Yeah, you're right, we're not noble. So watch your mouth," Edward said with a cunning smile. Since he couldn't torture her physically, he would like to change the tactic and torture her psychologically. He liked seeing his foes cowering in fear of what he might do. He hoped later she would be as tough as she used to be. If she really went crazy with what she would suffer next, he was not the one to blame anyway.
"Edward, any ideas of what you want to do with her?" Rain asked blissfully. Truth to be told, he had never seen a woman so pretentious and arrogant. He was anticipating what came next. Edward knew a lot about punishing people.
"Luke, bring all the home theater equipment in here. Find some horror movies, any old one will do. Put 'em on repeat, so they just play 24/7. Crank up the volume as high as it will go. And get her a blanket, if you feel sorry for her." Edward left the room as soon as he gave his orders, leaving no room for her to negotiate. She pissed him off, and had to pay the piper.
"No, Edward, you bastard! You can't treat me like this! My father will hear about this, and you'll pay, believe me!" Louisa cried out and cursed in fright of the unknown looming danger. Louisa never expected that Edward would resort to such a terrible means to deal with her. But all she could do was scream at blank walls that had no answer for her.
"Save it!" Luke shot her a cold look. If she'd just kept her mouth shut, Edward wouldn't have been driven to this point. She wouldn't be treated like this. But she decided to insult him, and Edward never took that well. She had to pay.
"What a great idea! You are a genius!" Rain followed Edward and jogged to catch up to him. Watching thrillers might be fun for some people. It was fun to be scared sometimes. And binge watching horror movies was always a joy to those who wanted to scare themselves. But for a woman locked up alone here and drenched to the bone by ice-water, it was a torture to both mind and body. And the movies would be playing all day, all night, with the volume at max. Of course she could choose not to look at the screen, but the horrible sounds would haunt her for the whole night. It was daunting even for a ordinary person. For Louisa, sheer torture.
"Feeling sorry for her already?" Edward asked as he paused. In all honesty, he'd been pretty lenient, as he saw it. If she said that in the past, he'd probably have killed her. He had such a hot temper. But now, he had a family to attend to, and he had to shoulder the responsibility as a husband and father. He couldn't be like that anymore.
"Huh! You kidding? The day I feel sorry for her is the day hell freezes over." Rain laughed. How could he feel sympathy for that bitch? There was no way. He thought Edward showed remarkable restraint.
"So why are we still talking about it?" Edward said as he left the office. He completely ignored Rain, and that pissed the effeminate man off. But what else could he do? He could only get in the car and leave, sulking.
Sitting on the bench alone, Kevin had some time to think. Memories flashed through his mind, from the moment when he first met Leena in the bar till now he saw her lying in the ward, fighting for her life. He realized what a cold, cruel man he was! He only selfishly used Leena as a way to stay in the city at first. Then, he largely ignored her after they got married. He never really cared about how she felt or what was on her mind. He resolved to do better, if she ever woke up.
"Here." Tom handed Kevin a cup of coffee. "You look like you need it," said the doctor. He didn't look as tired as he usually did, probably because he had a good night's sleep.
"Thanks!" Kevin took the coffee without hesitation. He thought Tom was right, he truly needed something piping hot to keep his spirits up. It wasn't Café del Volcán, but it still was nice and aromatic. And strong.
"I'm going to check on Leena. Take as much time as you like." Several hours had passed and there was still no news. No news was good news. So Kevin was pretty optimistic about the outcome. He was still worried, but less so now than at the start.
"Thanks, man," said Kevin. He was still in uniform, but covered with an extra military coat. Lee insisted. After Lee sent Claire home, he brought the coat for Kevin and intended to stay with him in the hospital. But Kevin insisted that he should go back to the base. So Lee left in the end. He didn't like it, but he obeyed orders.
Tom glanced at him, but finally said nothing. What was there to say? He turned around and walked into the ward. He knew that Kevin was facing something he never had to worry about before. He was a young and talented Major General, but behind his shining appearance, he had to taste the bitterness of life alone.
The winter night was bitingly cold, especially at four or five in the morning. Frost glittered on the buildings and the grass. Looking outside through the window, Kevin could see the trunk of the tree had been sheathed in ice -- like it had melted and frozen just as quickly. He could imagine how cold it was outside. He had been sitting here for hours. Although sometimes he stood up and walked here and there out of uneasiness, he still felt stiff all over.
He took a small sip of coffee. His cold body was warmed as soon as the hot liquid streamed down his throat. The hot coffee relaxed him, making him feel a bit comfortable. But fatigue still got the better of him. He didn't get a nap before. But as time passed, he felt drained of energy. It was hard to feel good now, and the only thing he wanted was a bed.