Chapter 22: We are here to punish you.
Elena held his furious gaze.
Over the past few days, she had been forced to kneel before Tessa and apologize. She had even taken the blame for the things she had never done. But this time, she refused to admit to the crime she knew nothing about.
"I don’t know that man," she said defiantly. "I have never met him before. He is lying."
Noah’s fury reached its peak. "Yes, you are the only one who is speaking the truth," he spat. "Everyone else is lying."
He pressed down hard on her shoulder and kicked the back of her leg, forcing her onto her knees.
"Apologize," he demanded.
It was the man she had loved for years. She had given everything to him and dreamed of having a peaceful life with him. But he was treating her like a criminal.
Elena looked straight into his eyes defiantly. "No... I won’t take the blame again."
Noah’s glare turned murderous. ’It’s just an apology,’ he thought furiously. ’Why is she being so stubborn?’
He bent down and pinched her chin. "All the evidence points at you," he hissed, his voice dropping to a dangerous murmur. "If Tessa files a case, you will end up in jail. Apologize, and I’ll pretend none of this happened."
Elena refused to back down. She wouldn’t accept it even if she had to go to jail. At least the authorities would investigate properly and catch the real culprit.
"I’m your wife," she grunted. "Yet you trust a stranger more than me?"
Noah gritted his teeth so hard that his jaw hurt. ’Why can’t you just say sorry?’ he muttered in his mind helplessly.
He didn’t want to punish her. But he couldn’t ignore the fact that Tessa had suffered because of Elena’s jealousy and insecurity.
He pushed her away.
Elena’s body swayed, and she collapsed. Her head hit the side table, and the sharp edge cut her forehead. Blood trickled down instantly.
"Since you are so stubborn, face the consequences," he grumbled coldly.
He didn’t even spare a glance at the blood running down her face. It was as if her pain meant absolutely nothing to him anymore.
He stepped back and dialed a number.
As the call logged in, he ordered mercilessly, "Freeze Elena’s bank account. Stop her aunt’s treatment. Discharge her from the hospital. Now..."
"No..." Elena cried in horror and jumped to her feet. "You can’t do that. You can do anything you want to me, but why are you dragging my aunt into this?"
She grabbed his hand desperately. The defiance was gone. Her gaze turned pleading. "Don’t stop her treatment. Please."
He shoved her hands. "I gave you a chance to repent. You lost it. Now I can’t do anything."
"Noah..."
"Leave..."
Elena stared at him, her eyes shimmering with unshed tears. She painfully realized that he wouldn’t listen to her. What was the point of begging him?
Shooting one last glare at Tessa, she stormed out. Fury, fear, and heartbreak churned violently inside her.
She walked blindly through the corridor, bumping into several people along the way. When she finally stumbled out of the hospital, she gasped, her steps slowing down.
Terror surged through her as she remembered Noah had already issued the order to stop her aunt’s treatment.
"The treatment can’t be stopped. I have to send her abroad quickly."
She wiped her tears away and dialed Owen as she walked down the street.
The call connected. But before she could say a word, a hand suddenly clamped tightly around her mouth.
"Mmph..."
A strong arm wrapped around her waist and dragged her backward forcefully.
Her phone and bag clattered onto the pavement.
Panicked, she twisted to break free, but the grip around her only tightened.
"Hello? Miss Hart? Are you there?" Owen’s voice echoed faintly from the speaker.
Elena wanted to scream, but the sound was muffled beneath the stranger’s big palm.
"Miss Hart, are you okay? Talk to me?"
Within seconds, darkness swallowed her consciousness. Her limp body was dragged into a black car.
Owen frowned as he glanced down at the screen. The call was still connected, but there was no reply from Elena. All he could hear was the distant roar of a car engine.
He instantly glanced at the man seated behind the large mahogany table.
"Something is not right with Miss Elena," he said anxiously. "She just called me. But I can’t hear her voice."
Elias looked up at him, his expression icy. "Find the location."
"Sure." Owen turned and left the office in a hurry.
Elias stood and walked up to the floor-to-ceiling window overlooking the city skyline. On his stoic face, worry lines were etched.
He had originally planned to return a week later. But the moment he saw the scandal involving Noah and Tessa spreading across social media and learned about the press conference drama, he immediately changed his schedule and rushed back.
Then he heard Elena had resigned from the Sinclair Group.
Elias started to suspect Elena had suffered because of Noah. And that made her desperate to leave Noah and marry someone she didn’t know.
That realization distressed him.
He gripped his wrist tighter on his back, his muscles tensing.
"Elena, I’ll take you away from Noah’s world."
The door burst open, followed by Owen’s frantic voice.
"Sir, I found her phone location. It’s outside the city hospital."
"Let’s go get her." Elias already started walking toward the door.
When Elena regained consciousness, panic consumed her instantly. She was tied to a wooden chair in a dirty room. Her wrists burned painfully against the coarse rope as she struggled violently.
She looked at the closed door and cried out at the top of her lungs, "Help..."
Her voice shook the worn-out house, but sadly, no one came to help her. She looked around her surroundings.
The room smelled damp and rotten. The cracked walls were covered with mold stains. Cobwebs hung thickly from the corners of the ceiling. Dust blanketed the floor. Rusted metal tools, broken wooden crates, and old barrels were scattered all over the floor.
The entire place looked like it had been abandoned for years.
Fear numbed her body. Her breathing grew erratic. Her chest tightened and tightened.
"Noah." Her trembling voice echoed inside the old house. Her throat hurt. "I realized my mistake. I’m sorry. Please take me out of here. I am scared."
It seemed as if someone were squeezing her heart, suffocating her.
On the other end, Owen found Elena’s phone and bag outside the hospital. He picked them up and rushed back to Elias, who was in the car.
"I got her bag and phone. But she is gone," he said breathlessly. "Something has happened to her."
Elias’s brows creased as he looked up at the surveillance camera mounted above the hospital gate. "Check the footage."
"Right away, sir." Owen rushed into the hospital.
Elias tried to stay calm, but he couldn’t. With every passing second, his restlessness grew.
"Elena, where are you?"
Inside the dilapidated house...
The door suddenly burst open.
Elena jerked her head up with hope, believing Noah had come to take her home. But that hope was shattered immediately.
Two men stepped toward her, baring their yellow, ugly teeth.
Elena’s blood ran cold. She twisted in the chair, trying to break free from the rope that bound her.
"Who are you?" she asked fearfully, her gaze flicking between them.
"We are here to punish you," one man said bluntly, while the other one smirked cruelly.