Free Web NovelChapter 57: Chapter 57: The Truth of the Matter
###Chapter 57: The Truth of the Matter
"Where are you right now? Can you come back immediately? I have something important to tell you." Hazel Hawthorne’s face was ashen as she stared at the man fidgeting on the sofa—the man who had appeared in her nightmares countless times.
Now, he was right here before her, so clearly. Although he was already a broken man, the thorn buried in Hazel Hawthorne’s heart could never be removed.
Sharon Winters had no idea what this man had done to Hazel Hawthorne. She had only bravely stepped forward when Hazel caught him, helping her subdue the man before bringing him back to Hazel’s villa.
She stared at Hazel Hawthorne with a look of confusion. She watched Hazel pace back and forth in the living room, her face ashen, seemingly suppressing immense rage. She had also heard Hazel on the phone, telling Aiden Xavier to come back. As an outsider, Sharon Winters felt a fleeting desire to leave.
Although she was Hazel Hawthorne’s friend, she knew it was best for outsiders not to get involved in a married couple’s affairs. Couples fight and make up, and there was nothing an outsider could do.
After a long while, just as Sharon Winters was about to tell Hazel Hawthorne she was leaving, Aiden Xavier walked in.
Aiden Xavier had rushed back, looking harried. He had heard the anxiety in Hazel Hawthorne’s voice over the phone and thought she was in some kind of danger, so he had driven back in a frantic hurry.
He didn’t even have time to tend to Raina Lowell.
The moment Aiden Xavier walked in and saw Shawn Bennett on the sofa, he was momentarily stunned but quickly recovered. As soon as he approached Shawn Bennett, the man immediately lowered his head, not daring to look Aiden Xavier in the eye. The visceral fear was plain to see on his face.
Hazel Hawthorne had her back to Aiden Xavier, but of course, she knew he had returned.
She was trying hard to calm her inner rage. When Aiden Xavier’s hand gently rested on her shoulder, Hazel Hawthorne suddenly spun around, forcefully shoving his hand away. Her face was ashen as she said, "Now that you see him, is there anything you want to say to me?"
"What do you want to say?" Aiden Xavier said, glancing coolly at Shawn Bennett.
Shawn Bennett sat obediently to the side. He was already terrified of Aiden Xavier’s methods. Even if Aiden said nothing, a single look from him was enough to scare Shawn Bennett out of his wits.
Before Hazel Hawthorne or Aiden Xavier could speak again, Shawn Bennett, like a frightened bird, suddenly dropped to his knees before Aiden Xavier. In a pleading tone, he quickly said, "Mr. Xavier, I didn’t say anything! I didn’t intentionally appear before your wife... Please, don’t kill me."
Shawn Bennett scrambled over to Aiden Xavier and grabbed his leg, his mind already flashing with images of being tortured by him again.
Hazel Hawthorne glared at Aiden Xavier. "I’ve seen what you’re capable of now. To keep him quiet, you were this brutal with him. Are you protecting me, or someone else?"
Aiden Xavier kicked Shawn Bennett away and reached for Hazel Hawthorne’s hand, but she ruthlessly flung it off. He didn’t get angry, instead trying to speak to her in a calm and level tone. "Of course, it was for you." ƒreeωebnovel.ƈom
Hazel Hawthorne sneered and demanded, "Then do you know why Shawn Bennett drugged me? Why he did those things to me?" After a pause, she took a deep breath, trying to calm herself. "Aiden Xavier, don’t tell me you don’t know anything."
Aiden Xavier was silent for a few seconds, staring intently at Hazel Hawthorne as if he wanted to explain something.
Seeing the look on his face, Hazel Hawthorne knew he had known everything from the start but hadn’t told her. Unable to bear the injustice she had suffered and the rage that had been building inside her, she shoved him hard in the chest.
"You knew everything perfectly well! You knew Raina Lowell ordered Shawn Bennett to hurt me, but you didn’t say a word! Ask yourself, were you trying to protect me, or Raina Lowell?"
Hurt?
Sharon Winters was already completely lost. Their conversation was a confusing mess until she heard Hazel Hawthorne say this repulsive man had been sent by Raina Lowell to hurt her. That’s when Sharon decided that Raina Lowell was a real piece of work.
’To think she’d use such a despicable method against another woman.’
"I already taught him a lesson for you." Aiden Xavier backed away step by step. When Hazel Hawthorne had him cornered against the wall with nowhere to retreat, he stared at her seriously and said, word by word, "I’ve already made Shawn Bennett pay the price for what he did to you. As for Raina Lowell—" freewёbn૦νeɭ.com
"Aiden Xavier, you had better not mention that woman’s name in front of me right now. You know that if you push me too far, I’m capable of anything," Hazel Hawthorne said mercilessly. "So what if Raina Lowell is the one you love? At worst, I’ll take her down with me!"
"Hazel Hawthorne!" Aiden Xavier suddenly shouted. "Do you have any idea what you’re saying? What evidence do you have that connects this to Raina Lowell?"
Hazel Hawthorne stared at Aiden Xavier as if he were a stranger. She had always known he was protective of Raina Lowell, but she never imagined that even after Raina did something so vile, Aiden would still be her safe harbor.
But hearing him say those words, Hazel Hawthorne felt as if Aiden Xavier had taken a knife and slashed it across her heart, leaving a gaping, bleeding wound. She held back her sorrow, swallowed the injustice, and looked away.
She turned, raising a hand to wipe the tears from her face. ’Crying over this is just pathetic. I knew Aiden Xavier would defend Raina Lowell, so why did I even call him back to confront Shawn Bennett? What was the point? Was it to get him to question Raina Lowell for me, or to make him see what kind of person she truly is? It seems now that no matter the outcome, it doesn’t matter to Aiden. He’s known the whole story from the very beginning.’
"I wouldn’t have brought Shawn Bennett before you if I didn’t have evidence," Hazel Hawthorne said quietly, her emotions now back under control. She glanced at the trembling Shawn Bennett. "I won’t show any mercy to those who have hurt me."
"What are you planning to do?" Aiden Xavier grabbed Hazel Hawthorne.
Hazel Hawthorne used the momentum to shake him off. "You have no right to ask what I’m going to do. You have your ways, and I have mine. I’m a law-abiding citizen. When I encounter danger and hardship, it’s only natural that I should ask the police for help, especially since the people around me are useless."
Aiden Xavier ignored Hazel Hawthorne’s struggles and held her fast. "What are you really planning? If you truly had evidence, you wouldn’t have called me back. Hazel, don’t do something that hurts others without benefiting yourself. The police need evidence to build a case. Right now, at most, you’ve only caught the man who harmed you..."
"Get lost!"
"Even if you call the police and hand Shawn Bennett over, it will only be for intentional injury and attempted rape. It’s impossible for you to use him to go after Raina Lowell." Aiden Xavier’s words stabbed Hazel Hawthorne in the heart.
He had seen through all her plans. A cold sneer touched Hazel Hawthorne’s lips. "What I do and how I do it is none of your business. You just go and protect your precious Raina Lowell. And pray she doesn’t fall into my hands."
*****
