The kitchen knife clattered to the floor as Pervis stared in shock at Noah’s bleeding hand. The young man’s face was contorted in mock pain, tears streaming down his cheeks as he cradled his injured palm against his chest.
“I’m sorry!” Noah sobbed, his voice carrying through the house like a wounded animal’s cry. “I was wrong! I won’t try to destroy your relationship anymore!”
Pervis stood frozen, his mind struggling to process what had just happened. The shamelessness of it, the calculated cruelty—he hadn’t expected Noah to go this far.
“What happened? What’s wrong?” Anna’s voice echoed from the hallway, panic evident in her tone.
Her heels clicked rapidly against the hardwood floor as she rushed toward the kitchen. She burst through the doorway, her eyes immediately finding Noah hunched over his bleeding hand.
“Noah! Your arm is bleeding!” Anna rushed to his side, her face pale with concern. “What happened here?”
Noah looked up at her with watery eyes, his lower lip trembling. “I… I just wanted to help in the kitchen,” he stammered, his voice barely above a whisper. “I thought if I showed some goodwill, maybe Pervis wouldn’t hate me so much.”
“Help? What do you mean help?” Anna demanded, gently taking his injured hand to examine the cut.
“I saw him preparing dinner and thought I could assist with something simple,” Noah continued, wincing as Anna touched his palm. “But when I approached, Pervis became angry. He said I had no right to be in his kitchen.”
Anna’s eyes snapped to Pervis, who remained standing by the counter, his face a mask of disbelief.
“You got angry at him for trying to help?” Anna’s voice was low and dangerous.
“Anna, that’s not—” Pervis began.
“I think it was an accident,” Noah interrupted quickly, his voice taking on a considerate tone despite his obvious pain. “Pervis was cutting vegetables when I startled him. He probably didn’t mean to… Please don’t blame him for this. It’s my fault for getting too close.”
Anna’s expression grew even darker as she processed Noah’s words. Her eyes fixed on Pervis with an icy stare that could have frozen fire.
“An accident?” she repeated, her voice suppressed with barely controlled anger. “You’re telling me this was an accident?”
“Anna, listen to me—” Pervis started, his own anger beginning to rise.
“You jealous, pathetic man,” Anna cut him off, her voice trembling with fury. “You wanted to hurt Noah over something so trivial? Over him trying to help in the kitchen?”
Pervis’s hands clenched into fists at his sides. “I didn’t do anything! This is all Noah’s self-directed performance!”
“A performance?” Anna’s laugh was cold and bitter. “Are you saying Noah cut himself deliberately?”
“That’s exactly what I’m saying,” Pervis replied, his voice rising. “He grabbed my hand and—”
“No, no,” Noah whispered quickly, shaking his head. “Pervis is right. It was my own carelessness. I shouldn’t have gotten so close while he was working with a knife. This is all my fault.”
The apparent humility in Noah’s voice only served to fuel Anna’s rage further. Her face flushed red as she turned back to Pervis.
“Even when you’ve hurt him, he’s still defending you! How can you stand there and lie to my face?”
“I’m not lying!” Pervis shouted, his composure finally cracking. “There’s surveillance in this kitchen, Anna. Check the cameras if you don’t believe me. You’ll see exactly what happened!”
Noah’s face went pale, and for just a moment, genuine fear flickered in his eyes. He hadn’t known about any security cameras.
“Surveillance?” he stammered, glancing nervously around the kitchen.
But Anna’s cold voice cut through the air before Noah could process his mistake fully.
“Check what surveillance?” she said icily, not taking her eyes off Pervis. “I don’t need to check anything. I saw everything with my own eyes when I walked in here.”
“You saw nothing!” Pervis protested. “You arrived after he had already cut himself!”
“I saw you standing over him with a knife while he was bleeding and crying,” Anna replied, her voice deadly calm. “I saw enough.”
Pervis felt his heart sink as he realized the futility of his position. “Anna, please. You know me. You know I wouldn’t—”
“I thought I knew you,” Anna interrupted, her voice filled with disgust. “But I was wrong. I never imagined you were capable of being so vile, so cruel to someone who’s already suffered so much.”
She turned her attention back to Noah, her voice immediately softening. “Come on, let me get you to the hospital. That cut needs proper attention.”
“I’m fine, really,” Noah said weakly, though he made no move to resist as Anna helped him to his feet. “I don’t want to cause any more trouble.”
“You’re not causing trouble,” Anna assured him, shooting another venomous look at Pervis. “The only trouble here is standing right there, denying what he’s done.”
Anna guided Noah toward the kitchen door, then paused and called out loudly.
“Marcus! David! Come here immediately!”
Heavy footsteps echoed through the house as two large men appeared in the doorway—Anna’s personal security team.
“Yes, Mrs. Morrison?” the taller one asked, his eyes taking in the scene.
“Lock him in the basement,” Anna ordered, pointing at Pervis. “Make sure he can’t leave.”
“Anna, you can’t be serious,” Pervis said, his voice filled with disbelief.
“I’m taking Noah to the hospital now,” she continued, ignoring her husband completely. “When I return, I’ll decide how to deal with this… situation.”
Marcus stepped forward, his expression apologetic but determined. “I’m sorry, Mr. Tyler. We have to follow Mrs. Morrison’s orders.”
“This is insane,” Pervis muttered, backing away from the approaching men. “Anna, at least let me explain—”
“Explain what?” Anna snapped. “How do you deliberately hurt an innocent man out of petty jealousy? How did you lie to my face about it afterward?”
“I didn’t hurt anyone!” Pervis shouted one final time.
But Anna was already leading Noah out of the kitchen, her arm protectively around his shoulders. Noah glanced back once, and for just a split second, Pervis caught a glimpse of the satisfied smirk that flickered across his face before it was replaced by his mask of pain and innocence.
“Come on, sir,” Marcus said, reaching for Pervis’s arm. “Don’t make this harder than it needs to be.”
Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.
