Hitched & Hitched Again: A Comedy of Marital Mayhem novel Chapter 574

Gideon slumped on the couch, looking like a broken doll, his limbs intact but rendered useless, his muscles severed, and one of his eyes gruesomely plucked out. Axel, with a twisted sense of consideration, placed the eyeball where Gideon could see it, ensuring it haunted him continuously. Fearing the sight might disturb Tarquin, Axel carefully bandaged the empty socket, showing a bizarre form of tenderness amidst the cruelty.

Terror painted Gideon's face as he stared at his own eyeball, his body trembling uncontrollably. The sight of Tarquin only intensified his fear, as if he were looking at a monster. Tarquin's face was a mask of indifference. "Don't think you're special. What you're going through is nothing compared to what Elijah faced," he said coldly.

Gideon gasped for air, his chest heaving, his lips quivering, but no sound came out. Tarquin glared at him, ice in his voice. "And you know very well, if it weren't for what you're holding, you'd have been gone by now. Don't test my patience. Destroy it, and see what happens."

Gideon's shaking worsened, a mix of rage and fear in his eyes. Seeing him subdued, Tarquin shifted the conversation back to the poison. "Who switched the poison?"

Gideon, still trembling, whispered, "I don't know."

Tarquin frowned, prompting Gideon to quickly add, "But I suspect the person who gave it to me. He reached out to me, claiming he had a poison that could make someone sick without killing them. He said it was virtually undetectable. Even if I used it on Elijah, you wouldn't have noticed. You'd think Elijah was just pining for his mother."

Tarquin's frown deepened. "Who is he?"

"I don't know. He's always been a mystery, never showing his face. I only know he's a man, probably not too old. He knows a lot about the Bradfords, my secrets, and even some of yours. He knew how much Elijah missed his mother, and that you've been desperately searching for her."

Tarquin's expression turned icy, his mind racing to the mysterious figure and the ominous 'New Year's gift' he'd mentioned. Could poisoning Elijah be his twisted present? Tarquin's expression darkened. "Tell me everything you know about him!"