"Don’t touch me!"
Iris Yates forcefully yanked her hand away, refusing to have any contact with this devil, William Quinn.
Her breathing was ragged, and a flush of agitation spread across her cheeks as she glared at him, her eyes brimming with fury and hatred. "Who did you lock in the basement?"
William’s palm was left empty. He stared at his hand. The moment she pulled away, he felt as if his heart had shattered into pieces.
A deep sadness surfaced in his blue eyes, and he looked at her with pitiful sorrow. "Baby, why are you being so fierce? I survived against all odds just to come back to you. You are the only reason I fought so hard to stay alive."
"Then why didn’t you just die out there?" Iris glared at him. "I wish you were dead!"
He always looked at her with such deep affection, yet his actions constantly violated her wishes. He imprisoned her, stripped away her freedom, forbade her from contacting her family and friends, and severed all possibilities of her ever returning home.
After all that, he still dared to say he loved her?
He had no right to even utter the word "love"!
"Baby, how can you say that about me? I love you so much. You are my entire world," William said, ignoring the disgust in her eyes. He leaned in, attempting to embrace her.
It was as if holding her, feeling her in his arms, was the only way he could ward off his sadness and heartache.
He truly had returned from the brink of death.
The cruise ship had been riddled with ambushes. He had been set up—it was Walker Grant who had set him up. Walker wanted him dead!
It was despicable! He couldn’t understand why Walker wanted him dead, or why they wouldn’t just let him be with his baby. He knew he had to survive to get his revenge. Once he was avenged, he would be with his baby forever.
"Let go, let go..."
Watching him close in, his arms wrapping around her, Iris struggled violently. The IV needle was ripped from the back of her hand, and blood immediately flowed from the vein.
"Baby, don’t move!"
William saw the blood and frantically pinned her down, his eyes wide with horror. "Stop hurting yourself! It breaks my heart!"
"Let go of me!"
Iris fought back fiercely, screaming and refusing to let him near her.
Her reaction frightened William. He raised his hands in a placating gesture. "Okay... I won’t touch you. Just stop moving. The back of your hand is bleeding. Baby, your body is very weak right now. You can’t get this agitated."
God knew how terrified he had been when he returned to find her collapsed on the carpet, looking so fragile and pitiful, so pale that she seemed ready to slip away from him at any second!
He was terrified she would be like that woman—leaving without a word, never to return!
At this moment, all he wanted was to see her safe and sound.
Iris curled into a ball, staring at him with immense vigilance and disgust. She asked again, "Who did you lock in the basement?"
A thick, violent hostility flared in William’s blue eyes, but he quickly suppressed it. He coaxed her gently, "Baby, let’s eat first, okay? As long as you are a good girl and eat, I’ll take you to see him. Once you see him, you’ll know who it is."
Iris gripped the blanket tightly, her eyes filled with blatant distrust. "I want to know right now," she demanded.
William maintained his gentle demeanor, but the words that came out of his mouth were exceptionally cruel. "Baby, if you aren’t a good girl, he will be punished. I won’t hurt you, but that person deserves to die ten thousand times over."