After My Death, My Husband Who Threw Me Into the Hunting Grounds Went Insane novel Chapter 51

SCARLET

I knocked on Katherine's door twice, but there was no answer.

"Katherine, open up."

Still no answer. I tried moving the doorknob, but it's locked.

"Is she inside?" I asked Nate. "She's probably sleeping."

"She didn't tell me she was going to leave the apartment. Do you have your key?"

"Oh, of course." Hurriedly, I unlocked the door using my duplicate key. I pushed the door open, but the lights were off, and she wasn't inside.

"She's not here." I turned on the lights and went to my bedroom.

"I'll call her," Nate said. I nodded. He remained standing in the living room. I needed to get a few clothes and sleepwear. I was running out of clothes. I needed my laptop and other books as well. I opened the wardrobe to pick some.

"Did she answer yet?" I asked Nate. I don't want to talk to him, but I don't have a choice.

"She's not picking up," Nate said. He was now standing right at my door, his hand in his pocket.

I threw the clothes over onto my bed. "Did you tell her what happened?"

He shook his head. "How am I supposed to tell her your stepbrother just smacked my face? She'll worry."

I shook my head and heaved a sigh. I turned and grabbed a luggage bag so I could begin putting my things inside.

Nate stepped inside my room and sat on the edge of the bed. "You're staying with your family this week?" he asked as he watched me put the clothes in the bag.

"My mother came. I'm staying with her at Luke's place for a short time."

"You're playing a dangerous game with your stepbrother."

I stopped. "Thank you for the concern, Nate. I appreciate it every time. But this time, it's different. It's just hard to explain."

Nate stood up, and he held my wrist to stop me from what I was doing. "I can't let you step on fire again."

"I'm not going to step on fire. I know what I'm doing now, Nate, and don't answer my mother's call again."

"Okay. What else?"

"I need to go, and can you carry this for me?"

He raised his head. His expression was still dejected. "Of course."

When we left my apartment, I booked an Uber. It was already late, and I didn't want Nate to come over to Luke's apartment again. I didn't want Luke to see Nate after what happened the other day.

But before the Uber came, a black Jaguar stopped in front of me.

***

I couldn't understand why Luke had to come here to fetch me. Fortunately, he ignored Nate. He changed in a short matter of time, and I liked these changes. I just couldn't help but think negatively. If I end up too consumed by him, it would be difficult to be apart from him.

Thomas was at home when we arrived, and they were in the living room watching some late-night show. I greeted him with a peck on the cheek. I kissed Mom on her forehead.

"Good evening, Scarlet," my stepfather greeted back, but the usual sweet tone wasn't present in his voice.

"Have you both eaten yet?" Mom asked.

"Yeah, on our way here," Luke answered.

"Lucas, can I talk to you?" Thomas said, but still not looking.

"Of course, what is this about?"

"About the Japanese clients, can we talk about it alone?"

Luke frowned. "At this hour?"

"Yes. Follow me in my office." Thomas stood and walked first.

"You mean my office," he mumbled but didn't let his father hear. "I'll help you unpack later," he whispered in my ear.

I nodded. I wonder what happened. I sat next to Mom.

"Go ahead, Luke. Your dad must be having a problem," Mom initiated.

Lucas didn't respond. I could see the disappointment in his eyes, but he eventually went upstairs and followed after Thomas.

"Do you know what's going on?" I asked Mom.

"Nah. I don't interfere too much with Thomas' work. I just know that he was bothered by something."

I shrugged. "Sounds like Thomas." I picked potato chips from the table.

"I see you're getting along well with Lucas. I haven't seen him like that before in front of his relatives."

"Seen him like how?

"I notice the way he looks at you, Scarlet, and I know the meaning of it," she winked at me, "and as a woman, you do know what I'm talking about."

Oh my God. Did she notice? Did she know what's going on with me and Luke? No, no. I knew my mother. If she knew what was happening, this wouldn't be her reaction. She'll faint. She'll get mad at me. She'll tell Thomas.

Oh no. She told Thomas, and that's why Thomas asked for Luke in private.

My heartbeat quickened, but I still decided to play dumb. "W-what do you mean?"

"Luke cares for you, Scarlet. Thomas thinks his son is very distant. Luke is a good son, but he doubts him. But with you, he doesn't seem cold and distant. I think it's a very good sign."

I sighed. I really thought she found out. I noticed Luke has changed too. But it was harsh to doubt him as a good person. Not by his own father.

"How could Thomas doubt him? Luke might be cold, but it's just a mask. He is soft inside. You just have to look at him that way."

"Do you think I didn't see that? I've known Luke for a few years now, and I could say the same. Funny that we even know him better than his father." She clicked her tongue.

If my mother knew he was that kind of man, why did she marry him? Well, Luke could say the same about his father. He warned me about Thomas. It just didn't look that way when they're in front of us.

I waited for an hour in Luke's room, but he didn't come. What's taking them so long? There were a lot of things in my mind right now.

"You know I can't, right? Why are you… why do we have to—"

"Shh…" He pressed a thumb to my lips. "I won't judge you. Nothing will ever change if you tell me about him. It's okay if you still love or hate this guy. You just have to tell me."

"I don't love him. I hate him. I just don't want to see him, okay?"

"Scarlet." Luke held my shoulders. "Dad knows about him."

The world stopped as if someone threw a rock on my head as if I fell on the ground from the highest mountains. Air abandoned my lungs. My shoulders dropped.

"And he will have him killed..." Luke continued.

"What?" I gasped the air. "How… How did he—"

"He knows. I don't know. He didn't tell me how."

"Oh, God!" I slapped my forehead. "Did Thomas tell my mother?"

"I think he still didn't. He wanted me to work for it myself, but how could I if you can't tell me a single thing? I told you he didn't want a flaw in the Alejandro name. If this gets out to the public, it's going to be a huge scandal."

"Is this why he hurt you?"

"It's not the point here. You married someone at such a young age to a man who's married to someone else," he said tightly, and his jaw clenched. "I still don't get why you can't tell me."

I swallowed hard. How could I ever tell him? His reaction was the same every time we talk about the devil. I always see a disappointment in his eyes.

I tried to change the subject. "Is that why Thomas hurt you?"

He nodded slightly. "As soon as I got inside the room, he threw his fist at me."

"How did he even know?"

"I don't know. Maybe he got tired and didn't trust me, so he looked for it himself. I'm going to ask Rebecca tomorrow. She's afraid of him as well. It's another possible reason."

I bit my lip hard, my tears building up again. "This is my fault. You got hurt because of me."

"I'm fine. This isn't the first time he hurt me."

Oh God, no.

I looked at his face. He took the beating because of me. He got hurt because I couldn't tell him about the devil. I rested my head on his chest. I wrapped my arms around his body.

"What should we do now?"

"Pretend that I didn't tell you. You'll tell me about him. I will erase him from your life for good before my father does." He blew out a sharp breath. "… And with Dad, it would be in a different way."

I think I understood now why he saw Thomas that way. The stepfather I knew was sweet, thoughtful, and generous. He even sent me to Harvard and paid for my tuition. He married my mother and gave her a comfortable life. But there's something off about him. I knew, now, that he could hurt his son using his own hands. How much more if he found out what I was doing in this room… with his son. I didn't want to think about it.

But what's important for now was to avoid Luke from getting hurt. "I'm sorry you got caught up in the middle of this."

"All I asked from you is cooperation, and you couldn't give me that."

"I'm going to tell you now," I surrendered. "I'm will tell you everything."