Chapter 86: Chapter 86: Wyatt Shaw, Are You Crazy?

After saying that, Claire Lawrence turned and jumped without a moment’s hesitation.

Yvonne Sutton scrambled forward, throwing a leg over the guardrail to grab Claire Lawrence at the last second. The downward force of Claire’s weight yanked her forward, but she luckily managed to grab an iron ring on the railing with her other hand just in time.

Claire Lawrence gasped, looking up at Yvonne Sutton with panic instantly washing over her face.

"Yvonne, let me go! Or you’ll be dragged down with me!"

Yvonne Sutton gritted her teeth, tightening her grip on Claire. "If you don’t want to pull me down with you, then grab onto anything you can! Don’t give up!"

"Yvonne, please let me go! I’m begging you!"

"I’m begging you, too! Don’t give up!"

Straining, Yvonne Sutton glanced back, desperately hoping Joshua Hale or anyone else would appear soon. She really, truly couldn’t hold on for much longer.

"Yvonne, I can’t drag you down with me." As she spoke, Claire Lawrence began trying to pry Yvonne Sutton’s hand off her.

Panicking, Yvonne Sutton yelled, "Claire Lawrence, you coward! If you die just like this, I swear I will never visit your grave for the rest of my life! I’ll hate you forever!"

"Yvonne..."

"Listen to me! Hold it together, no crying, and hold my hand tight!"

The seconds ticked by, one by one. Veins bulged on Yvonne Sutton’s forehead. She was already dangling halfway over the edge, her hand about to slip from the iron ring. If she didn’t let go now, she would really be dragged down with her.

But she gritted her teeth, refusing to let go.

Just at the last second, a hand shot out and grabbed her arm. The grip was firm and immensely strong, yanking her back from the brink of death with a sudden, powerful pull.

When she turned her head and saw Wyatt Shaw, she couldn’t help but smile.

"You’re here."

Wyatt Shaw’s face, however, was frigid. He first pulled her back over the railing, then worked with her to haul Claire Lawrence to safety.

Just then, Joshua Hale arrived and immediately pulled Claire Lawrence into his arms.

"How could you be so foolish? Did you want me to die of guilt?"

Crying, Claire Lawrence shook her head. "I just... I just didn’t want to be a burden to you all anymore..."

"If you don’t want to be a burden to us, then just live!"

"I..."

"Promise me you’ll live!"

Claire Lawrence only cried, refusing to nod.

Yvonne Sutton took a deep breath, crouched in front of Claire, and said to her, word by word, "You owe me three hundred million. I demand that you pay me back. After you’ve paid it all back, you can do whatever you want. I won’t have anything to do with you ever again!"

Claire’s tears stopped instantly, and she looked up at Yvonne Sutton.

"I owe you too much, I’m afraid..."

"You can pay it back, even if it takes a lifetime."

"Can I really pay it back?"

"You have to pay it back. Don’t forget, Wyatt Shaw was the one who paid it. If he divorces me someday and asks for the money back, how am I supposed to repay him? Am I supposed to jump off a roof, too?"

Claire Lawrence hurriedly shook her head. "I... I’ll pay it back. I’ll work hard to earn money and pay him back."

"Good. The moment you’re out of the hospital, you’ll start earning money. I’ll be your agent."

"You?"

"Good scripts, bad scripts—it doesn’t matter. You’ll film anything, as long as it makes money."

Claire Lawrence nodded. "I’ll act. I’ll take any role. I need to earn money."

Seeing that she had finally gotten through to Claire, Yvonne Sutton breathed a sigh of relief and had Joshua Hale take her downstairs. After they left, Yvonne turned to look at Wyatt Shaw. He was leaning against the rooftop railing, smoking.

He took one deep drag after another, smoke swirling around him.

Yvonne Sutton walked over to him. "It’s a good thing you got here when you did."

He didn’t acknowledge her words, simply continuing to smoke.

Yvonne Sutton bit her lip slightly. "Are you angry?"

Wyatt Shaw took one last drag, then stubbed out the cigarette on the ground. He turned his head to look at her, his expression cold and grim, his eyes filled with a simmering, restrained anger.

