Forced Marriage: Escaping Her Monster

Although she was in an unfamiliar place. Jerlina could sleep deeply as she laid in the embrace of her man. Jeremy was sleeping deeply although the sky started to brighten up.

She checked his temperature and it was normal. Only then she was relaxed. She walked to the window and tried to open the window. But she couldn't. She pushed aside the curtain and looked out.

As far as her eyes reached, the ground was covered with snow like a white carpet. In the hills around there were pine trees and they were all covered in snow. Jerlina looked at that picturesque scenery and was impressed. It looked straight out of photographs. But it also made Jerlina shiver.

She wondered if December is this cold how cold would January be. And judging by how warm the room is, she wondered how much electricity is used to keep the insides of the castle warm.

Well, this amount of cold is not suitable for humans… Maybe penguins and polar bears might live here blissfully… Certainly not me.

As she was about to close the curtain, she could feel a furnace by her back and her lips curved to a smile.

"Is my hearing bad or do you walk like a cat?" she asked as that strong arms wrapped around her abdomen from behind.

"You didn't yelp today," he bit her earlobe and ran his tongue along the lobe making her feel ticklish.

"So, you intended to startle me?" she laughed. Turning to face him, she kissed his chin.

Maybe… if I have him with me, I can survive in this cold too! She thought. And he needs to trim his beard.

"Do you want a castle in a place like this?" he asked. She seemed to be immersed in the scenery.

Jerlina squinted her eyes and turned to look at him. "Do you not like your house, Joel?" she asked. He smiled.

From her angle, his sharp jaw covered his eyes as he was looking at the distance.

"What can I say?" he hugged her closer. "You never ask me anything. And I want to give you a lot," he sniffed her neck making her feel tingles on her skin.

"What happened to my life? What's with this sudden development where everyone wants to give me billions… I miss my old days when-" she stopped herself and hit her mouth. "No, I don't want those days where I was scrambling for money back… No matter what, having money is a thousand times better," she corrected herself.

Jeremy hugged her with a chuckle.

"I won't ever let you scramble for anything, love," he kissed her head. It is a promise.

Even if he loses everything one day, he will work as a daily laborer and let her stay comfortably. But he had a feeling that his wife won't let him suffer alone. She'd help.

Ah… I am blessed!

-----

They got ready for breakfast and Jeremy got jealous when his wife left him and ran to Rose McCarthy at the breakfast table.

Rose looked bright and cheery. Jerlina who imagined that she'd have lost her luster was pleasantly surprised. As they sat at the table, waiting for Jonathan Erling, Rose explained that other than getting locked up and not allowed to speak to anyone, she didn't have any problems.

"It was like a vacation," she mused, "I had the best spa treatments and the best food I could ever imagine. Other than missing Mikhail, I lacked nothing," Rose spoke happily.

"That's great. We all were worried for you," Jerlina was happy.

Jeremy rolled his eyes.

This woman was living her best life but my poor friend was melting away thinking how she is suffering.

The things men endure in the name of love!

And why is my wife laughing with her? Shouldn't she be telling her how Mikhail suffered while she was enjoying spa treatments?

And why isn't she looking after me? I am hurt, damn it! I am supposed to be in a hospital!

As he was about to call her, it was announced that the Grandsire has arrived. As usual Jonathan's eyes went straight to Jerlina. Jeremy grumbled in his heart.

Here he comes… And now she will only look at this big baby in a wheelchair.

"I see you're happy seeing Rose," Jonathan said with a smile.

"Yes, great-grandpa," Jerlina walked to Jonathan as he gestured for her to get closer. "Good morning, great-grandpa," she kissed his cheek.

"Did you have a pleasant rest?" Jonathan asked Jerlina.

Jerlina replied with a smile and the conversation continued.

After breakfast, Jerlina and Jeremy were offered a tour around the castle. Samuel and Rose joined them for that tour.

After that long tour of that medieval castle, they were brought for tea. Jerlina was hungry after walking for a long. More than the long walk, what was more tiring for her was to maintain her decorum in front of the others.

Jeremy found everything funny; dirty kind of funny and he preferred to whisper in her ears. Jerlina found it hard to not laugh.

-----

While Jerlina and Jeremy were in the castle doing the tour, Dr. Kruger was in a serious dilemma about the report she had in her hand. It was late night and since there were not much patients today, she sent most of her staff home.

And without getting ready for bed, she is here, worrying.

This is no good!

Her ethics as a doctor screamed in her ear that she should be talking this to the concerned person but there was something in her heart that stopped her. Every time she had serious thoughts about it, she always decided against revealing the secret.

She wouldn't lie. Whenever she had serious dilemmas like this, she'd ask the advice of Daisy or Jeremy. But this time, she couldn't talk to both of them as both of them had serious problems of their own to handle and she didn't want to bother them.

She had heard how Jeremy has disavowed Emma after Emma broke Jerlina's baby's grave. Once again, she kept the report hidden.

Ah... should I burn it so that I don't think about it again?

She rubbed her chest. Leaning back, she took deep breaths. She felt a sharp pain in her left hand. She stretched her hand thinking that it should be because of her sleeping position.

But then she  felt shortness of breath followed by the pain in her jaws and back. And slowly she started to perspire and her chest started to feel full.

She knew what it was...

Heart attack!

Trying to grab her phone, she stood up but she felt a pressure in her upper back as if she was getting squeezed. Everything on the table fell down as she desperately tried to get her phone.

But she couldn't find it. Her eyes started to blur and she felt dizzy.

No! I should call for help! I should call 911!

"Someone..." she tried to call but her voice didn't come out. She couldn't even see where her phone was at.

*Thud*

She fell on the floor, fainted.