I was at a loss for words while staring at him through the rearview mirror. He averted his gaze and looked before us, concentrating on driving as if he didn't hear what I've just said. Instead of feeling scared for my life, my traitorous heart pounded erratically that I wanted to smack myself.

I mentally shook my head and managed to gathered myself together after a minute or so.

"What are you doing in my car? What do you want?" I asked through gritted teeth but he remained silent. Looked like he didn't have any intention of answering any of my questions. Instead, he stepped on the gas to accelerate our speed.

I gasped and held onto my seat. "Mr. Vázquez! What do you think you're doing?! Stop the car!" I yelled.

"Don't worry, mi hermosa. Everything's going to be alright." I clenched my jaw in growing anger. I took my bag and was about to take my phone from it to call someone when he spoke.

"Are you really going to call the police, mi hermosa? Can't you at least hear me out first?" His voice was begging which took me by surprise.

"We don't have anything to talk about! Now, stop the car and let me out of here!" I commanded full of anger and to my surprise, he reduced speed and then stopped the car on the shoulder of the road. He then quickly got out and then opened the door for me.

I got out of the car, breathing hard while our gazes locked.

"Mi hermosa—" Before he could finish what he wanted to say, my palm landed on his cheek.

"—Don't you dare come near me! We don't have anything to talk about because we're through! Now, either you let me go and turn yourself in or the police will make you surrender by force!" I was already breathing hard because of so much anger.

He looked shocked of what I've done as he touched his cheek and I thought, he would show the real him and hit me back but he remained calm as his eyes turned somber.

"You really hate me that much that you don't even want to listen to me?" Even his voice was full of sadness but I knew better. He already played me in the past and I would never let him do that to me again.

"Yes! Now, let me go because my fiancé is waiting for me!" I didn't know why I said that. All I knew was, I was too angry to even think rationally. I was about to walk past him to get to the other side of the car when he suddenly scooped me up onto his arms bridal style.

"Mr. Vázquez! What do you think you're doing?! Put me down! Help!" I screamed to the top of my lungs but no one was there to help me. All I could see was endless trees along the winding road.

He walked towards a red car and I saw a guy standing near the car, looking at us with a smirk on his face.

"You really did it." He uttered amusedly while looking at us.

"Just open the fùcking door!" Maximus ordered irritably. The guy laughed and then opened the passenger door. Maximus put me down on the back seat even though I was thrashing.

"Damn you! This is kidnapping!" I hit him on the chest and tried to struggle, fighting my way of out of there but he was just too strong.

"Stop it, mi hermosa. I'm sorry for doing this but I didn't have a choice." He said and then closed the door. I tried to open it but it was locked. I saw the two guys talk to each other before I notice the other guy go to my car and drove it away while Maximus on the other hand got in the car where I was in, then started the engine and drove off from there.

"Where are you taking me? Are you finally going to show me the real you and kill me?" I asked as my hands balled into fists. He looked me in the eyes through the rearview mirror.

"Yes." My body went frozen. "I'm going to kill you with pleasure." His eyes were dancing with mischief. Relief washed over me but then, my eyes squinted in anger when I realized the meaning of what he said.

"Damn you!" I hit him on his shoulder in anger but he didn't even flinch. I wanted to use the opportunity that he was driving and hit him until he would stop the car but I knew that it would be dangerous for the both of us. We might get into an accident and worst, someone on the road might get involved.

"I would never give myself to you again, Mr. Vázquez, remember that! After what you did to me and the people of Costavia, do you really think that you could suddenly appear out of nowhere and do whatever you want?!" I felt like I was about to spit fire any moment now because if anger.

"Can we talk about what happened in the past later? We have a lot of time to do that." My eyes widened.

"What do you mean by that?"

"You heard me right, mi hermosa. We have a lot of time to discuss about that because you'll be staying with me from now on. I already let you slip through my fingers before and I will never do that again, especially now." I gaped at him as his he'd gone insane.

"Are you crazy?! Why would I stay with you?! Stop this nonsense right now and stop the car! Don't add another one in your long list of sins!" Our eyes met through the rearview mirror again and I saw a strange emotion that passed through his eyes before it disappeared as soon as it appeared.

Then, all the emotions on his face faded.

"You really believe that? You didn't even bother to ask me my side of the story yet you already judged and resented me just like everyone else. Why is it so easy for you to believe what you hear? Your trust in me was easily broken by nothing but lies." His voice sounded so distant and cold which affected me for some reason.

I opened my lips, wanting to retaliate but not a word came out. I was left speechless. No one spoke for about a minute or two and the silence was deafening.

I bit my lower lip as I felt the attack of pain. How could he say that when he knew that he did everyone wrong? He made me fall in love with him and used me but the worst part was, people died because of his doing.

