My mute bride novel (Rachel and Justin)
Chapter 57

Chapter 57

The next moment, Justin had already stood up, prompting Rachel to instinctively take a step backward.

Closing the distance between them, Justin spoke in a cold voice. "Why? Is it not to your grandmother's liking? Has she not taken it yet? Or... do you not know anything about it?"

Justin closed his hands around her neck and... Bang! She ruthlessly slammed against the closet. Scared out of her life, Rachel yelped, but her hoarse voice only made her look even more pitiful. Even though he watched the woman's facial features distort in pain, moisture clouding her beautiful innocent eyes, he felt nothing in his heart.

The one thing he hated the most was people lying to him, and even more so if the lie was particularly crude.

"Was I too lenient with you? Is that why you are so fearless to do these things under my nose?"

Rachel shook her head and sobbed, her face turning red.

"Tell me, where did you go today?"

I never went anywhere.

"Is that so? If you didn't go anywhere, that means you disappeared into thin air for a whole day?"

Justin tightened his grip, causing Rachel to throw her head back in pain, her hands clinging on to Justin's arms and making frantic motions.

That was her survival instinct.

"You're plotting something with Jefferey behind my back, aren't you?"

That's not true.

Rachel shook her head furiously, and with a mighty wave of his hand, Justin swept the tea set off the study desk onto the floor.

Crash! the cups and saucers shattered into pieces, and the scalding tea splashed onto Rachel's feet. She screamed in pain, her hoarse voice resounding eerily in the room.

Justin pinned her down on the desk violently, then proceeded to scoop up a medicine bottle from the mess. His expression was cold as he asked, "Is this the medicine?"

There was a label on the brown bottle stating that it contained cough medicine from Hudson Pharmaceuticals. The liquid within it rippled under the lamp, a cold light shimmering within. Rachel's expression went stiff.

What is this?

She had never seen this object before.

"This is the medicine Jefferey sent to you. How would you not know anything about it?"

Mr. Burton, this bottle of medicine contains hallucinogens, and if consumed over a long period of time, it would cause blindness and even kidney failure. This medicine isn't even supposed to be on the market. Frankie's words still rang in Justin's ears, and he tightened his grip around the woman's neck.

Rachel's already weak voice was completely distinguished in her throat, leaving only her eyes that still had a deathly stare, as if threatening to fall out from their sockets.

Justin's expression was terrifyingly dark. "You're so obedient to Jefferey. If you died here, do you think he would come and take care of your corpse?"

He didn't even give Rachel any chance to explain as his hand clamped harder, intent on strangling the woman. However, her struggles to be freed from his grip only proved to be futile.

The woman's face turned purple and tears fell from the corners of her eyes. She was in an obvious panic, and Justin's eyebrows were also knitted tightly together.

After a while, he let go of her.

The force pressing against Rachel's neck disappeared, and her instinct to survive propelled her to break free from Justin's death grip. She fell onto the rug, coughing incessantly. Justin stooped down in front of Rachel with the medicine bottle in hand. "Drink it."

Rachel put a hand over her neck and whimpered. There was no strength left in her to explain.

"Didn't you say that this is an aphrodisiac?"

Raising Rachel's chin, Justin forced her to look up at him. With his other hand, he put the bottle to her mouth, "Drink it." Rachel's shoulders trembled violently as her body went cold. She shook her head helplessly, trying to move back and escape. Justin grabbed her cheeks forcefully and didn't wait for her to swallow as he poured the liquid into her open mouth.

The bitter medicine flowed down her throat with no signs of stopping, and even her nasal cavity was flooded.

Rachel struggled desperately; the brown medicine spilled all over her body, but a large amount was already in her stomach.

She coughed and sputtered and even tried to throw up.

The bitter sting of the medicine conquered her mouth, and the fishy stench caused her stomach to turn. She kept coughing and retching, but nothing came out of her mouth. Soon, a burning sensation invaded her stomach, leading her to fall onto the floor in agony and curled up into a ball.

Justin looked coldly down at her. "Next time Jeffery sends another bottle over, you'll have to finish it as well. This is what you get for being arrogant."

Rachel's ears were still ringing, so she couldn't make out what Justin was saying. Her eyes couldn't focus, then everything faded into darkness.

She didn't know how much time had passed, but she did feel that someone was carrying her, after which she heard someone arguing.

The next time she woke up, she found herself in a hospital ward. The blinding white greeted her when she opened her eyes. "You're awake?" An unfamiliar girl's voice sounded.

Rachel took a long time to adjust so that she could see the nurse clearly.

"She's awake. Go get Dr. Peters."

Rachel sank into thought.

Dr. Peters?

Is that Julian Peters?

Rachel rested her head on the pillow, remembering what had happened to her before she passed out. Justin had forced her to drink the medicine.

Soon, a set of hurried footsteps sounded outside the door. Julian had arrived.

After the checkup, Julian had Rachel lean against the bed. "You'll have to be hospitalized for two days. Don't move around too much because your body is still quite weak. You'll also get drips every day." Rachel was pale.

You're the one who saved me?

Julian nodded.

The night before, he was downstairs when he heard noises coming from the study and suspected that something was wrong. When he barged in, Rachel was already lying on the floor, unconscious. "About that medicine you drank, its contents have already been analyzed. It is a chronic medicine not found anywhere on the market, and if you take too much of it, it will cause kidney failure. It's a good thing that we discovered it earlier; you would've died otherwise."

So it wasn't an aphrodisiac? Rachel thought.

She gripped the blanket tightly, the ringing in her ears now singing in her mind. If she remembered correctly, last night Justin said that Jefferey had sent her the medicine.

Dad wants me to poison Justin's food with the medicine so that he would die?So this is why Justin was so angry, she realized.

Seeing Rachel's pale face, Julian prodded, "Rae, tell me the truth. Was it my brother who forced you to down the medicine?"

Rachel didn't have time to nod before a cold and low voice sounded from the other side of the door.

"The label on the medicine bottle belongs to Hudson Pharmaceuticals. Julian, I'm afraid you have the wrong idea on who was forcing who to drink it."

When she realized who it was, she froze.

The anger still remained on Justin's face. As soon as he made it through the door, he threw Rachel a cold glare. "I can sue you for intentional homicide based on this bottle of medicine alone." Julian frowned as he looked at Justin, then turned his gaze toward Rachel. After a long while, Rachel gritted her teeth.

I drank the medicine myself.

"Why?" Julian's face was full of disbelief.

"Now that things are cleared up, Dr. Peters can leave and mind his own business now.". Justin chased Julian out unapologetically as he locked his eyes on Rachel. "I still have something to talk to her about." Hearing that, Rachel had her face turned as pale as ashes. Julian wanted to say something, but