Eternal Temptation: Awakening Sinful Desires

57  Why Does It Have To Be This Way?

Maria trembled with fear, her body aching and bleeding from the various cuts and bruises on her skin. She couldn't believe how the situation had escalated this far, but she had no choice but to stay strong and endure whatever came her way.

She closed her eyes and braced herself for what was coming next. Her body was paralyzed with fear as Lucas moved in closer, his fingers digging into her flesh as he pushed her down onto the couch.

She felt a hot, searing pain in her chest from his kick, and the pain was unbearable. She tried to scream, but her voice was muffled by his hand, which was clamped tightly over her mouth.

Just when she thought that things would get worse, the door suddenly burst open, revealing a handsome young man standing in the doorway. He had piercing blue eyes and dark hair that framed his face, and he radiated an aura of power and authority.

Lucas stepped back, releasing his grip on Maria, and started shouting at the young man. Though she couldn't focus as the pain prevented her from moving.

The young man seemed unfazed by Lucas's outburst, his gaze never wavering as he stared at him with a cold expression on his face.

'Who is he? Will he save me from this nightmare?' Maria wondered, hope fluttering within her chest.

As if sensing her thoughts, the young man turned to look at Maria briefly before returning his attention to Lucas.

Maria felt as if she were frozen in time, her body unable to move while her mind raced with thoughts.

'Could this be another trick? Is it possible that Lucas is actually testing me again, wanting to see how much I can endure before finally giving up?'

Suddenly, she found herself shaking uncontrollably, unable to contain the emotions inside anymore as tears streamed down her face.

She didn't understand why the world was so cruel.

'Why must I suffer for no reason, forced to endure horrible experiences just because of my husband's gambling bet?'

'I was always loyal. I didn't do anything wrong, and yet everyone treated me like garbage. Was it my fault? Did I deserve all this pain and misery?'

These thoughts ran through Maria's mind repeatedly as her body convulsed violently, her breaths coming in ragged gasps as she struggled to breathe.

She was tired of suffering alone and of being hurt without any purpose.

It wasn't fair...it wasn't right!

A sharp pain spread throughout Maria's body as she heard the loud noises echoing around her. She wanted to close her eyes and cover her ears, but it was pointless since everything around her was fading away into darkness.

Then, all of a sudden, it all ended when she heard Lucas's screams, followed by silence.

...

Asher shivered slightly as he looked at the dead bodies of five men. It was the first time he killed someone. But it was something that needed to be done. These bastards deserved it.

However, Asher couldn't rid himself of a sickening feeling in his gut. Killing them felt easy enough, but the images of their dying cries plagued his mind. It made him question the morality of his actions.

These were evil bastards who forced innocent girls and women for sexual pleasure while also being the ones who killed him, and now they paid for it with their lives. Still, it was a lot harder than Asher initially thought, making him feel conflicted about killing these people.

After staring at their corpses for a minute, he took a deep breath and went to check on Maria.

Looking at her appearance, which was covered in bruises and blood, Asher became worried as he noticed how broken she appeared to be.

Asher felt regretful, thinking that perhaps he could have avoided this fate for this woman if he had arrived earlier. However, there was nothing he could do anymore apart from comfort her as best he could.

...

The next thing Maria knew was that someone gently lifted her body, making her shiver in fear. n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

'Is it Lucas again?' she wondered in horror.

Then Maria noticed a faint light emanating from above her. Opening her eyes slightly, she saw a handsome young man looking down at her with concern etched on his face.

His eyes were filled with sadness and compassion, unlike anything Maria had ever seen before.

'Am I dreaming? Am I hallucinating?' Maria wondered as her eyelids fluttered open wider, taking in his appearance fully.

He looked like a trustworthy man, but there was something different about him—something unfamiliar—that made Maria want to reach out and touch him, just to make sure he was real.

Seeing the young man's caring look, Maria instinctively relaxed her body, allowing him to cradle her gently. She felt safe and secure around him, even though she didn't know him.

The warmth radiating from his body helped ease her pain and soothe the wounds covering every inch of her body.

"Who are you...?" Maria glanced at him briefly before she asked hesitantly.

"Don't worry. You're safe now." Asher said, trying to sound reassuring.

Hearing those words, Maria couldn't stop herself from crying any longer. Tears welled up in her eyes as relief flooded through her body, making her feel grateful for someone rescuing her after experiencing so much agony in captivity.

"Thank you...thank you so much." Maria sobbed softly while clinging tightly to Asher's arm as if afraid to let go of him, afraid that everything was just an illusion and he would disappear.

Asher gently patted her back soothingly before helping her up.

"Nadia!" Asher called out, and the next moment, a beautiful middle-aged lady in a black bodysuit walked in.

She paused, surveying the scene, and then hurriedly checked over Maria's condition. Seeing all the injuries and scars across her body, Nadia frowned unhappily at Lucas's cruelty.

"Do you have healing pills to take care of her wounds?" Asher asked, and without wasting any more time, Nadia took out a pill from her spatial ring and gave it to Maria.

Maria looked at Nadia vigilantly, but seeing her concerned look, she was somewhat reassured and accepted the pill.

"There's no need to be nervous. This pill can help heal all the injuries quickly," Nadia explained.

Although she was skeptical, Maria didn't argue and swallowed it, hoping it would help with the pain.

As Asher continued to hold Maria, he noticed Nadia staring at him, silently judging him for something unknown.

"What?" Asher asked, noticing Nadia's odd behavior and the look in her eyes.

"Nothing," Nadia replied while shaking her head.

Feeling Maria was still shaking, Asher decided to change the subject and focused on comforting her instead.

"It's alright! You are safe now. You don't have to worry about those thugs again. They are gone forever. I promise you that."

Upon hearing those words, Maria closed her eyes and leaned closer against him, resting her head against his chest. It seemed as if nothing else mattered anymore.

Shortly, Maria felt a soothing sensation all over her body as the pill started to work, causing her injuries to disappear rapidly.

"Hey, are you alright? We need to go now. Can you walk?" Asher asked while supporting her body.

"Y-yes... I can try walking, but it's difficult. Every step hurts." Maria replied weakly, struggling to stay on her feet despite Asher's efforts.

Seeing this, Asher smiled faintly, then, without any warning, picked her up like a princess.

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