"Home."

He grabbed her hand and started walking toward the exit.

"I wanted to stay with Claire tonight..."

"I said, we’re going home."

"But she..."

"Whether she lives or dies is none of my business!"

"Wyatt Shaw!"

"You almost died!" He finally snapped, roaring at her.

Yvonne Sutton saw his eyes were bloodshot. A wave of shock hit her, and she started to apologize, but he gave her no chance, harshly dragging her out of the hospital.

"Wyatt, calm down a little. I’m okay. Wyatt, my arm really hurts."

Her arm did hurt; she must have strained it when she was pulling Claire up earlier.

But Wyatt Shaw paid her no mind, dragging her straight to the parking garage and shoving her into the car.

He got in on the driver’s side and started the car, his face an icy mask. He sped down the road, nearly running a red light. Yvonne Sutton grew frightened, gripping her seatbelt tightly.

"Honey, I was wrong. Please, pull over and just calm down."

"Shut up."

"Honey..."

"I told you to shut up!"

He snarled at her, the car swerving and nearly hitting a guardrail. Terrified, Yvonne Sutton didn’t dare say another word.

After a harrowing drive, they screeched to a halt in front of the villa. Wyatt Shaw got out, strode around to the passenger side, opened the door, and yanked her out.

His strides were large, and she was practically dragged by him into the house, up to the second floor, and into the bedroom.

The door slammed shut. He leaned against the wall, breathing in ragged, heavy gasps.

Yvonne Sutton had never seen him like this—so furious he was bordering on madness.

She bit her lower lip and took a tentative step toward him, reaching out to touch his face, but he smacked her hand away.

He looked up at her, his eyes chillingly cold. "Do you have some kind of death wish?"

"Of course I don’t."

"You want to die alone and leave me behind, don’t you?"

"What are you talking about?"

"You think I’m too controlling. You’ve grown to hate me."

"I haven’t."

"You’re trying to punish me."

Yvonne Sutton stared at Wyatt Shaw in stunned silence. ’Is he insane? What is he even talking about?’

"Wyatt Shaw, who am I?" she asked.

Wyatt Shaw stared at her, a flicker of confusion in his eyes.

"You’re Yvonne Sutton, of course."

Yvonne Sutton breathed a sigh of relief. "Yes, I’m Yvonne Sutton. How could I hate you or leave you?"

Wyatt Shaw gritted his teeth. "Then when you were on the rooftop, did you ever think about what I would do if you died?"

"Wyatt..."

"Do you want me to die with you?"

"No, of course not. I wouldn’t let anything happen to me."

She tried desperately to explain, to calm him down, but she could see his emotions spiraling further out of control.

After a moment’s thought, she stepped forward and wrapped her arms around his waist. Tilting her head up, she kissed his chin and slid a hand under his shirt.

"Honey, you know how much I love you. I swear I’ll never, ever leave you. I want to be with you for the rest of my life."

Wyatt Shaw stared down at her, his breathing growing ragged, before he suddenly crushed his mouth to hers.

He pushed her onto the bed, his hand gripping her waist so tightly it felt like it might snap. He was like a savage beast, panting, desperate, devouring her.

Yvonne Sutton could feel him trembling. ’It’s a deep-seated fear, one she couldn’t quite comprehend.’

’He said if she died, he would die too.’

’But they had only known each other for three months.’

Yvonne Sutton woke in the middle of the night to find the space beside her in bed empty. She sat up and saw a flickering light in the hallway outside. She called out for Wyatt Shaw but got no reply, so she got out of bed and walked to the door.

She turned the knob, only to find the door was locked from the outside.

Stunned for a second, she began to knock frantically on the door.

"Wyatt? Honey? Are you out there? Why is the door locked?"

After a moment, Wyatt Shaw’s hoarse voice came from the other side. "I’ve locked you in here. This way, you can’t be in any danger. It’s like Schrödinger’s cat. As long as I don’t open the box, you’re alive forever."

Yvonne Sutton’s brow furrowed. "Wyatt, have you lost your mind?"