Chapter 69 - Rescued

Kaye woke to the sound of voices calling her name. "M-Mikhail?" she called, getting up from her bed and opening the door. "G-Gawain? Claude?" She continued walking, calling her husbands' names. "S-Sheen?" She was hallucinating. "X-Xerxes?" she reached the seashore, but no one was around.

"W-Where are you guys?" she cried. "P-Please don't leave me! Please take me with you!!!" She called their names multiple times, but there was no response. She knelt on the sand, crying aloud. "P-Please... Everyone... W-Where are you?" she continued to cry.

"Kaye!" Timothy ran towards her. "Kaye, what are you doing here at this hour? It's too cold!" he said, putting his jacket on her.

The sea breeze at night was too cold; Timothy was concerned about her getting sick.

"W-Where are you..." Kaye sobbed.

Timothy hugged her. "Sshh... Enough, it's okay now. Let's go back inside." He carried her back to the rest house. Kaye fell asleep from crying. Timothy gently caressed her face; her eyes were swollen again.

"Kaye... when are you going to forget them?" he whispered. "I am here. I'm the one who's by your side. Why can't you see me?" He sighed from frustration. "Why? Why can't you see my efforts? Why can't you feel my love for you?"

He had done everything, but she couldn't love him the way she loved her other husbands. Despite being her husband now, he pondered, "Why is it so unfair, Kaye?"

He held her hand and kissed it. "What do I have to do to make you fall in love with me too?" He lay down beside her and hugged her tightly.

Weeks passed, and Kaye continued to hallucinate. She kept calling her husbands' names, then cried in the corner of her room. Timothy, deeply worried, decided to call for a doctor. However, it would take two days before the doctor arrived on the island.

When night fell, Timothy said, "Baby, I'll be in the kitchen to cook your favorite food. If you need something, just call me, okay?" Kaye smiled and nodded. Thankfully, she was calm that day, perhaps because Timothy had given her a drawing book, diverting her attention to it.

Timothy went to the kitchen to cook. Kaye was in the middle of her drawing when she noticed the door was wide open. She put down her drawing book and peeked outside.

"T-Timothy?" she called, but there was no response from him.

She quickly walked out of the rest house and went to the seashore. Watching the waves under the full moon, Kaye closed her eyes, and tears fell.

She began to sing Cedie's favorite lullaby, the one she used to sing to him when he couldn't fall asleep. Slowly walking towards the waves, she felt a desperate desire to end her suffering.

"Goodbye, everyone... I'm sorry for everything. Please forgive me..." The water had already reached her waist.

When Timothy discovered that Kaye wasn't in her room, panic consumed him. Fear struck as he found her at the sea, attempting to end her life. He swiftly ran and grabbed her.

"Are you really going to kill yourself?" he shouted, holding both of her shoulders. Kaye remained silent.

"Why? Why do you want to die? Are you so desperate to leave me that you've chosen this?" Tears streamed down his face. "Kaye, why?" He kneeled in front of her, holding her hands firmly. "Why can't you love me too? Why do you want to leave me?" he cried. "Please... Please don't leave me, Kaye." He pleaded, staring into her eyes. "I'm begging you! Please!"

Kaye snapped back to reality, looking at him. She gently caressed his face and smiled bitterly. "T-Tim..." Tears fell from her eyes again as she also kneeled. "I'm... I'm sorry," she cried.

Timothy put her hand on his face, feeling it. "I'm begging you... Please don't leave me," he sobbed.

Both were in tears from the pain. "P-Please... Tim. L-Let me free now..." she begged. "I... I will forget all the bad things you did to me. I will not resent you."

"All I want is for you to love me too," Timothy said. "If I free you now, will you ignore me again? Will you leave me and forget me forever? I will go insane if you do."

Timothy wiped her tears. "But if that's truly what you want, if it will make you happy, fine... I will free you. B-But... Please don't avoid me. Don't stop me from seeing you."

Kaye shook her head while crying. "I-I'm sorry... I'm sorry," she kept apologizing.

Timothy hugged her tightly. "Please don't end yourself, Kaye... I will never forgive myself if you die."

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....

"Any progress about the investigation?" Raon asked.

Mikhail shook his head, feeling devastated. Raon sighed. What pained them was their inability to do anything despite being rich, famous, and powerful. The fact that they couldn't find Kaye was truly devastating.

"I will go back to the headquarters," Mikhail declared, rising with dark circles under his eyes from the stress. Warren followed him, and they left.

At the headquarters, Kira immediately approached Mikhail upon his arrival. "Sir, Miss Dhyna is inside waiting for you," Kira informed.

Mikhail furrowed his brows. He was already in a bad mood, anticipating that this woman would irritate him again. He and Warren walked to the office, stopping when Mikhail noticed the door was slightly open, and he could hear Dhyna's voice talking on the phone.

