CHAPTER 172: WHEN LOVE AND WRATH COLLIDE
As the crowd dispersed and the guests returned to murmurs, Diana turned to James, ready to thank him, ready to explain.
But he didn't even look at her.
He walked past her, jaw locked, his hands clenched so tight the veins bulged beneath his skin.
"James…" she called out softly.
He stopped in his tracks but didn't turn.
"I'll meet you in the car," he said coldly, before walking out through the side doors, Jared silently following behind him.
Diana stood there frozen. She could still feel the weight of the ring on her finger, the ring he had slid on in front of everyone, not as a gesture of love, but as a warning, a reminder, a claim.
Valerie moved closer, worry laced in her eyes. "Diana… are you okay?"
She blinked back the sting in her eyes. "No. But I'll fix it."
Raymond watched her, arms folded. "That man just walked through fire for you, but make no mistake, he's scorched too. You need to face that."
"I know Dad," Diana whispered.
Inside the car, James sat frozen in place while Diana sat on the other side, her body stiff, her hands clenched together in her lap.
James tapped Leonard on the shoulder to get his attention.
"Leo, take us back to Holland Gardens."
Leo nodded, plucking his earpiece back into his ear.
Still not turning to look at her, James spoke again, cold and detached. "I already told your father to get the rest of your stuff and bring it back to the house. The guys will meet us there too. I've also called Nicodemus to return with the other housekeepers. They should be home before we arrive."
Diana nodded, her throat dry as she watched him unbutton the first three buttons of his shirt. He rolled up his sleeves with slow, tense movements, baring his forearms; strong, veined, furious. His suit jacket had already been discarded.
She didn't know where to begin. She had messed up bad. And she knew it.
James wasn't going to forgive her anytime soon. But she had to try anyway.
"James…" she started in a small voice. "Babe, please, I know you're mad at me. I know saying sorry won't undo what I did earlier, but still... treasure, I'm sorry."
Silence.
Diana felt the tears gathering behind her eyes.
"James, please," she whispered. "At least just say something. Anything. Let me understand how you're feeling right now."
"Like you care," James bit back, his voice sharp enough to slice steel. His tone was low, controlled, but something dangerous pulsed underneath.
"Diana, do you even have an idea what you did? Hm?"
His voice dropped an octave. The air in the car shifted, thicker, heavier, like it had been soaked in kerosene.
"Yes, I saved you tonight without you even asking, because that's what I planned to do the moment I stepped into that party."
His voice was rising, and so was the pressure in the car. But it wasn't just tension anymore. It was heat, not from the sun, but from him.
"You lied to me, Diana," he said, louder now. "When I asked you about it to tell me what was wrong, you lied."
He turned slowly, his eyes gleaming molten gold, like something inside him was being unchained.
"And you know what I thought?" he laughed bitterly, "I thought, shit, maybe she doesn't trust me. Probably because the world doesn't know we're married yet."
The temperature spiked unnaturally. Like a furnace had been lit beneath the seats.
"I did what I did tonight so the whole world would know you're my wife. So you'd trust me enough to tell me anything. I did it because I love you and I didn't want to see your image ruined."
He clenched his jaw, his voice trembling now, not with fear, but with restraint. "But what did I get in return?"
The car groaned slightly under the pressure.
"You made me feel like a stranger in your life in front of the whole fucking world Diana!"
And then it began.
A low hum. Barely audible.
The temperature spiked again, this time dangerously. The leather in the car creaked. The air thickened into something hot, wet, suffocating.
Diana gasped. Her lungs felt like they were caving in.
Her blood heated. Literally. As if it were boiling beneath her skin.
"If you had told me about this, I would have helped you. I would have found a way to fix it. Advised you. Fought for you," James said, voice shaking. "But no. You decided to do it your way."
Veins flared under his skin. His teeth clenched tight. His fists glowed faintly, like they'd been forged in fire. His bones cracked beneath the pressure of his own power.
Diana's chest burned. Her heart pounded. Then skipped. Her skin reddened. She tried to move, to scream, but her voice was trapped in her throat. She thought to herself, this was it. The moment where she died because of her own sheer stupidity. She had promised not to make him this mad again.
James's true power was no longer sleeping. It was awakening.
The car's bulletproof glass began to fog, not from cold, but from steam. Sweat poured down Leonard's forehead as he tried to keep driving. His fingers trembled over the steering wheel. The temperature gauge on the dashboard blinked red and started to glitch.
