Crossroads

Stephanie slammed the door hard, driving out the couple Tears welled up in her eyes, but she held them back. She had to admit that the deep sorrow that weighed heavily in her heart was unbearable.

She had loved this man with everything she had, and she didn't regret that. She just thought she was blind back then.

Her gaze wandered over the old and small apartment, and she closed her eyes, trying to calm herself down.

As she stepped toward the wooden chair to her left, a sharp pain shot through her ankle.

Shel se limped o over and sat down at the chair with her brows furrowed.

Stephanie had just thrown Kevin over her shoulder with too much force than intended during their confrontation, and it seemed like she had twisted her ankle.

Bending down, she was about to roll up her pant leg to check the injury when she suddenly heard footsteps outside the door..

Her first thought was that Kevin had the nerve to come back and mess with her again, but that seemed unlikely. With her exceptional karate skills, that move could send him straight to the hospital.

It might be the driver coming to check on her. With this in mind, she relaxed a bit and forced a smile as she looked towards the door.

But as soon as she looked up, her smile froze.

Stephanie's eyes widened at the sight of the man who had appeared so suddenly.

That man was supposed to be back from a business trip tomorrow, but now he was there.

Dominick unexpectedly showed up in this cramped, old apartment, his gaze sweeping around the room.

Then, he walked straight toward her, his expression dark and silent.

Stephanie watched him approach with a menacing air as if he had come for vengeance, but she hadn't done anything to offend him.

"You are looking for me? One could tell she was uncertain from her tone.

"What exactly is going on?" Dominick didn't answer but instead asked in a cold, deep voice.

Stephanie didn't know what he was talking about. She sat on the bench while his six-foot-one fragme towered over her, making her feel somewhat nervous.

She didn't want to be looked down upon like this and instinctively stood up, trying to explain, "Grandpa agreed to let me come...

But Dominick didn't let her finish. He suddenly took a big step forward, his face cold. "Sit down!"

Startled, Stephanie stumbled backward, falling back into her chair.

"Take off your coat!"

He crouched down to her level, commanding in chilling voice.

Stephanie was panicked and quickly covered her chest with her hands. "What do you want?"

12:48 Thu, 20 Jun Chapter 20

But Dominick seemed to run out of his patience. He pulled at her clothes forcefully, quickly yanking her coat off

"Dominick, I might need your help, but you can't push mel" she protested, clutching her white blouse tightly as she angrily rebuked him.

"Shut up!" With a roar, he ripped at her blouse, and the buttons scattered across the floor Her exposed skin feels slightly cool. Dominick fiercely stripped off her blouse swiftly.

Stephanie felt a wave of humiliation and raised her hand to resist.

But as Stephanie was about to raise her right hand, she felt a sharp, burning pain in her arm. "Ah, it hurts!".

"Stay still!" Dominick's hands pressed down on her shoulders and shot her a warning glare.

Under his gaze, Stephanie felt somewhat guilty. She glanced at her right arm and saw her white blouse stained with bloodNôvel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive © material.

Maybe she used too much force to throw Kevin over her shoulder earlier. An old injury flared up, and the wound started to bleed again.

He gently brushed his hand over the wound on her arm and found a cut cut from a glass shard at Wellington Villa the previous week that had required stitches.

Now, she had accidentally torn it open again, and blood traced down her arm terribly

"Where's the first aid kit?" Dominick's voice was cold as he asked.

Stephanie didn't dare move. S e just pointed to an old cabinet across the room. "It's over there."

Dominick stood up, casting a stern glance at her, likely warning her not to move.

Caught under his gaze, Stephanie lowered her head, her cheeks flushing with embarrassment.

She knew he was getting the first aid kit to stop the bleeding, but she was wearing only her bra now, and it made her feel awkward in front of him.