Usually, Finn arranges for a driver to pick up and drop off Aoife from school, but this time, Finn came himself.
There was a parking ticket on the car, indicating that he had been waiting here for quite some time.
Aoife wanted to ignore him and take a detour, but Finn drove the car in front of her. With the school gate already crowded, seeing a luxury car suddenly stop in front of Aoife drew everyone’s attention towards them.
Aoife was not comfortable in crowded places, and now being stared at by so many people made her scalp itch.
Finn didn’t get out of the car, just rolled down the window. Sitting inside, his expression was unreadable, but his gaze felt cold.
“Get in the car.”
Aoife didn’t move.
Finn continued, “Are you going to get in the car yourself, or do you want me to get out and carry you in?” Finn’s words seemed to give Aoife a choice, but in reality, each word was filled with threat and coercion.
Rumors had been circulating in school that Aoife was being kept by a wealthy man, and now, seeing Aoife getting into the luxury car, the rumors seemed to become reality. She believed that by tomorrow, everyone in school would know what happened today.
With no choice, Aoife had to get into the car. Finn saw her get in, slammed the rear door shut, and immediately stepped on the gas pedal, speeding the car away.
Aoife was not stable for a moment and, due to inertia, bumped her head forward. Luckily, the seat back was soft leather, so it didn’t hurt much, but she felt dazed.
Rubbing her head, she looked at Finn with a grim expression, knowing he was angry and knowing that there would be another insult when they got back.
When they reached North Bankshire, Finn didn’t even park properly. He just opened the car door. Although his face seemed calm, the force with which he slammed the door made a loud noise.
He opened the rear door and pulled the still-dazed Aoife out, dragging her all the way inside and heading straight for the bathroom, pressing her against the wall.
“So late leaving the school gates, were you going to meet Ethan? Aoife, Aoife, you never let me rest. Have you forgotten how Ethan’s fingers were broken? Do you want him to lose all his fingers?”
Finally, Aoife, with an expressionless face, responded, “Thank you for the reminder. I haven’t forgotten how Ethan’s fingers were broken, or how my child was lost.”
Even now, she still had the wound from the snake bite from that day, just like the one on her face, once there, it never healed.
Finn was furious, inwardly anxious, but his face remained cold and his icy gaze seemed to contain chunks of ice.
When he saw the trending news at noon that Ethan was going to Jackson University, the thought of Ethan meeting Aoife made him restless, and he rushed to the school without delay.
Although he knew that Aoife wouldn’t do anything with Ethan, seeing a photo that popped up on his phone.
In that photo, Ethan was on stage, and Aoife was below, the two of them looking at each other from a distance, seeming so distant yet so close, unlike him – always together with Aoife, living under the same roof, but that distance remained unreachable.
A simple glance between them felt like ants eating his heart, making it sore and bloated.
Aoife’s gaze at Ethan reminded him of a long time ago – the old Aoife, who looked at him much the same way she looked at Ethan now… as if she only had eyes for that one person, with starry eyes shining brightly.
How can he not be jealous and regretful at such a sight?
He hated Ethan, but more so himself, for this kind of Aoife was originally his, only his.
How could he have… carelessly lost her?
Half of Finn’s heart felt like fire, the other half like ice, tormenting him to no end, his eyes reddening with pain.
To dull the pain and care for himself, he had to press Aoife against the wall, biting her lip… pressing her against the wall, as if only then could he feel that Aoife was still by his side, never having left.
Finn roughly pushed Aoife against the wall; she almost couldn’t catch her breath. She raised her hand, trying to scratch his face fiercely, but he dodged, and she only managed to grab his neck, leaving four red marks that were quite noticeable.
“Finn, have you gone mad!”
“I am going mad to have put up with your nonsense for so long, pretending to love me!” Finn pinched her chin, unwillingly asking, “Your strong reaction, is it because you saw Ethan today?”
It’s impossible to explain to a madman like him. Aoife directly cursed, “Being intimate with a beast like you, isn’t a strong reaction normal?”
“Fine, you’re good.” Finn gritted his teeth.
The commotion caught the attention of the maid outside, especially Linda, who had been taking care of Aoife for the past month.
Others dared not approach the commotion, but Linda hurried over, “What’s happening here? Why are you fighting, Mr. Snearl, Miss Powell is not well, let’s talk it out calmly, don’t resort to violence…”
“Get lost!”
Linda wanted to intervene but was pulled away by the butler who hurried over, leaving her flustered and helpless.
With Linda’s interruption, Aoife felt a bit relieved.
Aoife was no longer the same Aoife as before. The Aoife who once saw Finn everywhere was long gone, now she only looked at Finn with stubborn resentment.
Finn didn’t like Aoife looking at him with such eyes. He loosened his tie and covered Aoife’s eyes, making her whole body tremble violently, becoming more sensitive, sliding down against the icy tile wall.
Lifting her up, Finn unleashed all his unwillingness on Aoife, hurting her as much as he could.
Between them, only “mutual torment” remained, and for Aoife, who could endure pain without remembering it, this was the only way she would always remember that she belonged to him, Finn.
It had been almost three months since he had touched Aoife, enduring all this time, but now, with this outburst, Aoife saw no one but Finn.
Aoife’s body was shaking fiercely, for reasons unknown – either because Finn hurt her, or because she was afraid of the dark, or maybe because she remembered what Ethan said today.
“The stars are always there, and Ethan will always be there.”
Finn whispered close to her ear, “Aoife, beg me, beg me nicely, and maybe I’ll spare you.”
Aoife sarcastically thought that begging Finn would be useless, just like begging wouldn’t have stopped Ethan’s fingers from being broken or her child from dying in her womb. She knew more than anyone that begging Finn was the most useless thing to do.
Trembling lips, Aoife choked out, “I beg you… I beg you to go to hell, stop abusing me, okay…”