Substitute Wife for the Mafia King R18-Chapter 361: Deepest Desire
I felt so lucky that he found me, and I was so happy that I couldn’t stop crying, although I was certain that Brandon never thought that I was crying tears of joy as he held me in his arms.
"Stop crying now, Dahlia. I’m here and everything is going to be alright," he said, as if he had already forgotten that the reason I ran out of the hospital in the first place was because I caught him making out with my sister. That recollection made my entire body stiffen in his arms. Bradon must have felt the change in me as well because he slowly let go of me before holding me at arm’s length so that he could peer into my face.
"Dahlia," he called my name softly as he reached his hand slowly towards my face. I knew instinctively that he wanted to wipe my tears away, and although I appreciated that gentle and caring gesture, I couldn’t bear for him to see my tear-streaked face. I quickly turned away before wiping away my own tears with the back of my hands.
"Please don’t look at me," I mumbled.
"Listen, Dahlia. I think there’s something that we need to talk about," Bradon said, and his tone was quite stern. I knew immediately what he wanted to discuss, but I wasn’t in the mood for it.
"I don’t want to hear anything. There is nothing for us to talk about," I stated stubbornly before he could say anymore.
Bradon’s face looked conflicted, as if he wasn’t sure what he wanted to say. At the very same time, the only question that went through my head on repeat was how did he manage to find me here.
How did he find me here? What is he doing here?
His unexpected appearance definitely caught me off guard, and I wasn’t sure how to handle it. I wasn’t ready to face him right now; in fact, it felt like I wasn’t ready to face anybody in the state of mind that I was in. The moment that Bradon appeared, it felt like the sanctuary of the place had been disturbed. The place that was supposed to be Anthony and my secret hiding place had been invaded by someone else. Suddenly, I realized that I was angry, but it took a while for me to realize that I was actually angry at myself. Had something like this happened in the past, I was sure to blame Bradon for it. However, I couldn’t find it in me to feel that way anymore. Instead of blaming him for invading the place that I held so dear, I found my mind filled with wonder and curiosity.
At that moment, it felt like I completely forgot about when I walked in on him making out with my sister in the hospital room. All I wanted to know was how Bradon managed to find me there when no one else except for Anthony was supposed to know about the significance of that place. It felt like a very far stretch to assume that he had searched everywhere in the city for me and somehow randomly ended up searching for me under the bridge in the park. Although I hated the idea, I couldn’t think of another explanation for his sudden appearance.
"What are you doing here? Did Anthony tell you about this place?" I asked interrogatively as I stared directly into his eyes.
Since I couldn’t come up with another explanation, it only made sense that somehow Bradon had gotten in touch with Anthony, and Anthony had directed him here. Perhaps after I ran out and he couldn’t find me anywhere, he had asked Anthony for help. The mirage of the sweet Anthony that appeared in my dream while I was having a nap disappeared into thin air, and all that was left was an empty sense of uncertainty inside of my chest.
"It doesn’t matter. You’re coming with me," Bradon said as he reached out and suddenly grabbed my wrist in his hand.
"No! I’m not going," I yelled out loudly as I tried to pull my arm back.
"It’s raining and you’re soaking wet! You’ll definitely get sick if you stay here," Bradon pointed out, and I had to admit that he was quite correct. Had I been in the right state of mind, I would have agreed to follow him. My wet clothes were plastered against my skin, and I felt cold all the way to the bone, but despite that, I didn’t want to follow him. I knew that I was being difficult and stubborn, but I just couldn’t help it.
"Answer me! How did you find me here?" I demanded once again for answers. I dug my heels into the ground as I refused to take a step out from under the bridge or anywhere until I got the answer that I was looking for. Bradon only stared back at me with his unreadable expressionless eyes. I had seen that lack of expression so many times before on his face, and I knew that I wouldn’t be getting any answers out of him.
"I’m not going anywhere until you tell me how you found me here," I stated my condition firmly.
"I can drag you out and carry you away from here. Please don’t make me," he replied coldly.
I felt tears stinging in the back of my eyes as my frustration took over, because I realized that what he said was indeed true and that I was helpless against him if he truly wanted to take me away by force.
"Why did you come looking for me anyways? You don’t even care about me. Shouldn’t you be spending time with Diana instead?" I asked bitterly.
I had no idea what I was saying, but I couldn’t stop those words from flowing freely from between my lips. The more I said, the more I realized just how truly hurt I had been from what I witnessed when I walked into the hospital room.
–To be continued...
