I did not know who you were at the time? I did not know you were my childhood sweetheart. I was only a businessman then and you were just a middle class girl who was getting my hackles up by pursuing the case I did not want you to.” My tone went dead serious in anger.
“I am telling you for the last time Merlyn, once you step out of this house you cannot be back. I am not a gentleman or a hero in fairy tales. I am a villain who can kill people with not an iota of remorse for the slightest sort of inconvenience they may cause me. That’s how you brought disaster in your life. Had you not been adamant, taken back the case of your parents, situations would have been different today. I would have supported you with the money and your dad would have been living today. You have only seen the gentle side of me till date Merlyn because I love you. Do not even think I would spare you if you… ”
She did not allow me to complete the sentence. “So you now want to say, I am the one who is responsible for all the catastrophe in my life?” She shouted hysterically.
“I cannot be the wife of a deceiver and killer of my parents.” She spat on my face without a second thought.
How dare she? “You will still be my legally wedded wife.” I said arrogantly and in dominance, straightening up my frame with my hands in the pant pockets.
I prayed clinging to the last piece of thread with a hope she would at least for once turn back to look at me, think on our marriage and love I have for her before leaving the house. But she did not. She left me. The day which haunted my dreams since the day I found out who she was, is right in front of me.
****
I drank like a goat since that day to forget my grief but I would still remember her, the happy moments we spent together, her smiles and the way her eyes twinkled like stars when she giggled even in my most inebriated state.
Days passed and she did not return. The damage caused by Max to me is imperceivable. I loathed the man. He had framed Merlyn against me so expertly that I think she would even hate to breathe the air I breathed out. Was I going to spare the life of such a man?
Enough of chances I gave him to amend himself but every time he only tried to hit me back. I should have perceived him long ago, I did not give the fucker so much importance, overlooked upon him thinking him to be an ant and he turned out to be the most vicious snake.
I have decided, I will not hand him to the cops but take care of him on my own. If I send him to prison, he will come out again using his techniques. I was perturbed for the amount of influence he has in the police department. Thus I decided to look after him on my own. I ordered my men to find him and bring him to the office underground.
Two hours later my chief security called that they have him. I walked to the bar, took a drink. I cannot function without drinking these days. I have gone addicted to alcohol. I reached the parking lot where my driver was waiting for me.
I told him to drive to my office underground. It was late in the night by the time I arrived at the place. Max was tied to a chair. He already had chapped lips and a black eye but the guts of the idiot to counter me did not still die and I hated it the most.
He looked at me with a crafty smirk. “I knew this day would arise one day or the other. But I do not regret any of my actions for what is happening today. Yes, I cheated upon Merlyn but are you a sage? You killed her parents and even thought of ending her to protect your reputation. I only slept with another girl, I did not plan to kill her like you did. I’m a man just like you and I have my needs. Merlyn did not cooperate with me even for a kiss…”
“And you went disloyal.” I completed it for him. What pricks me the most is the truth behind each of his words. It makes me hate him all the more because of the feeling of guilt that I did injustice to her. She did not cooperate with either of us. She did not give him sexual pleasure that he wanted from her and she did not take back the case that I so much wanted of her though I promised her a huge ransom. Merlyn has been arrogant, stubborn and daring since her childhood. That is her nature since the beginning. Otherwise no girl, hardly 8-9 years old, tries to teach the boys the lesson of no smoking who were double her age and height.Please check at N/ôvel(D)rama.Org.
“You got me imprisoned for such a small mistake when you on the other hand is a crime syndicate. I only returned your favor, I have no regrets even if you kill me. The day I messed up with you, I knew my end was destined in your hands. I have done the damage. I’m happy now, I broke your marriage.” Max had no fear or remorse in himself for his doing.
“You..” My temper was matchless. My hand worked on its own accord and within a blink of an eye, I blew his face with my fist.
“You and I are equal sinners in our injustice towards Merlyn. You wanted to take revenge upon me but why did you involve Merlyn in this? She is innocent.” I added with rage demanding an explanation.
“Because she is your wife. She has to bear half of your sins. Didn’t both of you take marriage vows? Oh yours is a registered marriage, right?” There was a hubristic laughter coming out of him.
I wondered how he could smile so carefree when he was just two ticks away to face death and where I was on my last thread of patience controlling my anger.
I slapped him. His head turned to the side with the force exerted and he vomited blood. “That’s the result of meddling with my family.”
Max was already breathing hard by then. I lifted my leg and pummeled my knee into his stomach. “This is for bringing pain to my wife and making her cry. She had already suffered so much in the past and you wouldn’t allow her to smile even in the end.”
His chair pelted behind and the back of his head hit the floor causing him a concussion. He was bleeding from his head. For a few minutes he felt numb and then his limbs started moving again.
I was not satisfied with the suffering he endured. It was nothing to the pain I am going through today. My heart aches for my wife. I cannot eat, drink and concentrate on my business. My business is slowly slumping because all I do is get drunk to forget the ache which never leaves me.
I pulled his hair and forced him to look at me. His eyes were dropping off but I will not give him an easy death. “You ruined my life.” I hissed and he gave out a conceited grin even in his half conscious state.
It instigated me to torture him more. I lifted one of his legs and twisted it. He rose up his upper body which was unmoving and battered on the floor to hold his leg and cried in pain. I was sure his hip joint would have broken. That cry and suffering of his gave me a little satisfaction. I gave the same treatment to his other leg too after mastering the technique.
This time he is pleading with me for death. But was I ready to give him what he wanted so easily? Something struck within me and a sly grin crossed my features. “You want to die peacefully?”
He hastily nodded with all his energy though his eyes were shutting off. This was so much fun that I cannot stop myself from smiling.
I took out my mobile from my pants pockets and put it before him. “Okay. You have to confess the truth here, that you framed me into this. You drugged me and manipulated me to have sex with another woman.”