My head was hurting so much that I thought it'd explode. I had to deal with my aggressive partner while three navies wanted me dead... I couldn't be luckier! Didn't those officers have other pirate captains to arrest? Why me? Maybe I was the prettiest one... Don't judge me! You know that wasn't impossible. Also, I still hadn't ruled out the possibility of a traitor. My friends had proved their value multiple times, but I wouldn't let my guard down. Not after what Sven... Well, enough of my personal problems. The night had come and yet I wasn't able to extract much information about the SHA. No pirate knew the identity of T.E.M. All I found out was that T.E.M had sent notes for multiple pirate captains, so I wasn't their only target! One good thing, at least... Anyway, I gulped once I entered a crowded tavern with Francis. Dirk sat on an old chair while drinking ale desperately. Although I was mad at him, I had to fix us. Perhaps talking about the SHA would help. Francis walked closer, seemingly wanting to protect me.

"Don't worry, pal. It'll be alright," I took a deep breath and caressed my dog's head. "Maybe Dirk will apologize."

My dog tilted his head to the side, seemingly confused. If dogs could roll their eyes, Francis would've definitely done that. Apparently, he didn't believe Bosch would apologize since the latter never did it. Not even when we first got together.

I sat on Dirk's left, "So... Do you want to talk?"

Bosch huffed and looked away. Yeah, that wasn't a good start, but I wouldn't give up... Why was I doing that? I felt so stupid for making an effort! Francis growled, ready to bite Dirk if necessary.

"Are you seriously ignoring me?" I raised my brows. "That's too much. Even for you."

He shot me an icy stare, "I have nothing to talk about."

"I want to understand what's going on," I bit my lower lip and wished I could disappear for an instant. "You didn't mean what you said last night, did you?"

"I meant every word! In fact, more things about you bother me," Bosch huffed and narrowed his eyes. "For example, I can't even look at the... the monstrosities on your back, let alone touch them! They're horrible!"

"You once told me those scars made me stronger," I crossed my arms. "Did you change your mind?"

Dirk scowled, "Stronger, not beautiful."

This is going to be fun...

I let out a pronounced sigh once I remembered Maartje's words. What if Bosch was hiding something? Perhaps that'd explain why he'd become unbearable. Maybe the secret had caused his behavior, or I'd started seeing who he indeed was... I didn't want to think about it.

"All I give you is love and that's what I get," I pressed my lips together. "Simply delightful!"

Dirk's face got so red that I thought he'd scream... and it wasn't the cute red that showed up when he blushed. It was the most hateful color I'd ever seen. He glared at me so intensively that I thought I'd die.

"I fell in love with you because you're different, but you turned out to be too different," Bosch wrinkled his nose. "I want to puke when you try to be funny! That's horribly masculine of you."

I laughed nervously, "How romantic! I'm really feeling the love!"

"Our marriage has been a great disappointment thanks to your ridiculous attitudes!" Dirk narrowed his eyes again. "If you want some stupid romance, go after Miguel! It's what you always wanted to do anyway."

Why is he acting like this?

If making people feel bad was a job, Dirk would've gotten rich. Despite his angry behavior, Bosch did not put me down so much when our relationship began. However, something clearly changed.

"You're ridiculous," I chuckled to avoid crying. "Let me tell you something, Dirk... The feeling is mutual! You completely disappointed me as well!"

Francis barked as if he agreed. I sighed in relief. A weight had been removed from my shoulders... God, telling the truth was indeed satisfying! I couldn't hide my real feelings anymore.

Bosch ground his teeth, "Perhaps I'd love you more if we'd had a son instead of Ms. Annoying Voice."

"Right! I forgot to send your request to my baby-making machine," I looked at my belly. "Hey, mates! Dirk wanted a boy!"

Yes, you didn't read it wrong. I talked to my own belly. No, I wasn't going crazy, I only joked as I liked to do... and I wouldn't change that trait just because Dirk didn't like it. Bosch pursed his lips as if he wanted to punch me in the face.

"See? No answer! That's because I don't control my babies," I raised a brow and moved away. "Why are you so obsessed about having a son anyway?"

