Married To My Ex's Brother, Reborn Miraculously-Chapter 11: The danger

"Your money and gifts mean nothing to me," she snapped, shoving the card against his chest, her features contorting. "I accepted those gifts because I loved you. Now, I don’t love you anymore. I don’t want your money. I don’t want anything from you. Stop bothering me."

Denis’s eyes darkened. His composure cracked. He clasped her wrist and yanked her forward. His other hand shot up, fingers digging into her jaw.

"You have gone too far this time," he growled, his expression darkening. "I’ll punish you."

He shoved her back against the seat, his body crowding hers as he leaned in to kiss her. Anne turned her head aside.

Denis’s eyebrows furrowed. "You don’t want my kiss."

She didn’t say anything.

"Look at me." His fingers pinched her chin, forcing her to face him. "I am asking you something."

A slow, bitter curve of her lips. "You want to kiss me now? Why? Have you finally fallen for me after getting your first love pregnant?"

"You..."

Ring-Ring-Ring...

The shrill buzz of his phone sliced through the tension, freezing Denis mid-sentence. His nose scrunched up as he released her. He looked at the phone, Tania’s name flashing across the screen.

Anne’s gaze flicked to the caller ID, a sneer curling on her lips. She turned her head aside, looking out the window at the blur of city lights. But this time, there was no sting, no ache. No jealousy gnawed at her heart. Just emptiness —just numb acceptance.

Denis hesitated for a fraction of a second before finally answering the call. "Hello?"

"Denis, can you come down here?" Tania’s sob reached his ear. "I—I feel pain in my stomach. I’m worried about the baby. Please... come soon."

Denis sighed, rubbing his brow. "Don’t panic. I’m coming." As he lowered the phone, his gaze flickered toward Anne. For a moment, something unreadable flashed in his eyes, but then his face hardened, his tone turning clipped. "Tania is not feeling well..."

"Just go," Anne cut him off before he could finish.

Her indifference—her utter lack of reaction—sent a surge of irritation roaring through him. "Stop the car," he barked.

The driver obeyed immediately, bringing the car to a sharp halt in the middle of the road.

"Get out of my car."

Without a second thought, Anne stepped out swiftly, not even sparing him a glance as if she couldn’t wait to get out of his car. The way she didn’t hesitate, didn’t argue—didn’t even look back—only fueled his frustration.

"Drive," he commanded.

The car sped off, leaving Anne standing alone.

Anne stood frozen on the deserted roadside, numb from the inside out. The cold night air nipped at her skin, but the real chill seeped from within. Just one phone call from Tania had been enough for Denis to discard her without a second thought. No hesitation, no concern for her safety.

She laughed bitterly, but tears blurred her vision.

"I regret wasting my time and youth on him," she mumbled in disappointment. "But no more. I won’t let him control me anymore."

Swallowing the lump in her throat, she wiped her tears away and started walking down the empty road. The streetlights cast long shadows across the pavement, stretching endlessly in both directions. There was no traffic, no sign of life.

She checked her phone. To her dismay, there was no signal.

"Shit," she muttered, stuffing the phone back into her bag. She had no choice but to keep moving forward, hoping she’d find a taxi or at least a gas station somewhere ahead.

She heard footsteps following her. A shiver crawled up her spine, and her breath hitched. She quickened her pace, her pulse hammering in her ears.

But the footsteps followed.

Fear coiled tight in her gut. ’Don’t look back. Just keep walking.’

Before she could move further, a rough hand clamped over her mouth from behind.

Anne’s eyes widened in terror as she was yanked backward and dragged off the road and into the darkness. Her muffled screams vanished into the night as she thrashed wildly, kicking and clawing, but the grip around her was unyielding.

She was shoved roughly against the trunk of a massive tree. A towering figure loomed over her. Then she felt his fingers curling around her throat. She grasped at his hands, struggling to pry them off. Her lungs burned as she gasped for air.

"Who are you? What do you want? Money? Take all the money." With shaky hands, she shoved her purse into his grip. "Just let me go, please!" Tears welled in her eyes, her body trembling uncontrollably.

"Let you go? That’s what I’m not doing." The man let out a cruel, guttural laugh, gripping the bag before tossing it to the ground like trash. "You are Denis Beaumont’s precious girlfriend. Do you have any idea how much he would pay to save you?"