How could he chide at me about trust when his face clearly on the footages of the CCTV cameras in the palace? He was clearly the one who planted the bomb for goodness' sake!

What happened during the bombing attack in the palace came back to me. All the screams of agony of all the injured people and the cries of the relatives of those who died made the anger and resentment within me surged like a tsunami.

"Stop the car." I commanded through gritted teeth. My whole body was already trembling because of so much anger.

"I can't do that."

"I said, stop the car!" I yelled and he looked surprised of my sudden outburst but he didn't stop. Because I was already clouded with anger, I attacked him and hit him on the arm and shoulder. I couldn't think rationally anymore.

"What are you doing, mi hermosa?! Stop!" He rebuked but I didn't listen, determined to get out of there. I continued hitting him until he didn't have a choice but to stop. I tried opening the door but it was locked.

"Open the door!" He released a harsh breath and then did what he was told. I quickly opened the door upon hearing the unlock sound and then hurriedly got out of the car. I looked around but there was nothing but endless trees in both sides of the road.

I began walking away from there briskly, determined to get out of there. Then, I realized something. I forgot my bag inside the car. My phone was in there. Cazzo!

"Mi hermosa, wait!" I heard him say but I ignored him. I continued walking away, didn't care if I was going the right direction or not. But then, I felt a hand stop me by my arm.

"I said, wait!" Maximus said commandingly and made me face him. I slapped him. He was taken a back. I was gazing at him like a lioness that about to pounce on him while he on the other hand looked sad yet his jaw flexed.

"Damn you! Who do you think you are to do this to me?!" I shouted full of anger and that was the time when the rain poured heavily. The sky was dark this morning and the weather forecast said that it would rain this afternoon. Great!

"Let's go back to the car. It's raining. I don't want you to get sick." I looked at him in disbelief.

"Really? Now, you're concerned about me?" I asked sarcastically. His eyes turned somber as he tried to touch me by the shoulder but I swatted his hands away. I saw the pain that registered on his face but for some reason, I felt like a hand squeezed my heart.

Seeing him like that affected me even if I didn't want to.

"I am concerned about you that's why I did this. I don't want something bad to happen to you. I promised to always be here to protect and love you that's why I am fulfilling that promise now."

"Come on, Mr. Vázquez. Don't play games with me anymore. You don't have to force yourself to associate with me like you used to do in the past because I already know what you really are. You never cared about me. You just used me in order to execute your plans freely without anyone suspecting you.

"I've been nothing but an idiot, believing in your words which were nothing but lies. I trusted you but you deceived me. You didn't only deceive me; you took a lot of lives. What you did was unforgiveable so don't act like you care because I know better now." I voiced out with an almost inaudible voice full of bitterness while shaking my head. We were both already drenched as the rain continued pouring, heavier this time.

He remained quiet for a couple of seconds and I saw the raw pain that passed through his eyes. Then, all the emotions on his face faded. He became emotionless and cold.

"Is that really what you think of me? You really believe that I could do that?" Even his voice became cold and bitter.

"What did you expect for me to do after what happened last year? We saw you in the CCTV footages and you proudly revealed your face in front of the cameras before you planted the bomb! After seeing that, no matter how blinded I was of my love for you, I woke up and faced the reality because I knew that it was not right for me to love you anymore. As princess of Costavia, I had a duty to fulfill. I couldn't choose you over the people of Costavia.

"Now, we don't have anything to talk about anymore because we're done long time ago. There's nothing to discuss about. Just surrender yourself to the police and pay for what you've done." I pulled back my hand from his grip and he surprisingly let me go.

I turned my back on him and slowly walked away. I thought, he would stop me from leaving but he remained on his spot while watching me walk away. While getting away from that place, I couldn't hold back the tears that fell from my eyes. My chest felt so heavy just like the first time I saw him last week.

I chuckled bitterly as I looked up the dark sky, hoping that the pain would wash away by the pouring rain but that was nothing but a wishful thinking.

Maximus was the only man I ever loved this deep but he was also the only one who inflicted the deepest wound in my heart. I thought, Warren's betrayal before was painful but when Maximus deceived and left me, I felt like I couldn't survive life while slowly losing myself. The pain was unexplainable.

Thankfully, I managed to get out of that darkness because my family gave me strength. Seeing me suffer like that finally brought out together as a family.

Now, Maximus has returned, expecting that he could play me again but he was wrong. I would never let him deceive and hurt me again. Once is enough.

I didn't know how long that I was walking under the rain like I wasn't myself while crying. The surroundings became foggy and as the minutes go by, it was getting thicker and thicker. Since a while ago, I haven't seen any house nor person in that place which was a clear sign that we were already far away from the center of the city.

I knew that it was cold but I couldn't feel it. All I knew was, my heart was aching so bad.

