Chapter 103: Running away I
Chapter 21 - Running away
Rosie
Fuck!
I actually fell sick, giving Jude the opportunity to hit me with a smug "I told you so." Although he didn’t say or do that, he just fawned on me.
My body felt like it was made of pins and needles, aching and throbbing with every single movement I made. I ended up stuck in bed for a week, unable to believe my strong immune system had failed me so miserably. But throughout the whole ordeal, there was a small voice in the back of my mind telling me that Jude secretly loved having me bedridden. Because you couldn’t tell me, with the ridiculous time he took care of me, constantly hovering over me, adjusting my blankets, and bringing me hot soup before the inevitable happened, he ended up catching the cold himself.
It was so funny that Elena had to move into the penthouse for two days just to nurse both of us back to health. She spent half the time admonishing Jude for letting me dance in the rain in the first place. When I weakly tried to cut in and tell her it was actually my fault, she leveled me with a warning look that shut me up instantly.
Once the sickness passed, it felt amazing to be alive, healthy, and free from Jude’s constant hovering. Although I enjoyed it, being sick was so miserable, I didn’t want to feel that again. I decided to take a walk through a local neighborhood store to buy a birthday gift for Mia, whose seventh birthday was right around the corner in two weeks. As I was scanning the shelves, my phone let out a loud ding in my palm.
Jude: Where are you, wifey?
A smile spread across my face, and my heart skipped a beat at the casual endearment. I paused, wondering when exactly that silly nickname had managed to grow on me so much.
Rosie: Running away. I typed back quickly only to see his name pop up on the screen with an incoming video call. I chuckled to myself, intentionally letting it ring out the first time, and waited until the second call came through before finally pressing the green button to pick it up.
A wide smile was plastered on my face as his image cleared on the screen as we exchanged a bit of our usual banter before Jude’s expression turned slightly more serious and he asked me where I was after nagging me about going out when I just got better.
I let out a heavy breath, looking down at the toys in front of me. "I didn’t want to tell you yet, but Mia’s birthday is in two weeks and I—"
"And you didn’t think to tell me about it?" he countered immediately, his brows drawing together.
"I’m sorry," I mumbled, feeling a little guilty for keeping him in the dark about it.
"So where are you right now?"
I rolled my eyes dramatically, wondering if he was deaf when I explained I was at the store getting my birthday gift. "Do you actually listen—?
Jude pinched the bridge of his nose, cutting me off with a sigh. "Wifey, I’m asking for the address. I’m coming over."
I rolled my eyes and let out a soft chuckle. "I’m at xxx."
"Wait right there for me, wifey; I’m coming to pick you up."
"You really don’t have to do that—."
"I have to, wifey, and besides, we can just count this trip as a date," he said smoothly before hanging up the call.
I stared at the blank screen, wanting to smash his head, but I could feel warmth spreading across my cheeks and a thrill bouncing in my chest. Well, if I was being honest with myself, I didn’t hate it at all.
I turned around, intending to step outside and find a nice shade to wait for Jude to arrive, but before I could take a single step, my hand was yanked from behind, and the force spun me around until I was standing face-to-face with none other than Josh.
The moment his fingers clamped tightly around my arm, my heart nearly knocked out of my throat as Josh let out a disgusting leer, and within a split second, a group of his men surrounded me from every angle, blocking off any escape routes.
"Look who we have here," Josh mocked, his eyes scanning me up and down. "You’ve been hiding from me, my flower."
My breathing stuttered instantly, and I clenched my hands into tight fists by my side, trying desperately to hide the tremor in my fingers. It wasn’t that I had forgotten about Josh’s looming presence in the city, but I truly didn’t think he would manage to catch up to me so soon, especially since I had consistently paid off the debt for the last three months.
"What do you want, Josh?" I spat out, glaring into his face.
"So you finally went out and whored yourself out to some rich guy," he said, pulling a cigar from his lips and blowing a cloud of smoke directly into my face.
I wrinkled my nose in deep disgust, waving the air away.
"You went and got yourself married," Josh continued, his voice dripping with venom. "Even after I offered you good things and promised to clear everything for you."
I rolled my eyes, refusing to show him my fear. "I’ve said it a million times before, Josh; I will never be with you. And I don’t even know why you’re doing all this when I already paid off the agreed monthly money."
Josh threw his cigar butt down onto the ground, crunching it beneath the sole of his shoe as he stepped closer, his hand reaching up to caress the side of my face, and I recoiled from his touch, pulling my head back.
"Don’t do this, Rosie. You really don’t want to get me mad," he warned, his eyes darkening.
"Or maybe I should be the one who’s mad," I glared back fiercely. "You’re the one who ransacked my apartment."
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