The Runaway Groom

Chapter 11

The sudden bellow startled Irene, and as she spun around, she inadvertently knocked the box, sending it crashing to the floor with a loud bang!

Isaac was glaring at her, and he appeared at once incensed and murderous!

Flustered, she quickly explained, “I–It was an accident...”

She dropped to a crouch and tried to pick it up, but she felt something catching her wrist before she could reach the box, and the weight behind the grip threatened to crush her bones.

It was agony–her hand could have fallen off just then, and she was sweating from the pain.

“Keep your dirty hands away from it!” Isaac yelled in rage, his eyes red as he promptly flung Irene away.

Caught off guard, she stumbled backward and hit her head against the corner of a wardrobe nearby. The ensuing pain seemed to cut into her heart and numbed her. There was a dull ring in her head, and she could feel something warm flowing out–she reached out and felt around the back of her head, and felt a stickiness.

Unsurprisingly, it was blood, but it was not much.

She looked up, and saw between her disheveled locks of

hair that Isaac was carefully picking up the box, and his reaction alone made it obvious how important the box was to him.

He opened it, fearful that the contents were destroyed, and carefully studied it. Still, it appeared that the box had protected the contents.

He felt a sense of relief, but the thought that Irene almost broke it left his temper flaring–so much so that he could kill her!

Turning to glare at her with red, murderous eyes, he roared, “You really want me to kill you, don‘t you?!”

On the other hand, Irene got to her feet with much difficulty. Her numbness had dissipated, but now it was sheer pain gnawing at her nerves, and she stopped herself from shaking as she said, “Sorry...”

She could see that the box was a treasure to Isaac.

“Sorry? You think sorry would cut it?”

To him, she was as shameless as she was conceited!

Even as he closed in on her, the crushing pressure that his mere presence projected left Irene panicking and retreating fearfully.

Thud,

wall, even

It hurt so much that she could not

terrifying, like a reaper straight from

presence seemed to enfold Irene. She tried to struggle but could not, even as he breathed into her ears, “I will destroy everything you‘ve ever

word ‘destroy‘ left her

tumbled like a frameless puppet, and she would have fallen on the floor again if she

to stand, her body never leaving the wall because there would be nothing else keeping her standing otherwise. Meanwhile, Isaac returned the box to where it was. There was a photo frame beside it, holding a picture of him and

without meaning to, and her eyes lingered for two

contents of the box a little familiar, Isaac roared at her before she could get

she could satisfy her curiosity–there was a chance Isaac would kill her if she

Isaac‘s cruel visage eased as he looked

these objects were the last bastion that retained any Warmth he

passed, he remembered the little figure and the determination as

the clearest, purest

the water, her body‘s heat allowed his ice–cold heart to feel

over her forehead when Henry rushed

little bruise,” she

He was aware of Isaac‘s poor temper... but he should not go so far as to hit a woman, should he? “What happened?” he

touched a

one beside a family photo?” Henry

“Yes.” Irene nodded.

LLLLLL

then, Henry sighed. “I don‘t think I can help you on

how precious the box was to Isaac, especially when he kept it beside a photo

the first birthday present she received

it either, but when she was seven, her grandfather had brought her here to Jefferson Manor. She was too

carefree as any other, she ran off for a stroll in the vast

a boulder when she saw a woman throwing a boy into

boy looked like he was barely ten years old,

the first time she had seen the wickedness of

run, but as she watched the boy struggle to survive , she waited for the woman to leave before jumping into the pond

L1