Chapter 32: Chapter 32

Mitchell’s hands are gripping Liam’s tight in an endeavor to emancipate herself from the beckoning death. Her mouth is no longer running with insults but with countless attempts to gather any air. Her eyes are bulging out of their sockets.

I am quivering with the reverence of the beast in the name of Liam. The way he is nipping his lower lip and not even blinking while watching poor Mitchell battle to amass any amount of air to sustain her life baffles my nerves. He is watching her like he has no intention of releasing her until he chokes her to death. Now, I cannot stand back and witness a murder, can I?

I move my legs, summoning every ounce of bravery that might still be in me, and stroll toward them.

“Liam? That's enough, Liam, please!” I plead, joining Mitchell as I try to pull his hands off the dying Mitchell. “LIAM!” I howl with all the energy in me, and he snaps out of that monster state.

He lets go of Mitch and takes a few steps back.

His eyes are still on Mitch, who is coughing her lungs out, gasping for air, and sampling as much of it in and out of her system as possible. Her hands are soothing her sore neck, and the redness on her cheek is worsening.

I rush to the table and pour her a glass of water. I am not sure, but I think it is a great remedy for her situation.

“Here, Mitch. Drink some water.” I say, handing her the glass of water, which she grabs in haste as if it were a miracle she badly needed.

She gulps down two sips and relaxes, clenching to the glass as if she wanted to discharge all the pain and fear and everything she is feeling on it. The way she is fuming while staring into space baffles me. This whole situation is nerve-wracking.

What if she decides to sue Liam for domestic violence? She has all the reasons, and his brutal marks on her cheek and neck are sufficient evidence. What was Liam thinking?

“Are you okay?” I ask Mitch after a couple of minutes since Liam does not seem to care.

She takes a long blink, almost breaking the poor glass with her fist. I think it was a bad idea for me to speak because of the way she is squinting her eyes and biting her lower lip. A tear flees her eye, meaning she is not okay.

Just when I was about to turn to Liam, she flickered her eyes open, swerving the hand that was holding the glass, aiming at my face. I was too late to react. I did not see that coming, but Liam was quick enough to prevent the glass from smashing my poor face, but not her slap that left me dangling in Liam’s arms.

For a moment, I squinted my eyes, asking myself what kind of ungrateful bitch this witch is. This is what I get for saving her?

I was getting too comfortable in Liam’s arms, but when I felt him nudging me to his back, I knew comfort time was over. I cannot allow him to do something crazy again. And just like I deciphered, I leaped between him and Mitchell at the exact time he was launching a blow that now hung in the air. I shake my head ceaselessly, begging him not to allow his demons to push him into doing something crazy again.

“No, Liam. Please, don’t!” I plead and keep shaking my head, my hands shielding Mitchell, until he drops his hand.

I breathe out a sigh, hoping to relax, but not until the bitch speaks behind me. Honestly, I don’t know why I am defending this bitch!

“Go ahead, son of a bitch! I can take up some more evidence to send you to jail where you belong, you shameless woman beater!” She screeches, summoning my attention to her.

She cannot do that.

I feel Liam’s strides coming closer, and I turn around, his facial expression erupting a cold chill on my spine. He does not look threatened at all. He is still seething with rage. His eyes scare me. I hold his hand, stopping him from taking a step further.

“I do not care anymore what you want to do, Mitch. Until you learn to respect me, I do not mind being labeled a violent man or a woman beater. I have heard enough of your insolence!” Liam speaks with suppressed fury.

His hot breath is scorching my face as I gaze up at him, still hugging his hand tight. And you know, his wrath is warranted. I mean, which man would bear the kind of insolence and disrespect that he receives from Mitch? She is too much! Way too much!

“Well, I am not sorry that I cannot bring myself to respect someone who does not respect himself and someone who does not respect me as well!” Mitch fumes.

“You have the nerve to say that I do not respect you, Mitch?” Liam scoffs, snatching his hand from me as he takes a step closer to Mitch, who takes a step back.

I stand beside Liam, ready for whatever is about to ensue next, but hoping that there won't be a repeat of what happened a few minutes ago.

“Do you, now?” Mitch challenges me, and I detest her bullheadedness and galling balls!

Can't she just shut the hell up?

“From day one, Mitch, I always did what you wanted. I respected even the rules you added after we got married. When I learned how this whole marriage was suffocating you, I gave you your freedom, and you cannot negate the fact that you are getting a kick out of every sense of it. You never cared about me or my desires or anything, yet I respected your wishes!” Liam’s voice is full of hurt. It exudes the amount of pain he is concealing inside.

“And everything was fine that way. That is exactly how things were supposed to remain between us, Liam, because you have no say in this marriage, and you know it. But you ruined any sanity I had in me the moment you brought that whore into our matrimonial home, Liam!” The selfish bitch fumes.

Hang on! We are back to this again. This is about me again? How long will Liam and I explain ourselves?

And why does she sound hurt?

“It is your selfishness, Mitch, that has brought us to this point. I was ready to lay my all down just to make this work, even though I did not love you nor consent to this absurd agreement, but you never appreciated my efforts. Now I have reached my limits, Mitch. I will do whatever I fucking want, and you better stay within your limits if you do not want to see the beasty side of me!” Liam warns, making me snap my eyes at him.

He is clearly declaring war.

“Is that why you are trying to get rid of me in every way because you have reached your stupid limits?” Mitch queries, summoning both of our attention.

The pool incident again? How long is she going to drag out all these lies? What? Is she also going to sue me for that white lie? Is she going to send us both to prison?

“I don't understand your fuss.” Liam says.

“You don’t? Where the fuck is our photo that was always on the wall?” She squeals, making Liam and I snap our eyes at each other.

I warned him, didn't I? I knew she would create World War III just because of that, even if the damn photo means nothing.

“Why the silence, huh?” She speaks again, making us break eye contact as we face her. “You didn't want to have the photo mock you as you fornicated in my house?” She adds.

Screw her!

“You are impossibly pathetic, Mitch! I removed it because it does not serve any purpose. Stop making up stories that are not there.” Liam defends us, and he has a good point.

If only this nemesis of peace could just cut us some crap, we would have peace. But no. She is bent on dragging us to hell.

“Who said it has no meaning? Your conscience? The guilt of your sins, which are reeking all the way to hell?” She screeches again, shifting her eyes between us as if waiting for us to confess.

Well, she will wait forever!

“My conscience is clean, so I don’t care what you think anymore. I will return the photo, but for me, whether it is there or not, it makes no difference. Actually, you are right, Mitch! Anything that incorporates you and me is just a mockery that irritates me to the core, including your presence and your face!” Liam speaks, and Mitch swallows hard.

She probably was not expecting the last part, and neither was I. She looks away for a second and then drags her sinister gaze back to Liam.

“Well then, let's see whether you’ll still have the same sentiments and act bravely when you are behind bars, because this,” she points to her extremely sore cheek and neck, “will not go unpunished. Get ready to defend yourself in court!” She says this and turns to leave after making her point crystal clear.

I turn to Liam. He is speechless. He is not even contemplating stopping her or saying anything. Well, maybe he knows there really is a case against him. He went way overboard, but we agreed to stand with each other for better or worse.

I do not support any form of violence, but I cannot allow her to destroy Liam this way. We cannot lose this fight this soon.

“You cannot do that, Mitch!” I howl, stopping her in her tracks as she turns to me with a confounded look.