Chapter 242

"Andrew... I... Henry, he..." Nicole Capra curled up in the corner of the bed, her slender fingers clutching the sheets as tears streamed down her pale face.

Henry Bartley scrambled to gather his scattered clothes, staggering out of the room but not without casting one last glance behind him.

Andrew Lucas's fists clenched, veins bulging, yet he didn't give chase. He feared what Nicole might do if he left her alone.

The glaring bloodstains on the sheets made his pupils constrict sharply.

"Nicole..."

Gently, he untied the ropes binding her and wrapped her tightly in the sheets. But Nicole flinched away from his touch like a frightened animal.

"Don't touch me..." She trembled, hugging her knees. "I'm filthy... I don't deserve you anymore..."

Andrew's heart ached as if sliced by a dull blade. He thought of Susan Thompson's deceitful smile and how he had betrayed the girl who had given him everything for a woman like that.

"I'm sorry." He pulled Nicole into his arms, his voice hoarse. "I failed to protect you."

Nicole shook violently in his embrace, her tears soaking through his shirt. "It was Susan... Susan told Henry to do this to me... I don't blame her... really..."

Her words stabbed into Andrew's heart like a knife. He tightened his hold, his voice low but firm. "Nicole, marry me."

Her body stiffened in his arms.

"Next month." He stroked her hair. "I'll give you the grandest wedding."

Nicole looked up, her swollen eyes filled with disbelief. "But Susan—"

"Don't mention her." Andrew's gaze turned icy. "From now on, you're the only woman I'll call my wife."

Nicole buried her face in his chest and sobbed uncontrollably. Andrew mechanically patted her back, feeling his heart slowly wither.

Love? What a ridiculous notion.

The greatest regret of Andrew Lucas's life was entrusting his heart to that venomous woman. From this moment on, he would live for only two things—

Revenge against Susan Thompson.

And taking care of Nicole Capra.

After Nicole cried herself to sleep, Andrew smashed every recording device in the room. He dialed Ryan Lucas's number, his voice cold as ice. "Brother, hack into all of Henry's storage devices."

Hanging up, he smirked self-deprecatingly. Even now, he was still worried that the footage might ruin Susan's reputation.

How utterly foolish.

The sound of running water came from the bathroom. Andrew waited in the living room, but the water never stopped. A sudden sense of foreboding gripped him—

The heavy scent of blood seeped through the door crack.