Chapter 11

The image of the person being projected onto the screen was Eliana’s father - her kind and warm father who wouldn’t even hurt a fly. Clad in a janitor’s uniform, he was hunched over and surrounded by several middle-aged men in a cramped, dark, and musty-looking room. At the command of their leader - Eliana’s uncle-in-law, Frank Briggs - the group of men began deliberately pouring wine onto the ground and forcing Eliana’s father to clean up their mess. As he did so, they brutally and wickedly stepped on his hands and spat on his face, before proceeding to make him kneel on the ground as they took turns urinating on him… Eliana was absolutely horrified by what she was seeing - she staggered forward and roughly grabbed Aidan by the collar as though she’d gone completely mad, “H-How dare you, Aidan…!” She roared - she couldn’t believe that the latter would go to the extent of harming her father just to get back at her. Eliana didn’t want to cry - she didn’t want to. But how could she continue to hold back her tears knowing just how cruel and vicious of a man Aidan was? He wouldn’t even spare her father - her poor, innocent, and meek father… “Why, Aidan Nelson?! Tell me - why?! Why can’t you just kill me and be done with it? Why must you go to the extent of hurting my father…! H-How, how dare you…!!!” “Kill you and be done with it?” Aidan scoffed, “Please - I wouldn’t even bother wasting my time and effort to dirty my hands for a person like you.” Eliana closed her eyes in agony as she released her grip on Aidan’s collar - she stumbled back slightly, unable to believe what was happening. No, please...this can’t be happening...this can’t be… “You’re a stubborn one, aren’t you?” Aidan growled, “You can’t take it, hmm? Do you think that that’s the worse that I can do…” Before he could finish his sentence, Eliana sent a harsh and tight slap across his face - immediately provoked, Aidan’s eyes turned cold as he instantly reached out to grab the latter by her throat before pinning her down onto the sofa whilst glaring daggers into her. “Eliana, I’ve told you a long time ago that I have the power to make you go on your knees and beg me for mercy - but after everything that you’ve said and done, do you really think that you deserve any sort of mercy? Hmm?” Tears began to well up in Eliana’s eyes as Aidan growled at her - she couldn’t believe that this was the same man whom she’d once loved and cared for so much. Eliana was silent for a long while before she finally spoke up - she croaked, “A-Alright. I’ll give you the liver…” Aidan immediately let go of her and took a step back at this - “You’d better get up and go to the hospital this instant. If your liver turns out to be unsuitable for donation, I’ll make sure that your entire family pays for it.” He then turned and left without saying another word - he couldn’t stand it when women cried, especially when Eliana cried. Robert helped Eliana up - he took her to the hospital to get her wound checked before sending her back to Blanchard Garden. Even though she was reluctant to return to the place, the latter knew that she had no choice but to oblige. Eliana soon found herself in Aidan’s study, face-to-face with the very man himself - the latter threw the documents that he’d shown her earlier and a pen at her feet. “Go ahead and sign it.” He stated in a curt and monotonous voice. As she bent down to pick them up, Eliana piped up, “Alright - but I have my conditions.” “What makes you think that you are in a position to try and negotiate with me?” Eliana glanced up at Aidan, “Aidan…” “Don’t you dare call me by your first name?” Eliana couldn’t help but scoff internally - Since when had he become so sensitive? Getting so worked up just from me calling me by his first name… “What are your conditions?” Eliana looked up in surprise - she didn’t expect Aidan to ask her such a question. Sensing this, Aidan added, “Don’t you dare think I’m trying to sympathize with you - I just want to know what sort of tricks you might have up your sleeve.” “I’ll give you my liver,” Eliana stated calmly, “On the condition that you let my father go - also, let’s get a divorce. From now onwards…” A divorce? Infuriated by this word, Aidan immediately got up from where he was seated, walked over to Eliana, and pinned her down onto the sofa once again. “You dare try and divorce me? Eliana - have you forgotten what you’d done to marry me?” “Yes, I have.” Eliana shot back - she wanted to forget everything that had happened that year. “I’ve completely forgotten about you - all I want now is to divorce you.” “Oh, is that so? In that case, why don’t I help you remember…” As Aidan spoke, he lowered his head… Eliana was suddenly reminded of the immense fear and terror that she’d felt when she’d been nearly raped twice just two years ago - she was in such a panicked and anxious state that she began to shout and try to fight back. “N-No, don’t you dare come near me! L-Let, let me go…” Alas, Aidan, who had captured Eliana tight in his embrace, had no intention to let her go - he wanted to make her suffer, make her pay for all of the pain that she’d brought upon his family. However, when he ripped her clothes open, he was shocked by the number of scars and gashes that littered her entire body. What? What happened? Just as he was deep in his thoughts, Eliana shoved Aidan aside and immediately scrambled onto the sofa, clutching what was left of her clothing as she tried desperately to cover herself up. She curled up into a fetal position and rocked herself back and forth, trying her best to comfort herself, “N-No, please, don’t touch me, don’t touch me…” Aidan knelt and grabbed her by the shoulders - he exclaimed agitatedly, “Eliana, what the hell is up with the scars on your body? Why are there so many of them?” The audacity of him to ask such a question - all these scars on my body? They’re all because of you…!!!