Chapter 5 –Caught By Her Cold Hearted Husband

Veronica stood frozen, her heart skipping a beat as terror spread through her body in the form of goosebumps. The moment she heard his voice and the word ‘wife’, she almost lost her balance. Carlos noticed and was about to extend his hand to steady her when he stopped, realizing someone else had already helped her. It was Mrs. Payton. She had quickly held onto Veronica when she heard her gasp and saw her look as if she had seen a ghost. "Veronica, are you okay?" Mrs. Payton didn’t understand why Veronica would be so horrified at the sight of such a handsome man. But for Veronica, this handsome devil was her worst nightmare. All those nights when the sex should have been amazing had only left her traumatized. He would finish in her and then leave like she was nothing more than his toy. And then the threat in his eyes—the last time she had looked into them when he found out she was pregnant. Veronica gently placed a hand on her heart, trying to steady her breathing. But she kept wondering—why was this man back? How the hell did he find her? "We need to leave," Veronica whispered to Mrs. Payton, her eyes locked on the man watching her so calmly—as if a storm wasn’t raging inside him. Mrs. Payton followed her frightened stare and took in the sight of the man standing there, tattoos covering the back of his hands and neck. He looked strong, tall, and very serious. His presence radiated danger, but why was he here? And why was Veronica so terrified of him? "And where would you go?" he asked, his voice eerily calm yet ice-cold. "Haven’t you learned by now that running isn’t for you?" His smile made him look almost sadistic. Veronica quickly stepped back, her hand on her belly, her lips trembling with desperate breaths. "Don’t— don’t come any closer. I’m not going anywhere with you." She lifted her other hand to warn him, but she couldn’t even raise her voice against him. Instead of a warning, Carlos rushed at her, grabbing her arm. But the moment he did, a single tear rolled down her cheek, making him freeze for a moment. He noticed how fragile she looked—almost as if she hadn’t been eating enough for two. Despite her fear of Carlos, Mrs. Payton stepped forward to defend Veronica. "Hey! Don’t you see she’s eight months pregnant? Hands off, or you’ll hurt her!" she warned. But deep inside, she was terrified of having his eyes land on her. "And who is he, Veronica?" she continued, this time directing her question at Veronica. Carlos waited, expecting to hear her say his name. But instead, Veronica refused to call him her husband. "He’s the baby’s father." He could tell she had clenched her jaw, as if she regretted that he was the father. Veronica knew Carlos being here meant he had been searching for her everywhere. That made it even scarier because it meant he would be furious that she had dared to escape him. Then Carlos stretched his neck, casually pushing his coat back to reveal his gun, shocking the two women in front of him. "You are coming with me." It was a direct threat. Mrs. Payton held Veronica’s hand, trying to comfort her gently as the sight of the gun forced a yelp from Veronica’s lips. But they were both terrified of Carlos. He had come armed, and Veronica knew what that meant. He wouldn’t hesitate to use it on her. He had done it before—to others. She had watched him beat people up. And Veronica knew she was even more at his mercy because he hated her for personal reasons too. "You’re going to kill me anyway," Veronica shook her head weakly, realizing that even if she went with him, he would still hurt her and the baby. Carlos let out a sigh, then gestured to the man behind him. "Show her the pictures." Veronica’s breath hitched as she saw them. Vans spying on them everywhere. "Fernando has his eyes on you," Carlos continued. "So either you come with me and live under my rules, or—Fernando will pay you a visit. And not only will he take you away and kill the baby, but he’ll also hurt the people who gave you shelter." Veronica immediately realized she was putting both Mr. and Mrs. Payton’s lives in danger. "Fine, but you have to let the baby live," she said, almost like a plea. But Carlos only narrowed his eyes on her. "And you think you can still make demands?" His voice was a sharp warning. He wasn’t here to negotiate. "Know your place, wifey." He used the term on purpose—to remind her of all the times she had told him she was his wife and wanted to be treated with respect. And how, on the same day, he would insult her so cruelly that she would end up crying and sleeping on the floor. That was her place. On the cold floor of his manor or at his feet. She had been foolish to think she could escape him. He was so crazy he had walked straight into enemy territory. That alone made her gulp and nod. Maybe once the baby was born, he would feel some sympathy. She could only hope. But right now, she had to go. As fear grew inside her, she yelped, placing a hand on her belly. Mrs. Payton, who had been silently listening to everything, finally snapped out of her shock and rushed to check on Veronica. "What happened? Are you okay?" she asked, worried. At this point, she already knew she couldn’t come between them—Carlos wouldn’t spare her. "It’s alright. I just felt the baby kick," Veronica whispered, wanting to smile. But this wasn’t a moment of celebration. She was going back to hell with her devil of a husband. "Alright! Enough with the chit-chat. My men won’t be able to fool Fernando for long. We gotta go." Carlos snapped his fingers at Veronica to get her attention. He didn’t even bother looking around to check if anyone was watching. He had men for that. He never lost his composure. As for Veronica and the baby, he hadn’t quite decided what he would do with them once he took them home. It would be a blow to his ego if Fernando got his hands on his wife and child. His ego mattered. Veronica turned to Mrs. Payton and gave her a gentle hug, her eyes filled with tears. "I would have never made it out alive if it weren’t for you." She was truly grateful to Mrs. Payton—not only for giving her a place to stay and food to eat but also for giving her the family she never had. "You are like a daughter to me. I will miss you so much," Mrs. Payton said through a teary smile, hugging her again. "We don’t have time, Veronica!" Carlos hissed, rolling his eyes at them. Veronica broke the hug and started walking behind him when Mrs. Payton called out one last time. "What about the things you bought for the baby?" Veronica stared at Mrs. Payton for a moment before replying helplessly. "I’m not sure if I’ll be needing them."