"Wait, you’ve got it wrong," Anne tried to explain. "I’m not his girlfriend anymore."

"Shut up," he bellowed, slamming his palm against the tree trunk beside her head.

"Ah!" A terrified shriek escaped her lips, and her eyes squeezed shut on instinct.

"Don’t lie to me," he growled, his face inches from hers. "I’ve been watching Denis for months. You’re his secretary, yet you live at his house. Why would he keep you there if you weren’t his woman?"

"That’s in the past," Anne said desperately. "I broke up with him. I don’t live there anymore. I even resigned from my job."

But the man wasn’t listening. His rage was too blinding, his hatred too consuming. "Denis betrayed me," he spat, his grip tightening painfully around her arm. "He caused millions in losses to me. And now, I’ll finally get my money back."

Anne barely had time to react before he grabbed her by the jaw, squeezing cruelly until she whimpered in pain.

"I’ll make him pay for what he did," the man hissed. His gaze darkened, flickering with something far worse than anger. "First, I’ll take you. I’ll ruin his precious little thing."

As he spoke, his gaze roamed over her with lust and anger, which made Anne shudder. "Then I’ll call him," he continued, smirking. "I want to see just how much he really cares about you."

Anne shook her head frantically, desperation pouring out in every word. "He doesn’t care about me," she choked out. "He doesn’t love me. I was nothing more than a stand-in for his first love. She is back now, and they’re getting married. He won’t even flinch if I die."

Her voice cracked at the end.

The man stilled for a moment as if considering her words. But a dark, twisted smile stretched across his face.

"Why the hell would I trust you?" the man barked with contempt. "You and your boyfriend are the same—liars. Manipulative scum."

"I am not lying," she sobbed, shaking her head. "Please..."

But her pleas fell on deaf ears.

A slow, lecherous smile stretched across the man’s face as his dark eyes roamed over her trembling form. "Alright," he mused, tilting his head mockingly. "Let’s pretend you’re no longer his girlfriend." His fingers trailed down the side of her arm, making her shudder in disgust. "But you were his woman once. And that’s enough for me."

His expression darkened, fury twisting his features. "By ruining you, I’ll consider it a piece of revenge on him."

As soon as he finished speaking, he yanked down her sleeve, the fabric tearing apart. Lowering his head, he kissed her bare skin.

A primal shriek tore from Anne’s throat, terrified. With all the strength she had left, she shoved him with both hands. He stumbled back just enough for her to break free.

Anne ran, her legs fueled by sheer desperation. In the meantime, she saw a car coming from afar, its headlights shining bright.

Hope flared in her chest. Anne pushed herself harder, arms pumping as she ran straight for the vehicle.

"Help," she cried out.

But before she could reach the road, a violent force yanked her backward.

"Ah," she screamed, thrashing her arms at the man. "Leave me alone."

The man didn’t care. "You bitch. I’ll finish you tonight." With ruthless strength, he shoved her to the ground.

Pain flared up her arms, but there was no time to process it. In a flash, he lunged over her and pressed her beneath him, his hands roughly pulling her dress.

A sob wrenched from her lips as she fought against him with every ounce of strength she had left. But he was stronger.

Inside the car, Augustine’s sharp eyes flickered toward the window as he saw something outside. His eyebrows creased. "Did you see that?" he asked.

Gustave, focused on the road ahead, briefly glanced at him in the rearview mirror. "See what, sir?"

"I thought I saw something out there." He strained to get a clearer view through the tinted glass, but the darkness swallowed everything beyond the glow of the headlights. "Maybe someone is in trouble."

A sharp pang twisted in Augustine’s chest, his gut screaming at him that something was wrong, unsettling him to the core. It was as if someone was squeezing his life out of him. He couldn’t remain seated quietly.

Gustave scoffed lightly. "In a place like this? This area is practically abandoned. Who would be out here?"

"What if someone really needs our help? Stop the car," Augustine commanded. "Let’s check."

"Sure, sir." Gustave pulled the vehicle to the side of the road. He quickly stepped out and opened the door for Augustine.

"Ah..." A bloodcurdling scream sliced through the still night air.