55. Entrusted everything to God.

Oh my God. What have I done? In Matilda's mind, she just wanted the earth to swallow her up or for her to disappear like a bubble. Her muscles began to tremble, and she repeatedly swallowed saliva to calm herself down, but no matter what she did, her heart wouldn't stop pounding loudly. It seemed like it would burst out of her chest with each strong beat. She didn't know how long she had been in a daze, staring at the two men in front of her, until she suddenly felt someone grabbing both her arms and effortlessly lifting her. 'Where are you taking me?" she asked anxiously to the men holding her. The two men didn't answer and just continued dragging her along. 'Briella, I'm sorry. Please forgive me. I will take back everything I said earlier and tell them to let me go. I won't cause any more trouble and will stay away—" 'Take her to the Police Station. I'll call my attorney to file a case against her," President Braun ordered authoritatively to the two men holding her. 'Police station? What did I do wrong? I haven't done anything!" she said, starting to panic. 'For hurting and humiliating my wife. I'll make sure you'll never get out of jail," President Braun's voice was sharp and full of threats. 'Also, for attempting to seduce me, I have all the pieces of evidence needed." He gestured to the two men holding her, and they quickly followed his command, dragging her out of the room. She glanced at Briella for the last time and couldn't see any reaction on her face. She wanted to explode from the extreme humiliation she was feeling, especially as they exited the restaurant with her being held tightly by the two men and dragged out. Everyone was looking at her. Some even recognized her and took videos. She couldn't hide her face due to the tight grip of the two men on her hands. 'Let me go!" she said firmly and forcefully, but it seemed like they didn't hear her and just continued to escort her out. Did Xander know everything? Did he know that President Braun was Briella's husband, hence his reaction, and he didn't even warn me? That son of a bitch! Why didn't he warn me? I wouldn't be in jail right now if he did! 'Get in!" the man said, pushing her into the car, and she had no choice but to comply. What chance did she have against two men stronger than her? She took a deep breath and thought of a way to escape; she wouldn't let herself be imprisoned. I don't want to go to jail! One man sat beside her while the other drove. Her eyes became elusive, sharpening her vision. She prepared herself to open the door on her side; all she needed was timing to execute her escape plan. She wanted to go back and kill Xander! If only he had told her the truth, she wouldn't be in this situation. She wouldn't be able to speak ill of Briella, and she wouldn't be in jail! She didn't know how Briella ended up marrying President Braun. Fck! How did she do it? How did she seduce that powerful man? Her body still trembled when she remembered President Braun's sharp and threatening gaze. If only she had known him at another time, she might have been pleased and thrilled; she might have been the one in Briella's position now, his wife! That's it! A light bulb lit up in her mind. She wouldn't allow herself to be imprisoned and would find a way to meet President Braun again. She would make sure to have him, and she would drive him crazy until he left Briella and annulled their marriage. Her eyes began to roam, and in an instant, she quickly pushed the man next to her and opened the car door, but it was locked. She saw the driver grinning, so he became her target. 'Stop the car!" she said and wrapped her arms around his neck. Another tried to stop her, but she didn't release the driver. 'Let go of him, or we'll both be in trouble," her companion said, trying to remove her hand. She tightened her grip around the driver's neck even more. 'No! Stop the car!" she insisted. The car swerved, and some cars honked loudly as they almost crashed, but she didn't care. Her only thought was to escape from that car and plan her takeover of President Braun. She laughed loudly, and then a loud bang was heard, accompanied by the car crashing. Because she wasn't wearing a seatbelt, she felt her head hit and the car flip. She held her head and saw that she was bleeding while her two companions were still unconscious. She winced when she felt her feet pinned down; she couldn't move, and no matter how she struggled, she couldn't lift her feet. She saw a man's foot, so she screamed for help. 'Miss, can you get out of the car?" he asked and tried to open the car door. She pulled her leg, but she just screamed in pain. 