222 Do You Still Love Me?

Ella’s bedroom went quiet for a while after Mrs. Richmond scurried out due to fright.

Although the room seemed quiet, it was heavily saturated with different levels of suppressing emotions.

Leon stared keenly into Ella’s teary eyes, holding her gaze for a long time as if he was searching her soul for the truth. It was as though they were having a staring contest; with Leon dominating the show.

Ella’s mind was filled with horror for her husband as she had never seen him this mad at her ever since they became man and wife. It was as though he was possessed by a legion of demons; who were seeking fresh blood.

She wanted to move from her current spot but her senses felt numb and her feet remained glued to the floor. Her body was trembling like a jellyfish in dangerous water and it was as though she had stopped breathing for fear of being shot.

After staring at his wife for a while and realizing that she was telling the truth, Leon decided to move closer to her. He stopped a few inches away from her when he noticed that she was slowly retreating.

At his proximity, Ella could feel the chillness of his breath and it strangled her erratically drumming heart to the point of feeling faint. She felt like running out of the room but her feet refused to yield to the message signals from her brain.

“Where is your phone?” Leon said in a low but icy tone, which sent wave after wave of shock down Ella’s spine.

With a trembling finger, she pointed at a stool close to the bed.

.....

Due to the dangerous aura, Leon’s enraged body kept exuding, Ella further retreated until her legs touched the soft bed behind her. She slowly lowered herself onto the bed, while her eyes darted from those of Leon’s to the pistol in his right hand.

When Leon observed that she was terrified of him, he slowly backed away from her and walked towards the window.

“You had your phone all this while and you didn’t dim it fit to reach out to your husband that another man was giving you a ride to his home? You could have prevented all this if you had communicated with me.”

Leon’s calm but frosty tone held a mixture of anger, hurt, and jealousy. He turned his back on her and looked out the window, into the dark starry night. He felt tormented just by looking into her horrified and teary eyes.

“I’m sorry!”

Ella felt stung by his words. She felt guilty for not sending him at least a text message.

“What if Ivory’s so-called boyfriend was interested in you all along? What if he had taken advantage of you? What if I had killed someone tonight, out of rage?” Leon turned around and faced her again. “You know how much I can’t stand another man fooling himself around you.”

Ella’s tears slowly trickled down as Leon’s words hurt her deeply.

“I’m sorry! I know this might s...sound stupid, but I...I wanted to give y...you and your mum enough time t...to bond and r...reconcile.” Ella hiccuped amidst tears as she spoke.

“I...I was going to c...call you later on before g...going to bed. Moreover, Ivory promised me t...that s...she was going to talk t...to you when she got home. I never...”

“Stop talking, Ella!” Leon said in a bleak tone. He felt frustrated due to his inability to release his pent-up emotions.

He had come into the house with only one intention in his heart; which was to kill Ella’s new lover. But to find out that he had misunderstood everything and was unable to express his monstrous anger was like throwing a lit dynamite and asking it not to explode.

His body was still trembling from suppressed fury and it felt as though his heart was about to explode.

He closed his eyes and took in a deep breath. Then he slowly pushed them out through his parted lips and nostrils before opening his eyes.

He wanted to say something but the sight of his crying wife clogged his throat with ripping emotions. He felt like a worthless and love-sick husband who was tormenting his wife.

historical

“Shit!”

Leon felt like hurting himself for acting so shamelessly in the presence of his wife. He stared at the gun in his hand for a while, as deadly thoughts overwhelmed him.

“Do you still love me?” Leon asked calmly but coldly.

“I love you, L...Leon Treshvire! I love you desperately with all m...my heart!” Ella replied between sobs. Even when she wiped her eyes and nose with the back of her robe sleeve, the tears kept flowing with no intention of ceasing.

However, her angelic distraught voice echoed in Leon’s ears, subduing all the awakened demons in him. He gave his gun one last hideous glance before carefully putting it away.

He stared at Ella intensely, searching for any hint of hate or fury in her eyes, but all he saw was hurt and more hurt.

“Will you still accept me as your husband after my despicable behavior tonight or do you want me to get lost?”

“No one can take your place, Leon! You are my life and you own my heart!”

Ella sobbed harder as Leon’s words kept hurting her soul. She couldn’t believe the fact that he was accusing her of infidelity.

“My love,” Leon quickly walked up to her as the distance between them was suffocating him. He knelt in front of her and took her hands into his, showering them with kisses.

“I’m sorry for making you cry again. It seems I have been causing you so much heartache ever since we arrived on this island. And this makes me feel like an undeserving husband.”

Leon paused as his own words slapped him right in the face. He shook his head slowly and continued talking.

“I shouldn’t have allowed my jealousy to consume me the way it did! I know you hate me now and even see me as a deranged lunatic.”

“No, you are not a lunatic! I love you the way you are!” Ella whispered and softly stroked the side of his cheek.

Her gentle touch brought peace and warmth to Leon’s troubled heart. He slowly stood up and pulled her to her feet.

“I love you so much, Ella and I’m truly sorry for hurting and embarrassing you!”

Ella smiled and locked Leon in a warm embrace.

As their heartbeats synchronized, Leon’s flirty nature kicked in. Images of Ella’s earlier nude body flashed before his eyes and within a short while, his hands and mouth got busy on her body.