"Are you out of your mind? You want to return?" Dhyna sounded angry. "No! You can't! If you two return here, our plan will be ruined. If Mikhail sees that woman again, he will ignore me forever. Why can't you just stay there forever, just as we planned from the beginning? If you love her, keep her to yourself until you die!"

Mikhail furrowed his brows again.

"Stay there! Don't bring Kaye back here again! If we get caught, I will put all the blame on you!" Dhyna said and ended the call.

The door suddenly opened, surprising her. "K-Khail? How long have you been there?"

"You're the one who ordered to kidnap Kaye?" Mikhail furiously grabbed her arm. "You!" He tightened his grip on her arm. "Where is she?"

Dhyna pushed him. "And why would I tell you? If you see that woman again, you will leave me! I already sent her to a very faraway place, and you will never see her again!"

Mikhail slapped her hard. "Tell me where she is before I kill you!" he warned.

Dhyna glared at him. "No! You will never see her again!" she shouted.

Mikhail took out his gun, pointing it at her. "Tell me!"

Dhyna stepped back, trembling in fear.

"Are you going to tell me, or will I shoot you in your head?" Mikhail threatened.

"Y-You know what will happen to you if you kill me, right?" Dhyna said.

"I don't fucking care. Even if I kill someone, I will never be in jail. So there's nothing for me to waver. Now, tell me her location. Don't make me wait because I hate waiting," Mikhail demanded.

Dhyna gulped. If she told him, it would be over for her.

"Tell me!" Mikhail shouted, startling her.

"F-Fine! I'll tell you," she typed on her phone and showed it to Mikhail.

After reading it, Mikhail looked at her again. "Don't you dare to stop us again from locating Kaye. If we arrive there and she is no longer there, I will really kill you," he warned.

Dhyna gulped. Mikhail and Warren left her. She fell to the ground, her legs shaking. She had never seen Mikhail that scary.

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.

Warren drove at breakneck speed, closely followed by the henchmen and guards of Fuentebella. They were all heading to the location where Dhyna had hidden Kaye.

Mikhail nervously bit his fingernail, his gaze fixed on the road. If he could only fly, he would have done it; he really wants to see Kaye now.

"I hope she's well and not hurt. If I see any wound on her, even a small one, I will really shoot them." The tension in the air was palpable as they rushed to reach Kaye.

.

.

"What? Kaye was finally found?" Haru stood up.

"Yes, Benjamin told me that they are now on their way to rescue her," Kurtis said.

They all heaved a sigh of relief.

"Thank God, they finally found her," Tristan muttered.

"Where's the place? Let's go there too!" Raon said.

"We can't; it's dangerous since Kaye wasn't alone in that place. The kidnappers will surely fight back. If we go there, we might just get involved in trouble and become a burden to them. Let the Fuentebella handle everything," Kurtis advised.

They all nodded.

"Let's pray for their safety," Tristan suggested.

Troy overheard them, relieved about the news. He quickly went to his room to pray.

"Please keep everyone safe and rescue Kaye without more troubles," he prayed.

Since Kaye went missing, Troy was also stressed and frustrated, especially that he couldn't do anything to help them. He wasn't as powerful as Mikhail, who could hire and order people to look for Kaye. He was too worried but tried to be strong. If he showed being devastated, it would affect Cedie. When Cedie found out that his mom was missing, he became out of control. He stopped going to school, and Troy only forced him, telling him that they would find her soon, and Kaye would not be happy if she found out that he wasn't attending school anymore. Troy needed to be strong in front of Cedie, or else Cedie would be depressed too. Others were also trying to be strong.

Troy picked up his latest painting, a portrait of Kaye. He gently touched it and then kissed it.

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....

Timothy stroked Kaye's hair while she slept on his lap. They were outside the rest house, feeling the sea breeze. Timothy kissed her hair and continued to stroke it. He paused when the sound of helicopters approached. He looked up. He heard the noise of a speedboat coming as well. Kaye woke up from the loud sounds.

Members of Fuentebella landed on the island, pointing their guns toward them. "Don't move!"

Timothy hid Kaye behind him.

"W-What's going on?" Kaye nervously asked.

"Kaye!" a familiar voice shouted.

Kaye covered her mouth in surprise; it was Mikhail. Tears fell from her eyes as she ran to him, hugging him tightly.

"Kaye...I'm sorry it took longer to find you," Mikhail said between their hugs.

Kaye cried, expressing how scared she had been and how much she missed everyone.

Mikhail kissed her forehead and then glared at Timothy, pointing his gun at him.

Timothy laughed bitterly. "So you finally found us..."

"How dare you!" Mikhail said.

After discovering Kaye's location, Kira reported that Timothy wasn't actually in the city. Someone was pretending to be him to carry out his duties and avoid suspicion.

"Do you think I will let you slide from this? You kidnapped my wife!" Mikhail tightened his grip on his gun. "Any last words before I end your life here?"