'I-I can't, help me please," she begged him. The man was about to speak, but they both heard an explosion. She saw the man pale and in shock, but he still tried to help her. But she really couldn't move her body; with every pull of her foot, she felt intense pain. 'Miss, this car will explode if you don't hurry..." 'Damn it! Just help me get out," she said, reaching out to him. But it seemed like the man had no strength left, and his attention was elsewhere. 'I-I'm sorry, Miss. I don't want to die," he said, then ran away. 'Fuck you, come back here, asshole!" she screamed. 'I don't want to die too!" she shouted, still trying to get out, but no matter what she did, she couldn't do it. 'Please save me..." she cried out. She shook the unconscious man next to her, but it was futile. Her eyes widened as she saw the fire rapidly approaching their car, and in the blink of an eye, their vehicle exploded. *** Braun was preparing dinner when Briella received a call from Chelsey. 'Open your TV now," Chelsey said immediately. She followed, opening the large TV in their living room. She frowned when she saw the photo of Matilda and three other men. 'A black Honda Civic and a black van exploded after colliding along EDSA; four people died in the accident, and one of the identified bodies was a woman named Matilda Jimenez, a model from Star Agency. We're seeking a statement from her boyfriend, Xander Madrigal, but he declined to be interviewed. According to witnesses, the car suddenly swerved and crashed into the van..." She forgot she had someone on the other line and dropped it. Her body suddenly shook, and if it hadn't been for Braun's quick response, she would have collapsed. Braun hugged her tightly and turned off the TV. 'I... I killed them," she said, tears streaming from her eyes. 'No, you didn't. You heard what the reporter said. It was her fault. She resisted and refused to accept her mistake," her husband reassured her. He gently stroked her back and comforted her. She took a deep breath and continued to hold onto Braun; it wasn't her fault for what happened. She was not to blame; it wasn't her fault! She repeated it to herself over and over again to calm down. 'What about the families of your two security personnel? If it weren't for..." He placed a finger on her lips and kissed her forehead with a smile. 'I will take care of everything, okay? Just promise me you'll stop thinking that it was your fault," he said to her. She released another deep sigh before nodding slowly. He led her to eat dinner together, and she forced herself to eat more and act normal so Braun wouldn't worry too much about her. After eating, they rested on the balcony for a while and drank coffee. 'I didn't expect everything to come to this," she said with a sigh as she sipped her coffee. 'Two innocent people got involved because of my revenge," she added sadly. Braun leaned her head on his shoulder and kissed her head. 'Life is unpredictable; we can lose it at any moment, and we can't stop living because of one event that stained your character," he said metaphorically. She fell silent and looked into the darkness of the night. She wanted to know what really happened, but she knew it was impossible because the reporter said only the sudden swerve was witnessed by onlookers. She couldn't believe that even though the person she was with knew who she was, she still had no intention of changing. Surely, she was plotting revenge and planning how to outsmart her. Honestly, she didn't know why Matilda was so furious with her. She had no idea of any dispute between them since they first met, or maybe on that first occasion, they had plans to manipulate and play with her. 'I guess you're right. I hope that the two men who died deserve a reward. I want to meet their families," she said, looking at Braun. Braun kissed her on the lips, and she quickly responded. 'Of course, tomorrow we will visit their families and provide them with some livelihood as a token of gratitude for the families who lost their loved ones," Braun said with a smile. She hugged Braun again and looked up at the sky. She knew that no material possessions or money could ever be enough compensation for the loss of two men, but it was the only way she knew to help somehow the families left behind by the two men who died with Matilda. She just hoped that they would find peace and that they would also forgive her for involving them in her revenge. I'm sorry, I really didn't mean it to happen. Please rest in peace, and I'll pray for your souls. The two of them remained like that. Braun allowed her to be and didn't disturb her. She closed her eyes and prayed for the two men who died with Matilda. Though she wanted to be angry with the woman, she knew it wouldn't make sense, so she just entrusted everything to God.