Heartfelt - An Arranged Marriage with a Billionaire

Chapter 19 - Kindness

Naomi pov:

I'm sure it had been several hours since I had sat like this in a daze. I had eaten the bread and biscuits that the man my father had hired had brought for me. It was effective in quelling the hunger and tiredness I had been feeling because of not eating all day and pulling through bruising abuse. But more than my body, my heart ached. It ached for more than one reason.

On my begging for Kazuo san to be spared from any harm, my father had told me to break him, to cheat on him and then divorce him with my father's help. He knew that Kazuo san would be devastated if I cheated on him like a fake, just like how he believed everyone to be, and then divorced him for he had come to trust me and yearn for me more than anything in the world. He was ready to give up his entire company just to save me...

Kazuo san had confessed his insecurities to me many times. I didn't mean to boast but it was true that I valued our relationship more than all the money he had or the status he had in society. I had never wanted a luxurious life before – I just wanted a loving husband with whom I could live happily. I did have a loving husband who also happened to be successful in business and I didn't want to lose him. I didn't want to divorce him and hurt him emotionally or get hurt emotionally myself. How could my father ask me to divorce him and have him pay us seventy person of his assets as compensation? Why was he so cruel to me?! What had I ever done to deserve such treatment?!

I shut my eyes and bit my lip to hold in my voice as I lay limp on the cold, hard floor. I sniffled while covering my face with my hands, aching and close to losing my mind trying to think of a way out of this mess. I saw nothing though, all the more because of the man who stood on guard constantly outside. There's no way I could get past him, could I?

I pushed up on my arms to sit up, leaning against the wall. I fell asleep and woke up several hours later tired and slightly dizzy. I sighed deeply while clutching the fabric above my stomach that was protesting in hunger. I gazed at the slightly ajar door wondering when the man would come to give me more food...and news of Kazuo san handing over his company to my father before I could be released. I didn't want Kazuo san to do that because he had gone through so much suffering and put in so much effort to become the successful man he was today and to throw all of that away in an instant just because of me...

I knew that he valued me over his success but I didn't want things to turn out this way! Was there really no way out of this?

"Here," I tensed and looked up ahead at the man who was crouching in front of me while holding out a bun and a bottle of water. I was so lost in though and dazed that I hadn't even heard him come in.

"T-thank you," I mumbled and took the bun from him. I bit into it and ate slowly, keeping my eyes averted from him who was still crouching in front of me. I began to feel awkward when he didn't make a move but I remained silent as I ate.

"Do you wish to escape?" he asked suddenly and I met his dark and unexpectedly gentle gaze.

"Escape? Why would you ask such a thing? It's obvious I want to escape and..." I trailed off and averted my eyes again.

"Perhaps I can help you," he said and sat down more comfortably in front of me. "Nagase san is supposed to meet your husband in less than two hours but maybe I can take you to him before they meet and sign whatever deal they've decided upon. Nagase san is not here now and he doesn't plan on returning until after he's met with your husband so he won't know when we leave."

I stared at him dumbfound. Why did he want to help me when he was hired by my father? What was he planning?

"I have a daughter too and you remind me very much of her," he spoke again, seeming to have understood my surprise and curiosity. "She's married and, as her father, all I want is for her to be happy with the man she loves. I fail to understand why Nagase san doesn't wish for his daughter to be happy."