His Untamed Rose novel Chapter 54

The woman knew she had no chance today. Wiping her tears, she quietly closed the door behind her and left, knowing better than to linger.

Lumina stood frozen, stunned, as if she must have misheard. But Cedric’s voice, low and unmistakably cold, sent a wave of goosebumps racing up her arms.

Her smile faltered, growing increasingly forced until she could barely keep up the pretense. “So this is... the price for setting me free?”

Cedric lowered his head, his teeth grazing her earlobe as he whispered, “This is what you get for refusing my kindness.”

Lumina’s face darkened. She tried to break free, but he held her firmly.

“No… I’m still hurt…” she protested, her remaining strength barely enough to keep him at bay.

Cedric cupped her chin in his hand, studying her striking features. “An injury that takes five months to heal?”

He saw right through her lie, a soft laugh rumbling in his chest. “You really are a master of tall tales.”

Cedric knew she’d made up her injury to draw a line between them, to distance herself. She’d been planning her escape for some time now.

Suddenly, Lumina’s phone began to ring. She reached for it, but Cedric caught her around the waist and pulled her into his arms.

He picked up her phone, glanced at the caller ID, and a faint smirk played on his lips as he answered.

“Lumina, can you come to the hospital? Your mother’s awake. Your father’s here too. They both want to see you.”

Yadiel’s voice crackled through the receiver, and Lumina’s scalp prickled as panic surged through her. She clapped her hand over Cedric’s mouth, her wide eyes silently begging him not to speak.

Yadiel, hearing only strange, muffled noises on the line, frowned in growing concern. “Where are you?”

He listened, bewildered and tense. A stack of papers crumpled in his fist as he shot to his feet. “Cedric, you bastard! Let her go!”

No one knew exactly when the call was cut off.

Lumina’s eyes were hollow, her voice ragged with tears. “Happy now?”

He’d stripped her of every last shred of dignity in front of Yadiel.

Cedric kissed her, clearly satisfied, and brushed away her tears with his thumb.

“Do you think Yadiel heard you just now? Do you think it did something to him?”

“Shut up! You sick freak!” Lumina sobbed, swinging at him, but he caught her wrist easily.

A wave of terror crashed over Lumina. She and Yadiel—everything they’d done, every step they’d taken—had been under his watchful eye all along. She had tried so hard to be careful. This was the best plan she could come up with.

But in Cedric’s world, her desperate efforts were nothing more than childish tricks, easy to unravel.

There was a gulf between them she could never cross. How could she ever hope to fight him? How could she possibly escape his grasp?

Her heart pounded in her chest, panic and helplessness threatening to swallow her whole.

She fought to keep her voice steady, but a tremor betrayed her. “It was my idea to leave with Yadiel. I don’t want to stay here, in this miserable town. I just want to go, leave you, leave Banyan Town, leave my family. Why can’t any of you just let me go?”

She almost never let herself lose control like this. But now, the shame, the despair, the ruin of her plans—it all came crashing down, shattering her composure.

Cedric simply watched her, calm and silent, then stepped forward and pulled her into his arms. He took her wrist, wrapping her arms around his waist, their fingers lacing together.

Lumina stared blankly at the empty TV screen, their embrace reflected as if they were the most loving couple in the world.

When her frozen hands had finally warmed in his grasp, Cedric gently stroked her back. “Feeling calmer now?”

Somehow, those simple words sent a fresh wave of chaos through Lumina’s mind. She broke down, pounding her fists against him, her voice raw and furious, “You’re a monster, you bastard! I’ve had enough of these three years pretending to smile for you. I’m done! I want to leave! I hate you! I wish I’d never see you again for the rest of my life!”