"Who would have thought that we would see the princess in this kind of place without her bodyguards? Talking about luck, huh?" My steps came to a halt when I heard that voice. I looked at the two men in front of me, staring at me while smirking.

I could tell that they were up to no good but for some reason, I didn't feel any fear at all. I felt like I've become numb. I just looked at them impassively and then walked past them. I didn't have the time to waste there with them.

"Don't ignore us, you b*tch!" One of them grabbed my wrist and was about to pull me towards him when I quickly moved and twisted him arm before kicking him between his legs which made him kneel down on the ground.

Right after that, I placed my other hand behind his head and forcefully shoved his face on the ground. He screamed in pain as I twisted his arm even more while pushing his face harder against the ground. I knelt on my knee on his back to make sure that he wouldn't have the chance to struggle and fight. I was about to break his arm when I heard a cock of a gun followed by a whistle.

"Wow. I never knew that a princess like you could be this badass. But this is futile because I have this." The other guy said as he pointed the gun towards me. "Now, stop resisting and just give us what we want."

"What do you want from me?" I asked calmly. The man that I was restraining was trying his best to struggle but I didn't let him. I added force and he screamed in pain.

The man with a gun smirked again, uncaring that his comrade was already screaming in pain. "Give us the necklace." My forehead creased. The necklace again? What's with this necklace that everyone seems to be interested in it?

"My necklace is nothing special. Why do you even bother to get it?" I repeated, trying to appear casual. It was the same answer that I've said to the first man who attempted to take the necklace from me last week.

He scoffed. "Don't try to fool us, princess. Just give me the damn thing before I lose my patience with you!" He roared.

"You are nothing but cowards. You're only brave because you have a gun. Two guys, ganging up on a woman." I said acidly but still didn't let go of the other man who was still face planted on the ground. He was now groaning in pain and finally gave up on struggling, probably couldn't take the pain anymore.

"Shut up, you b*tch!" He raised his hand and was about to hit me with the gun that he was holding when he suddenly groaned in pain before he fell on the ground, unconscious. Looked like someone hit him from behind.

My lips parted in surprise when I saw someone standing behind him. It was Maximus and he looked livid. He looked at the man that I was restraining before he pulled him by the shirt to make him stand.

"L-Let go of me!" Maximus didn't listen. He knocked him unconscious by giving him a couple of blows in different sensitive parts of his body before letting him go and let him fall on the ground like a piece of jelly.

He then looked at me as if he felt relieved seeing me unharmed.

"Damn it! Don't scare me like that ever again!" He grunted before he closed the gap between us and then hugged me tightly. I could feel his body slightly shaking as his arms held me even tighter.

"Mr. Vázquez—"

"—Don't Mr. Vázquez me, mi hermosa, or else I'll kissed you hard until we both run out of breath." My eyes widened because of his threat. My body instantly reacted just by hearing that.

"Seeing your reaction a while ago; I thought of just letting you go if that was really what you wanted but then, this happened. Thankfully, I followed you because I would never forgive myself if someone succeeded on harming you." I felt him kiss me on the forehead. He really sounded so worried and that made me feel confuse.

I gritted my teeth and tried to push him away but he didn't let me go. "Mr. Vázquez, let me go! Don't try to—" Whatever I wanted to say was cut short because Maximus' lips already sealed my lips for a passionate and hungry kiss.

I gasped in shock as my body went frozen. I couldn't react right away. It has been so long since the last time we kissed and it brought me many familiar feelings. My body instantly went hot. I groaned inwardly. I couldn't believe that his effect on me was still the same. I shouldn't let my emotions rule over me before it was too late.

I placed my palms against his chest and then pushed him away with all my might and I almost sighed in relief when he finally let go of me.

"Damn you!" I was about to slap him again but he scooped me up onto his arms. I squealed.

"Mr. Vázquez—"

"—One more Mr. Vázquez from you and I swear, I will not only kiss you. I will do more than that. It has been so long. Just holding you onto my arms like this, feeling your soft body against mine and smelling your heavenly scent are enough for me to lose my mind so don't do anything that could make me lose myself. I've been holding myself back for a long time already. You know how much turn on for me whenever you're being feisty and stubborn like this." He warned huskily as he drew his face closer to mine.

I gulped inaudibly as our gazes locked. I could almost swear that my heart felt like it would come out of my chest because of how hard and fast it was beating.

"You're still as beautiful as before—No, I'm wrong. You've become even lovelier now, mi hermosa. You're like a goddess—my goddess." He uttered full of longing as he began walking away from there while still carrying me in his arms. I wanted to protest but for some reason, not a word came out of my mouth.

I stared at his face. His two-week old beard made him look manlier than ever. He hasn't changed. Still as handsome and mysterious as ever. The rain was still pouring but my body felt hot as our skins touched.