Dirk stared at me and grabbed my wrist. My eyes bulged as his nails slowly perforated my skin. I breathed faster but straightened up to show I wasn't afraid.

"First, because men have much more potential than women," Dirk's fingers smashed my wrist. "Second, I wanted to show Miguel wasn't man enough to have a son, but you ruined everything!"

Are you kidding me? I did not just hear that!

While Dirk pressed my wrist bones, I controlled myself not to show my pain. I didn't know if I punched him in the face, left the tavern, shouted all the bad words I knew.... I was paralyzed.

"I can't believe you created this drama because of a stupid competition!" I laughed hysterically. "Who said fathering a daughter diminishes a man? This is outrageous!"

Bosch scowled, "Shut up!"

I tried to escape from Dirk's claws, but he squeezed my bones harder. Francis whined, apparently afraid. Bosch was stronger than I thought... I blinked rapidly as blood dripped from my wrist. My heart was beating extremely fast, but it wasn't because of love. It was pure fear. When I was about to punch him with my free wrist, my cousin showed up. She scowled and ground her teeth.

Maartje pointed her cutlass at Dirk's waist, "Release Eva now, or I'll stab you until you're nothing but tiny pieces of meat!"

Dirk rolled his eyes, seemingly unafraid. Maartje moved her blade closer to him, apparently ready to attack, but my dog was faster. Francis growled and bit his right leg. My husband screamed in pain.

"Stupid dog!" the redhead frowned. "I'm out of here."

Bosch stood up so quickly that he bumped into Maartje. I sighed in relief once he left. Although I hate to admit it, I felt better when Dirk went away... He made me so exhausted!

Maartje caressed my dog, "Good boy!"

"I appreciate your help, but everything was under control," I forced a smile. "It was just a silly fight."

"Really?" my cousin raised a brow. "Your scratched wrist says otherwise."

Quickly cleaning the blood, I gulped. Dirk has never been a gentleman, but I never expected he'd hurt me in public. I took a deep breath, trying to hide my sadness... or was it regret? I didn't know anymore.

"This problem is mine and Dirk's," I stood up and glanced away. "You don't need to get involved."

Maartje shook her head in denial as we walked away. Francis whined while looking at me, apparently concerned... Even my dog thought I was a victim! Wasn't that irritating? I bit my lower lip, doing my best to forget that emotional mess.

"You're one of the people I love the most. If Bosch hurts you, he hurts me too," Maartje looked deep into my eyes. "I can't ignore the way he treats you."

I pressed my lips together once I observed my scratches. Sometimes I wanted to take action about what had been happening between my husband and me. However, I preferred to pretend everything was fine.

"What if I really am the problem?" I rubbed my forehead. "I don't know what to do!"

"This is not your fault. Bosch isn't worth it," Maartje scowled. "I thought I was wrong about him when he took a bullet for you, but I wasn't."

"That's it! I need to make Dirk remember who he was!" I raised my brows and breathed faster. "Perhaps if I find a better gift, something that reminds him of us..."

Maartje approached me, "Eva, stop! Can't you see this is Hendrika all over again?"

No! She has to be wrong!

After hearing that name, I couldn't avoid the shivers. The memories of my stepmother striking that whip against my back hit me like a thousand cannonballs. I almost heard the sound of her lashes... Was Dirk like her? That couldn't be true!

"Trying to please someone who doesn't deserve it, pretending not to notice the aggressions, stealing gifts..." my cousin slightly downturned her head. "Sounds familiar?"

My hands trembled so much that I hid them behind my back... Don't judge me! Captains can get nervous too. Francis licked my hands, seemingly wanting to comfort me. That situation was too crazy. I refused to believe I'd chosen someone who broke me like that witch did... Was that the real reason why I thought Miguel was too different? Because he wasn't aggressive like my stepmother? No, that'd be crazy.

"It doesn't matter. I must put up with Dirk," I flinched as the scratches started to burn. "At least for Tess."

"You'd be doing Tess a favor if you kicked him out of our ship," Maartje crossed her arms. "Besides, I know you, Storm. You don't want to carry on with this relationship, do you?"

