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Now that the fog had cleared from his head, he realized that he had almost made pulp out of the man. He had no regrets, and instead, a savage satisfaction surged through his veins. “I should do much more to him for what he has done to Carmen.”
He turned around to see the other women dragging the woman out of the carriage. She was wounded on the side of her waist and blood was pouring out of it. “Lily,” Carmen said and rushed towards her wounded friend.
“I-I…” Lily winced as she spoke. The other women stepped forward and made a circle around her while Carmen examined the wound with a hiss. Arthur pulled Nora close to him. Jaxon wasn’t moving from where he lay on the ground.
“W-why are you helping me?” Lily asked, her eyes barely open. “I betrayed you to help Jaxon.”
“I don’t know why you chose him over me,” Carmen said. “And it doesn’t matter to me.”
“You have to know, Carmen. I love him, I’ve always loved him. When I saw him after so many years, I realized my feelings for Jaxon never went away. I wanted to do everything for him. And that’s why when he came back and promised to give me everything, I chose to take his hand instead of coming to you,” Lily said. She cried out in pain as she held her side. “I know that I cannot ask for your forgiveness.”
“You’re right. I can’t bring myself to forgive you for what you have done,” Carmen said coolly. She felt nothing for Lily.
Arthur was momentarily distracted at the sound of pacing feet and when he turned around, he saw few constables running towards them. Ramon signaled them to draw closer.
“Your Grace,” Ramon said before his eyes fell to Nora who was tucked away in his arms. He looked relieved. “I’m so glad you’re safe, Your Grace. I thought something terrible must have happened.”
“Something terrible would have happened,” Richard said turning to the women. “If we didn’t have some help.”
* * *
Carmen was still dazed from everything that had happened. Now that her mind had finally caught up to comprehension, she still couldn’t believe the whirlwind of storm that had passed in the last few hours. Her oldest friend had betrayed her for the man who had caused them so much hurt. Something terrible had almost happened to her daughter.
But the most overwhelming moment for her had been when Nora had called her mother. She had been starved to hear that word on her lips. A burden was lifted off her chest. Her daughter knew who she was. She looked around for Nora and found her standing safely next to her father. Relief crashed through her.
The constables stepped forward and hauled Jaxon to his feet. He struggled against them but soon gave up when he realized that his wasted foot could barely keep him upright. He would not be able to walk away on his own.
“We will take her to be treated,” Elaine said to Carmen. “And then we’ll hand over her custody to the constables.”
Carmen nodded at the plan. She didn’t glance at Lily again. She was pained at what had happened to her, but she felt no sympathy for her. The constable allowed Elaine and several other women to escort Lily away.
“You,” Jaxon snarled and tried to reach for her. But before he could take one step towards her, Arthur had his hands wrapped around his throat. Jaxon choked on his breath as Arthur strangled him. “Don’t you dare even look at her.” The constables and even Ramon tried to pry his hands away from him, but his grip was too strong.
Carmen rushed towards him and tried to drag him away. “Let him go. He’s a monster, you’re not.”
Arthur finally stopped and turned to her. “He tried to hurt you,” he said, his voice hoarse. “And I left you when you needed me.”
Carmen shook her head. “You didn’t leave me. I didn’t give you a chance to help me because I was worried about what would have happened to you had he hurt you or Nora. I wanted to desperately tell you the truth.”
Arthur’s face was wrecked with guilt and an unknown emotion. He finally let go of Jaxon and stepped away but not without warning. “I will kill you the next time I see you.” Carmen and Arthur stood together with Nora in between them as they watched the constables lead Jaxon away, his hands bound.
Arthur turned to her. “I’m sorry for everything that I put you through.”
Carmen shook her head. “Don’t. How I approached the situation was wrong in some manner. I shouldn’t have confronted you like that. You love Nora and she is your daughter as much as she is mine. If I were in your place, I would be scared to lose her too.”
“It still doesn’t justify my behavior towards you. I left you when you needed me. I had come to tell you something, but my emotions overcrowded my judgment. The truth is Carmen, I love you. I have loved you since I met you even when I thought that it was nothing but utter dislike.”
Carmen’s eyes widened at his heartfelt confession and her eyes watered. “I love you too. I love you so much. I couldn’t bear to be away from you. I would have chosen to stay if it just meant I could see you—” She glanced at her daughter who smiled encouragingly. “And Nora every day.”
“You don’t have to be,” he said wiping her tears away with his fingers. “That night when I came to you, I came with a ring in my hand and a hope to make you mine. And when I saw you with him, jealousy got the better of me.”
Carmen let out a small smile at the thought of Arthur being jealous and then the rest of his words struck her. “You came with a ring?”
“I wanted to ask you to marry me,” he said. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. She couldn’t even dare to hope for otherwise.
“But I…you and I…” Nothing about them made any sense and yet it felt so right when she was in his arms. “You don’t owe me for whatever happened between us.”
“You think that is what this is about?” he asked incredulously. “No Carmen, that was the last thing I thought of.”
