Chapter 4

In the very next instant, Abigail's phone suddenly rang. She accidentally hit the speakerphone while fumbling to answer the call, and Owen's crisp voice came through. "Where are you, Abigail? You should hurry over since the wedding gown designer has arrived!"

"I'm dealing with something right now. I'll be back soon," Abigail replied as a trace of panic flashed across her face while she gave me an embarrassed glance. She then quickly ended the call and said, "You should get some rest first, Christian."

She then rose to her feet and hurried out, walking with the same ecstatic stride as the day she married me, looking as if she had won a great victory.

I heard noises outside the door after an unknown amount of time had passed. Ethan and Owen walked in, and the moment they saw me, they immediately mocked me. "I didn't realize you were so shameless, playing the victim just to cling on and stay by Abigail's side."

Owen spat at me with contempt. "You're truly shameless! You even tried to mimic us by running away from home back then, making a complete fool of yourself. You ought to have some dignity, old man! You should do yourself a favor and get the hell out of here!"

Ethan walked over to me, looking down at me with derision. "Is it possible that you actually think Abigail still has feelings for you? Do you want us to help you prove once and for all who she really cares about more—us or you?"

He then took out a bottle of gasoline with a look of pure madness in his eyes.

I furrowed my brow as I tried to step around them. "What do you think you're doing?"

Ethan and Owen grabbed me simultaneously and ignited the gasoline. They then called Abigail, exclaiming, "Please save us, Abigail! We only came to check on Christian out of kindness, but he's trying to burn us alive!"

I coughed violently as the flames instantly shot up. I lunged for the door, but the two of them dragged me back, pinning me tightly.

I fought desperately to break free as the fire was about to engulf me, and the smoke was already choking me. I then hurriedly drenched the curtains with water and covered my mouth and nose with them.

In the very next instant, the door was kicked open. Abigail saw me, pulled me up, and asked, "Are you alright, Christian?"

Just then, Ethan and Owen's voices rang out. "Save us, Abigail!"

Abigail instantly let go of me and ran to them instead, pulling Ethan and Owen along as she hurried out of the burning room.

I was knocked down by the force of the impact. I could only lie on the ground as I looked up and murmured, "A-Abigail…"

Just as she was about to bolt out the door, Abigail snapped her head back toward me—only for Ethan to let out a low grunt of pain, drawing her focus away. "You have to hang in there! I'm getting you out right now, Ethan!"

She didn't spare me another glance and walked away without looking back after saying that.

I closed my eyes in despair the moment the flames engulfed me.

…

Third-Person POV

It was three days later when Abigail registered her marriage with Ethan and Owen in Sundravel.

They then took a connecting flight to Elarion for their honeymoon, where Abigail spent a full month vacationing with them. She even posted a photo on social media of the two young men sleeping naked in bed, flashing a peace sign for the camera.

In the comment section, the online users were unanimous in their admiration. "You're living the absolute dream! You're a total badass, Ms. Southall!"

"Congratulations on winning over the cool, reserved twins!"

Abigail, however, was leaning against the balcony with a drink, completely devoid of any sense of triumph. She felt an inexplicable irritation wash over her instead as she kept refreshing her phone repeatedly.

That day, after she pulled Ethan and Owen from the fire, the two wept and claimed Christian had deliberately set it to kill them. She had intended to go back inside for Christian, but their words stopped her in her tracks.

She hadn't even fully won Ethan and Owen over yet, and Christian had nearly ruined all her efforts. She thought that he desperately needed to be taught a lesson this time. She ordered her bodyguards to wait five minutes before going in to rescue him, then took Ethan and Owen straight to the airport.

She wanted to get the trip over with quickly so she could return early and make peace with Christian, but during the entire month they were away, Christian hadn't replied to a single message she sent him.

Abigail's heart sank even further. She finally couldn't contain her restlessness any longer, so she returned to the room, packed up her clothes, opened the door, and left immediately.

Ethan and Owen were still lost in the afterglow of their very first intimate encounter. They panicked the moment they saw Abigail's action. They flusteredly caught her by the hand and asked, "Where are you going, Abigail?"

Abigail shook off their grip with irritation. "I'm flying back home."

Yet, when Abigail returned, the sight before her almost pushed her over the edge.