Chapter 87
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The hospital parking lot was eerily quiet as Zabelle stepped out of Antonio’s car, her chest tight with pain and anger.
The image of him kissing Vanessa replayed in her mind, and the pain hit her over and over again
She had spotted a convenience store a block away, and she intended to continue what Antonio had stopped her from doing
at the Gala
She didn’t care that she was in no state to walk alone, much less drink–she just needed something to make her forget the agony she felt inside.
However, it seemed the universe was against her as she was stopped by two guards whom she suspected worked for Antonio.
“Ma’am, do you need anything?” he began as he stepped closer.
“Don’t worry, I can handle it myself,” Zabelle cut him off, her voice sharp as a blade.
The guard exchanged a glance with his colleague, after which they turned to face her. “Ma’am, let us handle whatever you need,” he insisted.
Zabelle’s eyes flashed with anger over their persistence, and she shoved them away. “Move out of my way, or you’ll regret it!” She felt dirty for acting the same way Vanessa acted to those she considered beneath her, but it wasn’t her fault. All she wanted to do was to go across the road, but he was stopping her
The guards hesitated, clearly torn between stopping her and not wanting to escalate the situation further.
Not waiting for them to make a decision, she walked out on them
One guard sighed, pulling out his phone to make a call. The other followed her, keeping a safe distance but determined to
to let her wander off alone.
The fluorescent lights of the store buzzed overhead as she entered. Without wasting time, she headed straight for the alcohol section. A bottle of cheap vodka caught her eye, and she grabbed it with trembling fingers.
This should do, she thought to herself as she walked back to the counter so she could pay for it.
Inside the hospital, Antonio was pacing the room, in the room impatiently when his phone buzzed, he frowned and answered.
The family doctor had taken his blood sample so they could know what he was drugged with before giving him the cure for
iL.
“Sir, ma’am has got down from the car, and she left to go to a convenience store, the guard informed him, and Antonio’s blood ran cold.
Without a second thought, he headed for the exit, not caring that he hadn’t gotten the antidote yet.
When he got down, he brought out his phone to track her, and he found Zabelle a block away, sitting on a low wall near a closed shop.
Her head was tilted back as she gulped down the vodka, not even stopping to due to the burn or the tears streaming down her cheeks. This woman! He thought to himself as he made his way to where she was.
“Zabelle!” he called out, his voice a mix of anger and concern as he rushed toward her.
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Chapter 87
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She glanced at him, herexpression annoyed. “What do you want Antonio? Go back to your precious, Vanewa, and leave me like he left me.” She sniffed as she raised the bottle to drink the contents.
He grabbed it from her hands before she could drink more. “That’s enough!”
“Give it back!” she yelled, trying to snatch it from him. “You dont get to control me! Not after-”
“I said that’s enough,” Antonio growled, his patience snapping.
When she tried to push past him, he caught her arm, then bent down and threw her over his shoulder in one swift motion.
1
“Antonio! Put me down! You-” She pounded her fists against his back, but he didn’t flinch, carrying her as though she weighed nothing.
“Keep yelling if you want, but I’m not leaving you out here to keep on drinking,” he said firmly, walking back toward his car.
“You can’t just Zabelle started, but she was cut short by Antonio
“I can, and I will,” he interrupted, his tone leaving no room for argument.
Despite her protests, he carried her back into the car, after which he ordered the driver to take them back to the mansion.
As soon as they got home, he carried her once more as she didn’t want to get down and Antonio set her down on the couch in the living room, his gaze softening.
“Zabelle,” he called and when she looked at him, her eyes were filled with tears, him. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to hurt you”
which for some reason didn’t sit w
well with
Zabelle glared at him as the tears started to roll down her cheeks. “You didn’t mean to? Then why, Antonio? Why her?”
It would have hurt less if it had been another person and not the same woman who always got everything that was meant to be hers.
Antonio sighed, running a hand through his hair, as he didn’t know what he was supposed to do or say to convince Zabelle “It wasn’t what it looked like. I—”
“You’re lying,” she cut him off, her voice trembling. “Can I just be left alone, please.”
He sat beside her, his head lowered. “You’re drunk, Zabelle. You need to get some rest. When you’re sober in the morning, we’ll talk.”
Though her walls remained up, the exhaustion and pain in her eyes told him she was moments away from breaking. Antonio vowed silently to do whatever it took to fix the mess he’d caused.
Without waiting for him to respond, Zabelle got home, and she began to make her way to their room.
Antonio’s body still ached with the lingering effects of whatever he’d been drugged with, as he didn’t take the antidote, all thanks to that wife of his.
He clenched his fists in frustration as he made his way to his study. As if on cue, as soon as he got in, he received a call, and it was from his family doctor.
“Mr Garcia,” the doctor began, his voice steady but serious. “The tests confirm you were drugged with an aphrodisiac, one commonly found on the black market. It heightens libido and makes controlling such impulses nearly impossible.”
Antonio gritted his teeth, gripping the edge of his desk until his knuckles whitened. “Thank you, doctor,” he muttered, cutting the call short.
He didn’t think too hard to know who was behind this. Vanessa. His jaw tightened as anger flared in his chest. The fool had
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Chapter 87
planned on him giving into his urges and sleeping with her.
1
Storming toward his room, he decided to take a cold shower. Maybe it wouldn’t cure the problem entirely, but it might take the edge off. However, as he pushed open the door, the sight before him made his stomach drop.
Zabelle was sitting on the edge of his bed, a crystal glass in hand, sipping casually from a bottle of expensive whiskey she’d most definitely taken from his private bar.
Her cheeks were slightly flushed, her posture relaxed as she regardled him with a mix of defiance and something darker. “What the hell are you doing?” Antonio snapped, striding forward to snatch the bottle from her hand.
