Chapter 3 You Must Marry Me

Henry had never been a patient man, and his patience had been limited to William. Nonetheless, Liam's actions had instilled in him a strong dislike, and on the spur of the moment, he shoved Liam, causing him to stagger forward.

"Get lost." Henry and William's voices seemed to echo in unison. Liam was thrown across the room after being hit by William's punch.

Henry froze for a split second, and before he could fully comprehend Liam's stumbling fall, he found himself being dragged roughly towards the stairs, where he had just descended in search of William.

"William, your actions will only breed more hatred in Henry," the voice warned.

Finally, William looked down at Liam, who was lying on the ground, and said, "It's best he hates me his entire life, because he'll be mine for the rest of it."

Henry's body stiffened, his mind buzzed as if paralysed, and his breath and heartbeat briefly stopped, then raced in rapid succession as if ready to leap out of his chest. His continued movement was solely due to the forward momentum of William's strong arm.

Only the heavens knew that when he saw the ring about to be slipped onto Henry's finger, William felt compelled to sever Liam's hands. It was only because Henry eventually rejected the man that William managed to keep the last vestige of his sanity.

When William realised the person behind him was not resisting or speaking, he came to a halt and turned around. To his surprise, he was met with a pair of reddened eyes fixed on him. He was taken aback for a moment, a pang of heartache seizing him. Could Henry be angry at him for interfering?

William's grip relaxed, despite the fact that he still felt slightly out of control. He drew Henry into his arms, and they ascended the stairs together. He would have tied Henry close to him if there were any handcuffs or chains nearby, regardless of the judgement or condemnation of others.

When they returned to their previous room, bodyguards stood at the door, heads bowed in shame. Ignoring them, William kicked open the door and entered, while Henry regained consciousness. If he had a second chance at life, he would have to take steps to avoid any future danger.

When the door closed behind them, Henry was suddenly pinned to the wall by William.

"You're amazing; Liam Miller wants to marry you. Have you two become so close? If you dare to marry him, your wedding day will also be the day he vanishes from the world."

Henry felt awkward in this situation; he had never voluntarily allowed William to get this close to him before. Being pressed like this made him feel vulnerable, but it didn't bother him. He simply lowered his head, attempting to appear natural.

"So, are you here to ask, provoke, or threaten me?" Henry finally spoke up, looking William in the eyes.

"Isn't everything the same? You despise me and will never accept me. You've never been moved, even if I offered my heart and soul," William exclaimed.

Henry wanted to tell William that he had been moved and that he had given his heart to him a long time ago. But he knew William wouldn't believe him now. He had to go through the agony of unrequited love that William had.

This time, Henry was not nervous at all as he looked William in the eyes.

"Of course it's unique! First and foremost, you don't need to be angry; this is Liam's plan to provoke you. I've never liked him," Henry stated emphatically.

"Second, your threats are pointless; Liam is unrelated to us. I despise him, so I can assist you in teaching him a lesson."

"Third, I do not hate you... Today's incident with the painting was entirely my fault. I'm sorry," Henry said, a little embarrassed, and he avoided William's gaze when he finished.

Henry cast a glance at the painting in the room's corner. The surface was still damaged, but it looked better than before. In the past, the painting could not be repaired or restored as easily as it can now.

Henry learned from William's friends that if he had accepted the painting today, the ring in William's coat pocket would have been placed on his finger. But he had destroyed all of their happiness, leading to this unfortunate outcome.

William couldn't believe what he was hearing from Henry; it was difficult to believe that the same person who had berated and attacked him only a few hours before was now speaking so gently to him. Nonetheless, it was those two words, "I'm sorry," that took him by surprise.

William's heart, which had seemed to be buried beneath a snowstorm for so long, caught fire. Just a tiny spark, and he had to make that spark flare up at any cost, even if it meant dragging Henry into it with him.

"As for the fourth point, whether me and Liam are close or not, you're the one who knows best, right?"

"Don't think I'm unaware that your bodyguards are following me," Henry said, finding an appropriate excuse to speak boldly. "I was drugged at the time and knew I was being watched everywhere." I wouldn't be normal if I didn't get angry."

"However, when I regained my senses, my rationality returned, and of course, I figured out that it wasn't you behind it," he went on.

William couldn't counter what was said. His controlling tendencies were strong, and he went to extreme measures to keep Henry under control. He didn't regret it, but he was careful to keep everything hidden because he didn't want Henry to know about the dirty surveillance. Following him was only a small part of what he had done; however, he had not expected the person in front of him to discover he was being followed.

Though Henry's reactions pleased William, the thought of Liam Miller proposing to Henry in front of him infuriated him.

"Do you think you can avoid me by becoming angry? You wouldn't be able to resist, even if those things were done by me. You can only accept me," William stated authoritatively.

Henry was at a loss for words at this point; William was far too domineering. He really wanted to punch him to let out his rage, but he couldn't bring himself to do so; all he could do was sigh.

"And what can you do if I continue to resist? Forcing me to marry or using marriage as a constraint? Or do you want to lock me up? That's illegal, Mr. Wilson," Henry stated purposefully. However, when he looked at the face in front of him after saying it, he couldn't help but shudder. That smile wasn't your typical arrogant or dismissive expression; it was tinged with mystery and intense possessiveness.

William leaned in slowly, his breath brushing from the neck to the ear, making Henry's blood run cold and his scalp tingle. He didn't dare to breathe heavily, but he was completely enamoured by this sensation.

"You're right; I have a way to make you agree to marry me, to willingly step into the cage I've prepared," William explained.

Hearing William's words, Henry felt a painful tug in his heart that went beyond his expectations. William was perfectly capable of doing what he said, but he'd never done it. William repeatedly chose to injure himself, bear the pain, and eventually kill himself in order to free Henry.

"All right, then, let's get married," Henry had wanted to say to him for a long time, "You can't take your words back now."