The Manipulated Villainess

Sitting inside his car, Liam watched his friend who was coming down with a woman whom he tightly holds in the upper arm. He blinked, wondering what was happening?

At the hospital, Aston asked him to take him out of that room. The two friends eventually put up an act just to get him out. Using his police ID to his advantage, Liam fooled the guards by telling them that he needs to take Aston to the police station. Having no other choice, the guards reluctantly let the actor go.

While the detective was recalling their little trick from the hospital, Aston and Nicole had already reached the road. The cemetery was located a bit higher than the road, so to reach there, one must climb up the routes.

After Nicole sat inside her car, Aston goes to his friend who was staring at him curiously. "Thanks for today, Liam. I cannot return with you. I will explain later." Before Liam could say anything, Aston returned to Nicole's car, sat in the driver seat and drive the car away from the place.

Staring at the man beside him with her eyes that were barely opened, Nicole recalled what just happened. What would she do now? She doesn't have the answer.

"Shall I drive you straight to your house?" Aston asked, shifting his eyes from the road to Nicole once in a while.

"No. I will rest in a hotel. You should return to the hospital too." Nicole replied in a low voice. When she suddenly realized that he should be in a hospital, her eyes grew wide. "How did you come? Aren't you suppose to be in a hospital?"

"Yes. But I cannot just sit still when you behave that strange. You called me but you don't even talk. I called your office but they said that you didn't go to work. I'm worried." Aston calmly replied.

Nicole was too tired to argue, so she decided to just keep quiet. Besides, she was the one who loses control and troubled him. She already kept quiet for a while but when she realized something, she glanced at him again. "How do you know that I was there?" She asked.

No matter how much she thought about it, she was sure that there's no way for him to know where she was.

"My friend who came with me is a detective. I asked for his help. I'm sorry for tracking you down." Aston stopped the car and shifted his gaze to her. "If you're disappointed, you can scold me however you want, but not now. You need to rest first. You might have a fever due to the rain."

Nicole quietly stared at him until she finally leaned to the window and closed her eyes.

* * *

It was 8 in the night when Aston was sitting all alone in his hospital bed. To be honest, he hated hospitals. It always reminded him of the memories which he was desperate to forget.

Even in the past, he never set his foot in the hospitals unless he had a very important or unavoidable purpose such as his work. Some scenes in his dramas need to be shoot in a real hospital and he used to went through it after bracing himself for it. So, he never participated in medical dramas.

But now, he already spends two whole days in the hospital! On top of that, he was here as a patient, all because of a woman. He can't bring himself to worry her. As such, he forced himself to stay in this place which almost horrified him!

He never thought that such a day would happen! Even himself finds it laughable!

Then the scene on the cemetery during the day crossed his mind. Will she be alright? What if she suffered all alone again? Should he forced his way out and go to her?

The sound of the door being opened almost startle him and snapped him out of his thoughts right away! He darted his eyes to the door but when he saw the one who entered his room, he blinked.

Why did she come at this hour? She didn't even tell him beforehand. Was he seeing things now?!

Maybe it was real. Nicole was walking towards him and sat in the bench beside his bed. But why was she so pale? Wait! Did she really have a fever?

"You don't look good. Do you have a fever?" He asked right away with his face full of concern for her.

"I'm fine. You don't have to worry." Nicole said to him.

Her voice seemed to be calm but it made him anxious. Somehow, she seemed different than other days. "Is something wrong?"

"No. Everything's fine." Nicole nervously clenched her fingers and look at him. "I came to say something."

Aston glanced at her and waited for what she was about to say.

"I hope that we won't meet again for personal matters."

Her words made him stunned! Why was she suddenly saying that? "Nicole, what do you mean? Are you worried -"

"I admit that you made my heart wavered. I also agreed that I'm fascinated by you. But..." She made a deliberate paused to take a look at her life. "Life is not that simple. Being blown away by useless feelings is a dreadful thing."

Five years ago, love had destroyed her. The feelings that she had developed for that man named, Alex Jo, becomes one of her worst nightmares!

She didn't know it at first. But when that exact man whom she sacrificed her freedom for, came to work for the devil; her life that was already a hell had become more worst than before!

That feeling of betrayal and useless sacrifice; it haunted her all the time! She regretted her decision since then.

She learned a lesson through that. Love will only make her weaker and that she shouldn't entangle herself in such useless feelings again!

She lived that way until... Aston suddenly entered her life and made her lose the balance which she tried hard to maintain for years!

Alex Jo was the first light that brightened her life after 10 long years of darkness. And nothing hurts more than watching your most beautiful dream turning into your worst nightmare!

Her words broke his already wounded heart. Useless feelings? Was a mutual feeling that they shared only worth that description? He never knows that she could be this cruel!

"Nicole, I can be your strength just like you're one for me." He could barely utter the words. He was always sincere with her but wasn't that enough?

"Strength could turn to a weakness in a split second. And I don't want to have any more weakness." Her voice was cold as ice. Her beautiful eyes showed no hint of sympathy for the man she cherished and that made his broken heart crumbled to pieces.

She wished to tell him that she had no say in her life, that she should only do what she was told, that love was a luxury which she could never afford and that she was just a mere puppet! But she chose not to. Even if he knows, what could he do? He will only be hurt! He will become the devil's prey if he involved with her!

While she was his strength that shone upon his broken life like sunshine, she rejected him by saying that she doesn't want any more weakness! For someone like Aston who had lost almost all hope in life, it was too much to listen.

She doesn't saw all his pain and he had no idea of her pathetic life. Even if two people with a broken life came together, what could they do for each other? They were both too wounded to heal each other!

When he became so quiet, she took it as an answer. Maybe he had agreed with her. "Take care." She rose from her seat and turned her back at him.

One, two, three, four and five steps, she heard his voice.

"I want to be discharged now." He muttered. His eyes that were glued to his blanket that covered his legs, trailed to the direction of the door where she was standing.

"You only need to stay for 5 more days." She calmly retorted. She didn't easily burst out anymore. But when she turned around and met his gaze, she noticed that he was serious. She was not used to seeing him being all serious.

"Why?" She asked. Was it because she told him that she won't meet him anymore? He should also worry about himself.

"When my mother attempted to kill me, I fell from the mountains and I was hospitalized for months. Since then, I hated hospitals. I never want to set my foot in it." He replied while meeting her gaze the whole time. The way he talked, it was as if he was having a casual talk and not about an attempted murder!

This time, it was her time to be stunned! She stood still while looking at him. It was evident that she was trying her best not to overreact!

Before she could even say a thing, Aston continued, "Can I be discharged now? Please do the discharging process for me." Without waiting for her response, he lay down on his bed and closed his eyes.....