Countdown to "I Do" novel Chapter 24

**Midnight Roads Unseen by George Orwell**

**Chapter 24**

Thud!

A surge of rage ignited within Jared as his fist collided with Adrian’s face, the sickening sound echoing around them. With a fierce determination, he wrenched Adrian’s fingers away from Isabella, feeling the satisfying crunch as he broke them.

“Let her go!” he shouted, his voice a fierce growl. “Can’t you see she doesn’t want this?”

His eyes burned with intensity, and he took a step closer, brandishing the dagger like a beacon of his resolve. “If you’re seeking death, then go find it on your own! Don’t drag Isabella into your mess and taint her hands with your blood!”

With a swift motion, Jared plunged the dagger into Adrian, the blade sinking deep with a sickening squelch. Blood erupted from the wound like a crimson fountain, splattering across the floor, painting the scene in a horrifying shade of reality.

Jared’s gaze shifted to Isabella, who stood frozen in panic. He softened his tone, attempting to soothe her racing heart. “Don’t worry, Isabella. Adrian will be alright. A wound like this? It’ll bleed, yes, but it won’t kill him.”

“Remember, he’s just playing a game, trying to elicit your sympathy,” Jared added, his voice steady and reassuring.

Isabella, slowly regaining her composure, turned her icy stare towards Adrian, her heart hardening. “Stop with the theatrics, Adrian. I won’t grant you forgiveness. You don’t truly love me. You’re merely struggling to adapt to a life without me catering to your every whim.”

She stepped closer, her voice unwavering. “There are plenty of secretaries and assistants who would gladly step into my shoes. At home, you have maids and a butler at your beck and call. Even with your health issues, skilled doctors are just a phone call away. You’ll adjust, I promise. One day, you won’t even miss me.”

“You don’t need me, and you certainly don’t love me. Get a grip on reality!” she declared, her voice sharp as a blade.

Slap!

With a swift, decisive motion, Isabella struck Adrian hard across the face, the sound reverberating in the air like a gunshot, as if to jolt him back to reality.

Adrian winced, clutching his abdomen where blood seeped through his fingers. His laughter, though tinged with madness, was laced with profound sorrow. “Isabella, I truly love you. Why can’t you see that?”

His voice trembled as he continued, “It hurts so much. Why can’t you feel a shred of pity for me like you once did? Can’t we return to the way things were? We used to be inseparable.”

“Cough, cough… The secretaries, the assistants, the maids, the doctors—I don’t want any of them! I only want you…”

Adrian’s desperate reach for Isabella was met with the cruel reality of his weakening state. His voice faded, growing softer with each passing moment. Blood loss and his body’s failure to recover overwhelmed him, and soon, he succumbed to unconsciousness.

Isabella watched him collapse, her heart devoid of pity, yet she felt no satisfaction at his downfall. She simply gathered herself and left with Jared, her resolve hardening.

“Jared, I want to utterly destroy Adrian. Only then will he stop haunting me. Those petty skirmishes we had before were far too lenient; that’s why he has so much time on his hands,” she said, her voice icy as she wiped the blood from her skin with a look of disdain.

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