A Sea of Love, A Shore of Hate novel

---- Chapter 8 "All of this was Yana's idea. I swear it had nothing to do with me! Maverick, please forgive me!" Upon hearing Andrew shift the blame onto her, Yana no longer pretended to be sick. She leapt off the bed and began to pummel him with her fists. His leg was broken, but Andrew's strength hadn't waned. He seized Yana by the hair and smashed her to the ground. They were at each other's throats in a heartbeat- fists flying and curses pouring out.

Every filthy deed they'd ever committed came spilling out for all to hear. Each was determined to smear the other with every last bit of dirt. With every word, despair sank its claws deeper into Maverick. It felt like a jagged blade was being driven straight through his heart. The pain was so sharp, it tore a strangled sob from his throat. Three years. All along, it was Constance he had truly loved -and she had endured everything to conceive.

1 Consumed by agony, Maverick roared and fired several shots in a frenzy. ---- His men burst in-only to freeze in horror at the scene before them. Maverick was drenched in blood. With eyes wild with madness, he pointed at Andrew's lifeless body. "Drag him out and chop him into pieces. Feed him to the dogs." Meanwhile, on the bed, his phone buzzed. Yana, still conscious despite having been shot, shrieked and lunged for it. However, Maverick kicked it aside.

He grabbed the phone, thinking it was a message from me-but the moment he opened it, his smile froze. In the video, I was lifted high into the air and thrown into a crocodile pit. "As you wished -fed to the fish." "No!" His anguished howl tore through the room. As he exited the video, he noticed a ransom demand from Silas and Yana's subsequent reply. Blinded by panic, he shoved his fury aside and frantically dialed the number.

Aman who hadn't so much as blinked under a hail of bullets now trembled uncontrollably, his face drained of color. ---- The moment the call connected, he pleaded, "Ten billion -no, 20 billion! I'll give it all to you! Save my wife-now!" Ashort, mocking laugh came through the phone. Without hesitation , Maverick ordered the transfer of twenty billion. One of his men tried to stop him. "Maverick , this is every bit of liquid cash we've got. Silas is sly-there's no guarantee he even has Constance.

It could all bea setup. We should look into it first-" "Get lost!" Maverick roared and transferred the money without another word. In less than a minute, Silas sent a brief message. " Sorry, Mr. Quinlan. You were the one who said to feed the fish. By the time you changed your mind, the bones were already picked clean. All we found was a shoe. But hey, for 20 billion, I've had it nicely packaged and sent back to you." Maverick collapsed to the ground, his entire body numb with shock.

The bloodstained shoe was delivered swiftly. Along with it came the divorce papers I had once left behind -and the medical report from eight years ago. Maverick clutched them to his chest in a daze, laughing and crying like a madman. ---- In truth, by then, I had already left Tazharan . With the help of my senior, Atlas Foster, I boarded a plane with the Doctors Without Borders team. When I woke up, the faces of my teammates surrounding me lit up with joy. "Constance , you're awake at last!

How's your leg? Thank goodness we have Atlas, the surgical genius-he removed the spikes and saved your leg." I looked down at my bandaged leg, then met Atlas's worried gaze. I was overwhelmed with guilt and shame. Ihad once been the most promising surgeon, surrounded by a group of like-minded colleagues. Though my friends were disappointed, they still wished me well. Atlas, especially -I still remembered the look in his eyes then -it was a mix of frustration and helplessness.

It was as if he had expected better of me. Now, in my most pitiful state, they were the ones who didn't abandon me. They'd even helped me escape my cage. Every face in the cabin held kindness and quiet understanding.