Fated Marriage Spoiled by My Ice Billionaire novel Chapter 20

Isabelle bit her lip against the pain.

Something shifted in his expression, turning soft and tender.

Isabelle knew she was in trouble now.

Gary's hand moved carefully across her flushed cheek, trying to wipe away her tears.

"Don't cry. Let me take care of you too. A big shot like Damian will never marry you, but I will. We can go abroad together, somewhere nobody knows us..."

"You're trash! You're delusional!" she shouted.

Gary stared at her hard and calmly wiped the spit off his face.

He didn't even look angry about it.

That was when he spotted the phone in Isabelle's hand. The call had just connected, and he snatched it away from her.

"Give it back! Gary!" She couldn't move, and her voice came out raw and desperate.

"You're still counting on him? Heh! He'll find out you're pregnant with his kid today, and by tomorrow he'll be figuring out how to make you get rid of it."

His voice dripped with contempt as he ended the call and tossed the phone aside.

"He won't! Not everyone's like you!"

"Everything I did was for you, Isabelle? I love you! God, I love you so much!" The words came out with a blast of alcohol breath.

"Gary, I believe you love me. Just let me go first, okay? We can talk about this properly..."

Isabelle begged him, terrified of setting him off even more.

His eyes were bloodshot, and any trace of reason had completely disappeared.

He leaned over her, staring down, and without warning he grabbed her already torn clothes and ripped them the rest of the way off.

The sound of fabric tearing filled the air.

Cold air hit her skin all at once, and her entire body was exposed in its most vulnerable state. Angry red marks appeared across her shoulders where he'd yanked at her.

"Gary! You've lost your mind!"

"Yeah, I have! I'm fucking crazy!" he roared back.

Right then, loud banging started coming from outside the door.

"Help! Someone help—mph!"

Gary's large hand clamped down over her mouth and nose.

He was suffocating her.

Everything in her head went fuzzy and dark.

"Shut up!"

Gary's grip was brutal, and the pressure on her nose made it throb with pain. Her face felt like it was being crushed out of shape.

The world was spinning and going black...

But suddenly, the weight lifted off her body, and fresh air rushed back into her lungs. Life flooded back into her.

Isabelle gasped, coughing violently.

Someone had dragged Gary down onto the floor, and the sickening sound of fists hitting flesh filled the room, followed by agonized screams.

When Isabelle finally recovered enough to pull herself up from the couch, she realized Damian was standing in the middle of the living room.

Her tear-filled eyes met his, and the words came out broken and hoarse from her raw throat, but they didn't hesitate for a second.

Damian's throat bobbed as he swallowed hard. He thought he'd heard wrong and froze for several seconds.

"You're sure?"

Isabelle didn't answer with words. Instead, she rose up on her knees, closed her trembling lashes, and pressed her cold lips against his bloodstained ones.

Their heated breaths tangled together for one intense moment before they pulled apart.

Damian's eyes went dark, and his warm hand reached up to brush away the tears on her cheek. Then he pulled her into his arms and held her tight.

The police showed up soon after, and the questioning went smoothly enough.

The ambulance arrived shortly after that and took Gary away on a stretcher.

Damian said to Brian, "I'm taking her home first. You pack up her stuff."

Then he wrapped both arms around her securely and ran his fingers through her sweat-dampened hair. Then he carefully lifted her into his arms and carried her toward the door.

"Got it," Brian said.

Isabelle tilted her head up slightly to look at him, breathing in that distinctive scent that was uniquely his.

He carried her the entire way—into the car, all the way to his villa, and he still didn't put her down until they reached the bathroom.

"I can manage from here," Isabelle murmured.

The bathroom was huge, but something about the enclosed space made her nervous and scared.

"Okay. I'll grab you some clothes to wear for now." Damian didn't linger or look too closely. He just turned around and walked out.