Timothy's face turned serious. "I have no regrets now; Kaye and I are already married," he smirked. "And I already fucked her."

Mikhail shot him in the legs, startling Kaye. Timothy fell, holding his leg. Mikhail, boiling with anger, was ready to end him then and there. "Die and go to hell, fucker," Mikhail said, about to shoot him in the head, but Kaye stopped him.

"N-No!" Kaye went in front of Timothy.

"Kaye, what the fuck are you doing? Don't tell me you want to save him too?" Mikhail said angrily.

"I know he did bad things to me... But you also know that I don't want you to kill someone because of me!" Kaye glanced at Timothy. "Of course, I hate him for everything he did to me... But..." She looked at Mikhail again. "But I hate bloodshed... W-We are no longer in Serolf Empire. We are in the modern world now. I-If you kill someone here... I'm afraid." Tears fell from her eyes. "I'm afraid you will go to jail because of me! Please, hubby..." she pleaded.

Mikhail gritted his teeth. He really wanted to kill Timothy. He sighed. "Fine... But you can't stop me from doing this." He shot Timothy's other leg as well, making him cry in pain.

"Let's go home now, Kaye," Mikhail said. Kaye nodded and hugged him tightly again. They walked towards the helicopter. Kaye took a quick glance at Timothy; his face was so sad. She hoped this would be the last time he did something like this to her or others. All she prayed for was that someday he would change.

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Mikhail tightened his embrace on Kaye as she slept in his arms. Relief washed over him knowing she was finally safe. However, he couldn't forget the torment Timothy had subjected Kaye to. Shooting him in the legs felt insufficient, and if Kaye hadn't intervened, Mikhail would have taken more drastic measures. The months of Kaye's captivity, the harassment, and confinement fueled his anger. He clenched his fists, vowing never to forgive Timothy. In his thoughts, even in another life, if their paths crossed, he promised to ensure Timothy's demise. He kissed Kaye's forehead, his gaze fixed on the road ahead.

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....

At Kurtis' house.

"Mom!" Cedie cried, immediately running to Kaye's arms as she got out of the car. He hugged her tightly, tears streaming down his face. "I missed you so much, Mom!" he cried.

Kaye smiled, wiping away his tears. "I missed you so much too, baby. I'm sorry for making you worried."

"Sweetie..." Tristan embraced her tightly. "I'm relieved you are saved. It haunted me every night, the thought that you were abducted and scared. I'm sorry if I couldn't save you."

Kaye shook her head, cupping his face. "Don't blame yourself. It's me who is weak and not being careful. If only I hadn't left and gone so far, I wouldn't have been kidnapped."

Tristan kissed her forehead.

"Hon!" Raon ran to her, hugging her tightly. "I'm glad you're safe now." He checked her body. "Are you hurt? Did that scoundrel hurt you?"

"I'm already fine now, hon. You don't have to worry anymore," she reassured him.

Raon hugged her again.

"Love..." Kurtis walked towards her and hugged her as well. "Thank God, you're back."

"I'm sorry for the troubles I made again," she muttered.

Kurtis caressed her face. "What matters now is you are finally back and safe. Maybe it's time to hire bodyguards for you."

"Boo!!!" Haru emerged from his car and quickly ran to her. He almost stumbled but regained his balance. He hugged her tightly and cried. "I'm so worried about you! I almost went insane from devastation. Every night, I dreamed about you calling for my name and asking for help. I'm sorry if I'm useless," he cried.

"Boo, I'm back now." She wiped his tears. "Please don't cry."

"Promise me you won't leave alone again. If you want to go somewhere, always ask us to join you," Haru said.

Kaye nodded. "I promise."

Haru hugged her tightly again.

"Kaye..." Troy stood behind the others.

"Troy.." Kaye hugged him.

Troy cried. "Waahhh! Kaye! I was so worried about you! I'm sorry, if only I had watched you that time and joined you outside, you would never have been kidnapped! Please punish me for being a useless butler!"

Kaye smiled. Until now, Troy still thought of himself as a butler. "It's not your fault, so please don't blame yourself. No one wanted what happened to me," she said.

Troy sniffled while wiping his tears.

Ivan also hugged her. Shin too. Shin kept talking about hiring bodyguards and buying a new house so Timothy wouldn't find her again. He was furious with Timothy. Rein also mentioned finding a new house. They were all worried that Timothy might do something again.

"I will volunteer myself as her bodyguard," Warren said. "Please let me."

"Me too. Let me become her knight again. I won't let her get kidnapped again," Benjamin said.

"We can discuss that later. For now, let's make Kaye rest," Mikhail said.

"Love, go inside and have some sleep. When you wake up, we will go to the hospital for the test," Kurtis said.

Kaye needed to be checked by mental health professionals like a psychologist or psychiatrist.

They all went inside the house, relieved that she's finally back and safe.