What are you talking about? Why are you doing this, Asher? Please let me go, Asher. You're hurting me."
Asher shook her and then pushed her away. Ariella braced herself on the wall behind her.
"Aah…." She cried out, but Asher didn't seem to care. It seemed like he was almost possessed.
"So, you think that you can embarrass me in front of my friends and in front of my family?" He asked her,
"No, that's not what I wanted to do, Asher. Why are you being like this? I ju..." Ariella tried explaining herself but Asher stopped her.
"Why am I being like this? You're the reason why I'm being like this. Do you know why we got married? Did you forget why we got married? We didn't get married because you loved me very much like you have been trying to lie to me, to manipulate me. We got married because you needed help with your mother's company, which I have been taking care of to date. You wouldn't be where you are right now if it wasn't for me. And then, today, you think that you can embarrass me? You know very well that I love Scarlett. I do not love you. Scarlett is the one I wanted to marry. She was my fiancée, for God's sake. I would have married her if she hadn't been kidnapped. You know that I'm just here for you because of our marriage and because of the children that you're carrying. And you dare put them in jeopardy today but running around in nightclubs in the middle of the night with another man."
Ariella was surprised, hurt, and astounded. Were all these words coming from Asher's mouth? He was in love with Scarlett? What?
"Asher, are you serious?" she asked him, still not believing what was going on.
"Serious about what, exactly? Oh, please, don't try and tell me that you're in love with me now." Asher mocked her.
"Of course, I love you, Asher. You know that. Where is all of this coming from?" Ariella cried out
"Oh, I'm sorry if you went and lied to yourself that I was in love with you, but everybody knows that Scarlett is the woman I have loved all of my life. Why would I fall in love with you? I would have given you a divorce if you weren't already pregnant with the Blackwell's children."
Ariella started crying as tears fell from her eyes.
"Oh, so now you're crying," Asher taunted her.
Ariella wiped the tears from her eyes as she stood up and mustered all the confidence she didn't have towards Asher. "Fine. If you have decided that you are in love with Scarlett, then the two of you can be together. I am going to leave. I can't go on like this…"
"Going to leave and go where, exactly?"
"I'm going back home, but even if I don't go back home, I still have money and I can get an apartment or something. I'm going to leave you. You want to be with Scarlett, and I'm going to let the two of you be happy together."
"And what about my children?" Asher asked her, still looking at her with anger in his eyes.
"What do you mean? I am carrying them. I'm going to give birth to them, and I'm going to take care of them."
"Those children are Blackwells. You will stay here until you give birth to those kids, and then you can do whatever you want. Do you think that you can leave here, go and get with another man, and give my children another father? Never. Those children are mine, and I am the only father they're going to know." Asher shouted, his voice rising.
"You can't take my children away from me. You can't do that. No, I won't let you," Ariella said, beginning to grasp the seriousness of the situation.
"Do you think you have a choice? The law and power are on my side. You signed a contract. You stated that the children we have are going to be Blackwells and will stay with the Blackwells. Do not forget that. So, just focus on giving birth and handing them over to me. Scarlett and I will take very good care of them."
Ariella looked at Asher in alarm, surprise, and anger. "What did you say? You're going to take my children and give them to Scarlett?"
"I'm not giving them to Scarlett. I'm going to be with Scarlett. I'm going to marry her. We will raise those kids together. I don't want my children to be illegitimate. So, I'll wait for you to give birth before we get divorced." He answered nonchalantly, without a care in the world.
"What?" Ariella said, moving towards Asher and attempting to slap him. But Asher caught her hand and pulled her towards him, using his other hand to grip her chin and force her to face him. Ariella looked up at him in anger and fear, seeing the feral look in his eyes.
"Do not even think of doing anything to those children. Do you understand me?" Asher hissed.
Ariella, defiant, kept quiet. But as Asher's grip on her chin and arm grew stronger, she found herself nodding reluctantly.
Asher let go of her abruptly. Ariella looked at her hands, red from the bruises Asher had left on her arms, as tears continued to fall from her eyes. Asher composed himself, tidying his jacket as if he had just finished a workout. He then looked at her and said,
"Now, since you think you're free to do whatever you want, it's time I showed you that you're not as free as you think you are. I don't want you to leave this house. Do you understand?"
Ariella glared at him, not saying anything.
"You haven't learned yet, but you're going to," Asher said. He suddenly called out, "Hans."
Hans opened the door and came in. Ariella was surprised. Where had Hans come from? Hadn't Asher come in by himself?
"Confiscate every technological device in the room including her credit cards," Asher ordered.
Hans looked at Asher, then at Ariella with sympathy, before avoiding eye contact and heading towards the room to grab her laptop and phone. When he went to her bag, Ariella rushed towards Hans, trying to get her things back but Asher stopped her with a raised hand in front of her.
"What? Are you going to take my phone away from me? What are you trying to do?" she demanded.
"I'm trying to show you that I'm the one with the power here. I'm going to talk to security and my grandparents. You are not to leave the grounds. And I'm going to assign you a personal guard to make sure you stay put, where I put you," Asher said, then walked out the door with Hans behind him. Hans gave her an innocent look before he exited.
The door was locked from the outside.
Ariella ran towards the door, pounding on it as she called out, "Asher, Asher, Asher, please open the door. Asher, do not do this to me. Asher!"
But then she heard the sounds of his footsteps fading away. She cried at the door until her voice gave out and she couldn't hear the sound of her own pleas anymore.