I sighed and thought about the subject for a moment. Deep down, I didn't want to be with a man that made me feel bad all the time. Before I had the chance to answer, three familiar men came in our direction. I pulled Maartje and hid with her in an alley. Francis sat on my right.

I approached Maartje, "Did you get any information on T.E.M or the SHA?"

My cousin shook her head in denial. I breathed faster since we'd seen that British admiral and Spanish officer before. The third man was dressed in an RNN uniform. They all seemed like high-ranking guys. The British guy seemed to be in his fifties and had light skin, blue eyes, and medium-dark brown hair.

Will these idiots ever stop bothering me?

"Don't worry, Reyes!" the British officer turned to the Spaniard. "Captain Storm will finally learn her lesson!"

Reyes let out a pronounced sigh, "I don't think so, Atkins. She's too stubborn to surrender."

Maartje and I looked at each other. What were they talking about? What lesson? All I wanted was to plunder in peace... Don't look at me like that! That's every pirate's dream. The SHA was a new challenge I had to overcome.

The Dutch officer crossed his arms, "I agree. What if the punishment isn't scary enough?"

A cold shiver ran down my spine. Maartje bit her lower lip sharply. Francis whined, apparently feeling my concern. The punishment probably wasn't throwing fruits to make me trip... My back was soaked with sweat as I thought of Laurens, Miguel, Dirk, my uncle, and the kids.

Atkins huffed, "If that doesn't scare her, nothing else will."

"What's happening?" Maartje whispered.

I made her a signal to remain silent. Reyes glanced at the street where my cousin and I were, causing me to gulp. I sighed in relief once he looked away... That was way too close!

"I hope she saw the little gift we left on her ship," Reyes sighed. "That must've gotten very smelly by now."

My eyes bulged. There was only one smelly thing murderers loved... Guess what? Corpses! Although I didn't want to believe someone was gone, I had a feeling that was what had happened.

"She'll see it soon," Atkins' lips curled into an evil grin. "Our leader will be delighted once that stupid pirate surrenders to us!"

The Dutch guy crossed his arms, "I don't want to do something so atrocious again. That was too cruel."

The British admiral laughed, "Nothing is too cruel when you're dealing with criminals, Van Osten."

If these bastards did anything to Luna and Tess, I swear I'll cut them to pieces!

Francis recoiled and I caressed his head while imagining the worst. I took a step back, unable to hear that horrible conversation any longer. Even though I didn't want to get hurt, I had to see what those lunatics had done.

I raised my brows, "We must go back to Ocean Storm now!"

My cousin nodded, "Aye, Captain!"

Maartje and I ran to the port so quickly that I almost ran out of air. Francis barked as he accompanied us. I'd imagined so many terrible situations that I wondered how my head hadn't exploded... My cousin and I grabbed our cutlasses as we arrived at the main deck. For a brief moment, I sighed in relief as nothing seemed wrong... well, that didn't last long. Uncle Ruben was lying on the floor with a massive scar on his neck. Someone had slit his throat.

This isn't real...

I trembled so much that I dropped my sword. Maartje screamed and fell to her knees by her father's dead body. She sobbed desperately while I was paralyzed. My uncle was pale and his lips were purple. Francis whined as if he felt my sadness. I couldn't hold my tears any longer.

I sobbed while closing my uncle's eyes, "I can't believe they did this!"

"Bastards!" Maartje's chin trembled. "My father will be avenged!"

I squeezed my eyes shut after realizing the truth... My uncle's death was the punishment those officers mentioned! The tears wouldn't stop running down my cheeks. I felt shattered inside. The person who saved me from a horrible home, taught me everything, and gave me the love my father and Hendrika never did was gone. He'd died because I didn't surrender to the stupid SHA. Uncle Ruben had been killed and it was all my fault. 

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Author's note: Hey! Thank you for reading! I hope everyone is well. Please vote and comment if you enjoyed this chapter and follow the "Battles and Secrets" playlist on Spotify. We had a sad surprise this chapter, so I hope you had tissues nearby... :-( Will the SHA keep being ruthless? Is Eva going to maintain or end her relationship with Dirk? Keep reading and you'll find out... :-)