"You know what hurts the most?" James growled, voice echoing unnaturally. "I trusted you, Diana. I believed you were different."
His fists clenched.
Boom.
With a roar, he drove his fist into the reinforced window beside him.
And it shattered.
Bulletproof glass vaporized in a blast of raw force and heat.
The car spun. Skidded. The tires screamed.
Leonard nearly lost control.
"Sir!" Leonard yelled, heart pounding. "Sir, please! You're going to kill her!"
James's blinked. Something snapped.
He turned toward her and froze.
Diana.
Slumped.
Blood leaking from her nose, ears, and eyes.
Just as the car was about to tumble over the divider, two other vehicles flanked it, slamming into its sides with brutal force, while another blocked it from the front, locking it in place and forcing the engine to cut. The sound of screeching tires and crunching metal echoed into the night.
The three cars that had saved them were left wrecked, crushed like soda cans. But they had done what they came for.
James flung open the door and jumped out of the vehicle.
Then dropped to his knees.
In the middle of the road, under the empty sky, he screamed, a sound that wasn't fully human.
He slammed his fist into the ground.
Once. Twice. Again.
Boom.
The asphalt beneath him cracked open like an egg.
Shockwaves rippled outward, splitting the smooth tar into burning fault lines that spread for over 150 kilometers. The earth trembled as his rage bled into the land.
It wasn't just strength, it was torment. A soul too full of fire, love, guilt, and betrayal. And as his fists pounded the earth, it was like his own skin burned from within. He fought the urge to destroy everything.
And then… he collapsed.
****************************************************************
When James opened his eyes again, he was safe.
His breathing ragged. His body aching. But he was home.
He pressed his fingers to his temple, trying to gather his thoughts. And then like lightning, it hit him.
"Diana."
He shot up from the bed, heart hammering, eyes wild. He looked around frantically.
Only the guys were there.
"Where is she?!" he barked. "Where's Diana? Is she alright? And the babies… the children in her womb, are they okay?!"
No one answered.
"Fucking answer me before I lose it again!" his voice roared, rumbling like thunder.
And then, She stepped out. Slowly. Shakily.
From behind Harry, where she had been hiding all along.
As soon as James saw her, he rushed forward.
"Are you alright?!" His hands trembled as they searched her body for wounds. "Did I hurt you? Where? Where did it burn? Say something, Diana, please"
"I'm fine, James," she whispered through sobs. "I'm alright."
The moment he heard her voice, he stilled. His hands dropped slowly from her shoulders.
But then something shifted in his eyes like he'd remembered.
Remembered the ring. The humiliation. The lie.
And he took a sharp step back, like her touch burned him.
Diana's heart broke in that instant. The pain on her face was unbearable.
"James, please," she choked. "I'm sorry"
But the man before her had shut down again.
"I think you should leave now," he said coldly. "On second thought… I'll leave."
He turned to walk away, and suddenly staggered.
"Whoa, easy bro, I've got you," Henry said, grabbing him quickly before he collapsed.
"Come on, let's go."
The men followed behind him quietly as they helped him toward the study, his steps heavy, shoulders weighed down by more than just pain.
Only Jared remained.
He looked at Diana for a long moment. "You messed up big time, sister-in-law."
Diana nodded, collapsing to the floor like her knees gave out. Her entire body trembled.
"I swear, Jared…" she sobbed uncontrollably, "I didn't know, I just felt like it was the right thing to do at the moment."
Jared exhaled, the sadness in his eyes unmistakable.
"He might never forgive you, Di," he said plainly. "And even if he does, it's going to take a long time. You've got a lot of work to do to win him back."
She looked up at him, desperate.
"Well, how about you, Jared? You're mad at me too, aren't you?"
He sighed, crouching slightly.
"You hurt my brother," he said. "And in doing that, you hurt me too. After everything he went through with his first relationship… he promised never to feel that way again. But you? You sent him right back there."
He looked down, his voice softer.
"Even though you hurt me, I still like you. I do. But it might not be as easy anymore. Not between us. Our relationship…"
He trailed off, then straightened.
"I'll try to help you however I can. But don't expect it to be the same."
With that, he walked away.
Didn't look back.
And for Diana, it felt like her entire world had ended.
But then… she remembered.
The tiny lives still growing within her.
Her hand instinctively moved to her stomach, resting there gently.
And in that moment her resolve returned.
As long as she carried his children… she would fight.
No matter the pain. No matter the cost. Even if it meant sacrificing her own life. She was going to get her husband back. Whatever it took.