Chapter 260

Annie's POV

The air in the abandoned factory hung heavy and suffocating, thick with dust and the acrid scent of desperation. Moonlight filtered through broken windows, casting long shadows across the room as I lay bound on the decrepit bed. I could feel Philip's gaze roaming over my body, a disturbing mixture of desperation and predatory intent. Just moments ago,he had been questioning Sarah's loyalty; now he had descended completely into madness and revenge.

"You think Howard will still want you? After I'm done with you?" Philip's voice was a twisted whisper emanating from his naked form.

I struggled desperately against my restraints, the ropes cutting deeper into my skin with each movement. The pain shot through my wrists and ankles, but I refused to show weakness. "Philip, for the last time, this won't solve anything. Think about what you're doing."

He laughed, a hollow sound devoid of any warmth that echoed against the factory walls. "Solve? I'm long past seeking solutions, Annie. This is the end. The end of everything." His voice cracked on the last word, betraying the brokenness beneath his vengeful facade.

Looking at his expression and movements, I suddenly realized Sarah's scheme was going to succeed. She had manipulated not just me but Philip too,turning us into pawns in her vengeful game.

An unprecedented fear washed over me, not just for myself but for what would happen afterward. Howard was likely rescuing Lucy and Brian now;he couldn't possibly arrive in time to save me.

My thoughis drihed to the children -innocent Luey with her golden curls and sueer silence Brian who had once called me mommy with such love before Sarah poisoned his mind. I jost hoped they were safe, If I had to endure this nightmare. I could accept it as long as the children were unharmed.

"Annie.." Philip suddenly stopped,his brow furrowed in concentration.His hands trembled violently against my skin, his expression shifting from ferocity to confusion, then to something like panic.

I saw a flash of shame eross his eyes, quiekly replaced by anger.

"Damn it!" hecursed,continuing his futile attempts, but his body clearly betrayed his intentions. The more he tried, the more evident his failure became.

Minutes passed like hours in that silent room, the only sounds being Philip's increasingly frustrated breathing and my own pounding heart. Philip's expression transformed from irritation to despair as reality set in. His body remained unresponsive despite his desperate efforts, refusing to cooperate with his darkest intentions.

"Why..." his voice cracked with frustration, sweat beading on his forehead,"must even this be taken from me? Am I nothing now? Nothing at all?"

Philip suddenly released his grip on me, collapsing onto the floor beside the bed like a puppet with cut strings. He buried his face in his hands, his shoulders heaving violently with sobs that seemed torn from his very core.The sight of him-naked, defeated, crumbling before my eyes-stirred a complex mix of emotions: relief, pity, and a strange sense of closure.

"I'm finished..." he muttered, his voice filled with despair that seemed to fill the entire room, "my company, my son, my marriage...now I don't

even have my dignity as a man." His words dissolved into incoherent sobs,his body curled into itself on the dirty factory floor.

Through Philip's broken sobs, I felt a strange relief washing over me.Although still in danger, still bound and vulnerable, the worst seemed to have been avoided. The universe had granted me this small mercy amidst the chaos.

"Philip, untie me." I kept my voice as steady as possible,trying to reach whatever rationality might remain in him. "We can figure out how to resolve all of this. It's not too late to stop this madness."

"Resolve?" he looked up, his face streaked with tears that caught the moonlight. "It's too late, Annie. The baby Sarah's carrying isn't mine-I can see that truth now. My company is about to go bankrupt, Brian hates me,you left me... I have nothing left. Nothing." The last word emerged as barely a whisper.

Just then, the factory door was violently thrown open with a deafening crash that seemed to shake the entire building. Metal hinges screamed in protest, dust swirling in the sudden draft.

"Annie!" Howard's voice echoed through the empty factory, the urgency in it sending shivers down my spine.

When he burst into the room, the world seemed to freeze in a terrible tableau. Howard stood in the doorway, his suit jacket covered in dust, tie loosened,forehead glistening with sweat from his desperate search. When his gaze fell upon my nearly naked form on the bed and Philip's naked body beside it, his expression transformed from anxiety to pure, unbridled rage.

"You goddamn bastard!" Howard roared as he lunged at Philip, his eyes

burning with uncontrollable fury. The controlled,composed CEO was gone.replaced by a primal force of nature.

Howard yanked Philip from the floor with a strength born of rage and delivered a powerful punch to his face. The sound of knuckles connecting with flesh echoed sickeningly in the room. Philip didn't even resist as Howard threw him to the ground, straddled him, and rained down blow after blow with mechanical precision.

"Howard! Stop!" I shouted, terrified Philip would be beaten to death before my eyes. "He didn't succeed! He couldn't do anything! Stop!"

But Howard seemed lost in some kind of rage-induced trance, completely deaf to my voice. His fists continued to fall like hammers, Philip's face quickly becoming bloody and swollen under the onslaught. Each impact made a sound that turned my stomach.

"Howard Thompson!" I shouted with all my strength, my voice cracking with the effort. "Stop! Now! You'll kill him!"

My voice completely dissipated in Howard's frenzy. He couldn't hear my pleas as his fists fell like raindrops, each blow carrying unleashed fury.Philip's face quickly became a bloody mess, his nose streaming blood,facial features beginning to distort, but Howard showed no sign of stopping. A terrifying thought crossed my mind-would I watch Howard become a murderer right before my eyes?

"You animal!" Howard roared, his voice filled with a fury I'd never heard before,each word punctuated by another blow. "How dare you touch her!How dare you even think about it!"

Philip had stopped resisting entirely, only emitting weak groans with each impact. I tried to call out again, but Howard had completely succumbed to

a terrifying state of rage, as if channeling all his anger and fear into destroying the man beneath him.

Suddenly.Howard halted his assault, his fist frozen in mid-air, but not because he'd heard my voice. He turned his head slowly, eyes still blazing with anger. but when his gaze fell on me-bound, vulnerable, frightened-his expression began to soften, humanity returning to his features.

Without waiting for any explanation. Howard immediately released the barely conscious Philip and rushed to the bed. His hands, still smeared with Philip's blood, gently but efficiently untied the ropes binding me. He wrapped his jacket around my body witha such tenderness it brought tears to my eyes.

"Annie, I'm sorry I'm late," his voice trembled with emotion as his hands gently caressed the angry red marks on my wrists, his eyes filled with pain and self-reproach. "I should have been here sooner. I should have known."

He carefully held me in his arms, one hand cradling my head as if I were made of glass,kissing my hair, forehead, and cheeks as if confirming I was really there, safe, alive. "Whatever happened, whatever he did to you, I will accept you, protect you. This isn't your fault." His voice caught on the words,thick with emotion.

I wanted to tell him the truth-that Philip hadn't actually harmed me,that his body had refused to cooperate with his dark intentions-but my throat felt constricted, the words refusing to come. Seeing Howard so determined to rescue me,hearing his unconditional promises, a deep emotion wvelled up inside me that swept away my ability to speak.

He continued softly reassuring me, his lips against my temple:′′It3ssall over.We need to get you out of here, to a hospital for examination. It's over,Annie. It's all over."

"Howard..." I finally spoke, but didn't know where to begin,how to explain the complex reality of what had and hadn't happened in this room.

"Shh, don't talk now," he gently interrupted, brushing a strand of hair from my face with infinite tenderness. "Just rest. I'll be right beside you.Always."

I nestled in his warm embrace, suddenly feeling a wave of exhaustion wash over me that seemed to come from my very bones. Perhaps explanations could wait; for now, I just wanted to savor this sense of security,this promise of protection.