I Was the Rebound Husband - Chapter 4: Chapter 4
You are reading I Was the Rebound Husband, Chapter 4: Chapter 4. Read more chapters of I Was the Rebound Husband.
Luna's dagger clattered to the ground. At last, her torment came to an end.
I collapsed, my body slick with blood, the gaping wound in my chest pulsing crimson. Just a little longer, I thought. Then it'll all be over.
Then—sirens. Shouting. A woman's desperate pleas cut through the haze.
That voice… It sounded like Eliana's. But that was impossible. She'd died trying to save me from Luna and the others. Hadn't she?
"Ryan, don't you dare die on me!"
I forced my eyes open. Eliana Green hovered above me, her hands pressed hard against my chest, her fingers painted red with my blood.
She was alive.
Memories surged—Eliana, my first target, my childhood friend. The one who'd watched over Bella when I was scraping by for money. The one who'd bandaged my hand after Violet bit me.
"Ryan, do whatever you want. I'll always have your back."
Then I married Luna. Eliana left me a letter and vanished overseas. We only crossed paths again after Dylan's smear campaign ruined me.
That rainy night, she was a global star, and I was a disgraced man.
"Ryan, did you really do those things?" Raindrops clung to her lashes.
I smiled and lied. "Yeah. I'm exactly the monster they say I am. Disappointed?"
But she saw right through me. "You're lying. You always furrow your brows for a second when you lie." Her arms wrapped around me. "You've got nothing left. Why push me away too?"
I looked down, bitter. Of the four women in my life, the others owed me. But Eliana? I owed her. That's why I kept resisting her kindness.
I walked away without answering. And that decision? It destroyed me.
Luna's people caught me. Tortured me. Left me for dead. Eliana swore she'd save me—then vanished. Luna later told me she'd taken care of her.
But here she was. Alive.
"Eliana, you—" My voice faltered. There was so much to ask, but darkness clawed at the edges of my vision.
I fought it. One more question. Just one. "I—"
Then—nothing.
What a perfect day. Everyone's here. No regrets.
I let go, ready for death.
But death didn't come.
I woke up wrapped in bandages, a nurse muttering, "Poor guy. Some wounds go down to the bone."
"Kill me," I rasped.
She recoiled. "He must be insane!" She bolted from the room.
Then the others stormed in.
Violet's voice was ice. "Ryan, you lied about knowing where Dylan is. Did you want us to bear the guilt of killing you? Selfish bastard. Lucky for you, my skills can drag you back from death's door."
The others chimed in, their accusations sharp.
Even as the victim, I was somehow at fault. I laughed—dry, hollow.
Dylan feigned sympathy. "I just wanted to cook for everyone today. Who knew Ryan would nearly die because of it?"
Bella sighed. "Ryan, why won't you explain?"
I scoffed. "Explain? How many times have I told you Dylan framed me? And what did it get me? Your scorn. Your hate. I'm done. If you've got any decency left, just finish me."
I collapsed, my body slick with blood, the gaping wound in my chest pulsing crimson. Just a little longer, I thought. Then it'll all be over.
Then—sirens. Shouting. A woman's desperate pleas cut through the haze.
That voice… It sounded like Eliana's. But that was impossible. She'd died trying to save me from Luna and the others. Hadn't she?
"Ryan, don't you dare die on me!"
I forced my eyes open. Eliana Green hovered above me, her hands pressed hard against my chest, her fingers painted red with my blood.
She was alive.
Memories surged—Eliana, my first target, my childhood friend. The one who'd watched over Bella when I was scraping by for money. The one who'd bandaged my hand after Violet bit me.
"Ryan, do whatever you want. I'll always have your back."
Then I married Luna. Eliana left me a letter and vanished overseas. We only crossed paths again after Dylan's smear campaign ruined me.
That rainy night, she was a global star, and I was a disgraced man.
"Ryan, did you really do those things?" Raindrops clung to her lashes.
I smiled and lied. "Yeah. I'm exactly the monster they say I am. Disappointed?"
But she saw right through me. "You're lying. You always furrow your brows for a second when you lie." Her arms wrapped around me. "You've got nothing left. Why push me away too?"
I looked down, bitter. Of the four women in my life, the others owed me. But Eliana? I owed her. That's why I kept resisting her kindness.
I walked away without answering. And that decision? It destroyed me.
Luna's people caught me. Tortured me. Left me for dead. Eliana swore she'd save me—then vanished. Luna later told me she'd taken care of her.
But here she was. Alive.
"Eliana, you—" My voice faltered. There was so much to ask, but darkness clawed at the edges of my vision.
I fought it. One more question. Just one. "I—"
Then—nothing.
What a perfect day. Everyone's here. No regrets.
I let go, ready for death.
But death didn't come.
I woke up wrapped in bandages, a nurse muttering, "Poor guy. Some wounds go down to the bone."
"Kill me," I rasped.
She recoiled. "He must be insane!" She bolted from the room.
Then the others stormed in.
Violet's voice was ice. "Ryan, you lied about knowing where Dylan is. Did you want us to bear the guilt of killing you? Selfish bastard. Lucky for you, my skills can drag you back from death's door."
The others chimed in, their accusations sharp.
Even as the victim, I was somehow at fault. I laughed—dry, hollow.
Dylan feigned sympathy. "I just wanted to cook for everyone today. Who knew Ryan would nearly die because of it?"
Bella sighed. "Ryan, why won't you explain?"
I scoffed. "Explain? How many times have I told you Dylan framed me? And what did it get me? Your scorn. Your hate. I'm done. If you've got any decency left, just finish me."
End of I Was the Rebound Husband Chapter 4. Continue reading Chapter 5 or return to I Was the Rebound Husband book page.