Revenge Of The Jilted Bride

Jilted Bride 20

Chapter 20

Ophelia clung to Kenneth, her arms wrapped tightly around him like a lifeline, the warmth of his body providing a fragile Ishield against the cool night air.

"Grandma." she murmured softly, her words slipping in and out of coherence as if she were suspended between the realms of dream and reality. Her voice was delicate, a whisper barely audible against the backdrop of the distant hum of the city. Kenneth cradled her gently in his arms, moving with a tender grace as he carried her back to the car. The night wrapped around them like a soft blanket, the world outside fading into an unimportant blur. They spent the entire night cocooned in that vehicle. the low hum of the city in the distance.

As dawn broke, the horizon began to awaken, spilling soft pale hues of gold and lavender across the sky. Ophelia stirred from her slumber, her brow furrowing slightly before her eyes fluttered open. Through the windshield, she caught sight of the sunrise.

She'd seen sunrises over the slums before, but this one felt different-almost as if she were in another lifetime. Kenneth hadn't slept a wink. His voice, low and cold, sliced through the silence. "You've seen it. Now let's go home." The sharpness of his tone sent a shiver through her, pulling her from the warmth. She'd barely had a glimpse of the sun. But Kenneth wasn't asking for permission. He started the engine without waiting for a response, and the car roared to life. tearing down the road as if the very air of the place suffocated him. The engine's growl was loud in the quiet dawn, the speed making it clear that staying another second here was unbearable for him.

"Of course, she thought. A man like Kenneth could never stand a place like this. It's almost like his body rejects the slums on

instinct.

"Don't come back to places like this again," he said, his voice gruff with command. "You're mine now. You don't need to live that old life anymore. Understand?"

'Old life? Does he even know what my life was like? Ophelia bit her lip. nodding quietly like a child caught doing something wrong, her gaze fixed on her shoes. She was still wrapped in Kenneth's coat, its weight comforting yet foreign.

Kenneth had spent the entire night with a deep, aching pain in his chest. He couldn't shake the memory of her clinging to him the night before, her fragile voice breaking through the silence as she murmured, "Kenneth, you're all I have left. Can we have a baby? I want a family..."

Then, out of nowhere, shed whispered something that had stabbed at his heart. "Do you know what my birthday was as a kid! June 1st. I used to pretend Children's Day was my birthday because the amusement park would give our free balloons and little cakes. Now I know all that stuff was just for people who could pay the entrance fee."

She let out a bitter laugh, the memory stinging. "Back then, when I was sad or hurt, Grandma would always give me a few pieces of candy and say, Elia, sweetheart, eat this and the pain will go away. But I've eaten so much candy, and it still hurts. Kenneth. It still hurts. That old woman was a liar.

"She promised she'd watch me grow up, but she didn't. She left me. She kept lying to me, saying we had enough money. making clothes for people even when she could barely see, just to keep me in school. And then she died, and I had no one. No one but you, Kenneth. Please, never leave me. Don't die. Stay with me. I'm begging you..."

Kenneth's chest tightened painfully, the weight of her words suffocating him. Just thinking about it made it hard to breathe. "Ophelia, if I ever catch you drinking again, I'll definitely make you learn your lesson."

What's gotten into him? It's barely morning,

never forget the sight of her as a four-year-old little girl, rummaging through garbage cans for food, her small, dirty hands clutching a moldy piece of bread. She'd torn off

on the brakes. The car skidded to a halt, and he sat there, his hands gripping the wheel, his

shoulder, and pulled her into his arms with a force that almost crushed her. It was as though he wanted to merge her into

night after drinking? Why is he holding me so right? Does

won't drink again if that's what you want. Just Before she could finish, his lips crashed down on hers, cutting

tried to keep her mouth shut, embarrassed by the lingering taste of beer from last night, but Kenneth was relentless. His lips moved against hers with a fierce intensity, his breath mingling with hers as his nose brushed against hers in a tender yet possessive way, The air inside the car grew thick with

vowed to protect you for a lifetime." Kenneth's voice was gravelly, his tone a mixture of tenderness and

tingling, her senses dulled. "What? What did you just say?"

those men who pretended that nothing had happened after they got what

like he was scolding a

deep breath and, just to

at her sideways. In a hurry,

"Huh. Ophelia replied.

to make

married to him only in name, they hadn't gotten a marriage license or had a

together, and they never developed much of a rapport. This time around, it was still hard for her to get a read on him.

Kenneth said, his voice

on his plate-family rivalries, power plays within his corporation, hidden schemes left and right. Until he could guarantee Ophelia's

tone made Ophelia pause, making her

when she was stronger, when her wings had fully spread, she wouldn't need his protection

in a rush," she

wedding wasn't something she

a rush?" he thought. 'Last night, you talked about having kids with me, and now you're not in a hurry? Isn't that just like women,

a

roared to life, the speed climbing with a sense of reckless urgency. It almost felt like if she said "no", he'd take them both