Madly Yours (Nora Reed) novel Chapter 606

"Ahhh! Stop! Please don't..." Arnold's agonizing screams echoed relentlessly.

Hudson didn't let go until Arnold had coughed up four or five teeth in a bloody puddle onto the floor. He dropped him, letting Arnold slump against the wall like a pile of garbage.

"I was going to let you rot in here, but it seems you have a death wish." Hudson drove his heavy boot directly into Arnold's groin, drawing a blood-curdling shriek from the man.

"Ah... it hurts..." Arnold's chest barely rose and fell, his breathing ragged as he lay on the brink of passing out.

"That's enough. Don't dirty your hands on him..." Nora rushed forward, grabbing Hudson by the wrist.

"Let's go. I don't ever want to look at him again."

Hudson turned his hand over, wrapping his fingers securely around hers.

"...Alright."

The heavy iron door slammed shut behind them.

Nora didn't let out a breath until they reached the end of the long corridor.

She didn't look back once.

...

By the time they stepped outside, night had fully fallen.

The dim streetlamps outside the psychiatric center cast pale yellow halos on the pavement.

Tiffany was leaning against the car door, looking bored out of her mind as she scrolled aimlessly through her phone.

Hearing footsteps, she looked up, but the moment she saw the blood on Hudson's hand, she shot up so fast she nearly dropped her phone.

"Hudson! What happened to your hand?"

Hudson glanced down at the drying blood. "It's not mine."

Tiffany inspected his hand closely, let out a massive sigh of relief once she realized he wasn't injured, and relaxed.

"Let's go. Weren't we getting dinner? Get in."

"I call sitting next to Nora!"

Hudson completely ignored her. He opened the rear door, waited for Nora to slide in, and then walked around to get in on his side.

Tiffany rolled her eyes dramatically and climbed into the front.

Seeing everyone settled, Arthur started the engine.

They had dinner reservations at a five-star hotel. Since Tiffany was craving spicy food, Arthur specifically requested the kitchen to prepare the spiciest dishes possible.

"Tiffany, thank you for today."

Taken aback by Nora's serious tone, Tiffany set down her fork and waved her hand dismissively. "Oh, whatever! What are you thanking me for? All I did was be nosy and rip open an envelope."

"If it weren't for you, I have no idea how long I would have been kept in the dark." Nora didn't smile, her voice steady and sincere.

As soon as they got into the car, Olive kept darting glances at the rearview mirror, looking at the two of them with wide, expectant eyes, practically begging for a compliment.

Hudson leaned back in his seat, crossing one long leg over the other, and gave her a slow, lazy look. "You did well finding the report, but you also screwed up. If you had just explained whose samples you used in the first place, we wouldn't have had to run in circles."

Olive's ears instantly drooped. "Oh..."

Seeing her defeated expression, Hudson's lips curled into a faint smile. "But the good outweighs the bad this time. You deserve a reward..."

Olive's eyes instantly lit up like fireworks.

"Haven't you been begging for a gaming room? Go find Archer. Set it up however you want."

"Thank you, Boss! Thank you, Madam!" Olive was so thrilled she almost jumped out of the driver's seat.

Nora laughed and shook her head. "Alright, alright, keep your eyes on the road."

The car cruised smoothly along the tree-lined avenues of Azure Bay, soon pulling up to the gates of Cloudwater Estate.

Back in their bedroom, Nora took a hot shower first. By the time she stepped out in her bathrobe, Hudson was leaning against the headboard, texting on his phone.

Nora crawled into bed and naturally snuggled into his chest, resting her head against his shoulder.

They sat in comfortable silence for a while before Nora spoke up. "What kind of people do you think my real parents are?"

Hudson glanced down at her, tossed his phone onto the nightstand, and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her tighter. "Do you want to look for them?"