Strange Love

"Caroline!"

Caroline Hughes was jolted awake by a sudden roar in her ear. Her eyes flew open in shock and met a pair of malicious eyes glowering at her.

It took her a few seconds to gather her surroundings before she realized she was lying stark naked on Rafael Patel's bed.

Caroline could feel a dull ache all over her body from the ravages of the violent sex last night. When Rafael's sharp eyes fell on her slender figure, his pupils contracted abruptly, and his jaw tightened. He hastily grabbed the quilt and threw it on her.

Caroline wrapped herself in the quilt, her face as pale as the sheet, and hot tears welled up in her eyes as the situation dawned on her.

She saw Rafael stand up, turn around, and make his way to the bathroom without sparing her a glance. She was at a loss but managed to find her voice to call out to him, "Rafael..."

Her voice had barely faded away when Rafael cast a sharp glare at her. "What did you call me?"

His tone was harsh, like a cold stab in Caroline's heart, making her tremble. She hurriedly corrected herself, "Mr. Patel..."

Last night, when she returned home, all the lights had been turned off, plunging the house in complete darkness. Before she knew what was happening, Rafael had caught her and dragged her into the bedroom.

She wasn't sure if he was drunk or not. Blinded by the gloom, she caught a whiff of alcohol and blood. She tried to protest as best she could, crying and resisting, but Rafael was too strong. He didn't care for her tears and tortured her through the night, wild like an irrational beast.

Now, it was too late. Last night was burned into Caroline's mind like a harrowing nightmare. She was in so much pain that she felt like her bones had been twisted and shattered.

Caroline opened her mouth to explain but suddenly caught sight of a blood stain, about ten centimeters wide, on the back of Rafael's strong waist.

Before she could look at it properly, Rafael whipped around and stormed back to her, to the edge of the bed. He reached out his hand and pinched her chin between his long fingers, forcing her to look up into his eyes. His deep voice reverberated gruffly as he said, "Caroline, did you think I will keep you by my side if you do this? Huh?"

"No, I..." Caroline hurriedly tried to deny it.

But she barely said a word when she saw the flash of revulsion in Rafael's eyes.

Observing his undisguised expression, Caroline felt a pang of sorrow in her heart. Her refutation died in her throat, and she froze.