Chapter 5
“Watch your mouth. I’m not sure I can hold back next time I have to tear you apart.”
Kathy turned to leave, but someone seized her wrist and twisted it sharply behind her back.
Her wrist was already injured yesterday. She clenched her teeth and managed to pull her wrist back.
This yank twisted it out again.
“Apologize to Lucy!”
Justin was fiercely protective of his pet.
Her soft hand brushed his waist, making him shudder and instantly change his tone.
“I forgot your mouth’s tougher than your life. Fine, we’ll do it differently.
He suddenly beckoned.
Several black–clad bodyguards grabbed two people, shoving them inside.
Kathy’s breath caught. She stared blankly at the two people, stunned.
Then, as if realizing something, she snapped her gaze to Justin.
“You don’t know how to apologize or back down? I’ll teach you.”
He walked slowly to the fireplace, pulled out a golf club from a bag, and
handed it to Luciana.
Vers
Chapter 5
“Hit them the same way she hit you. If anything goes wrong, I’ve got your back.”
His fierce protectiveness sounded strangely tender.
Luciana blushed, but her eyes sparkled with eagerness.
“That’s not right. If Mrs. Garrett makes a mistake, why let two old folks take the blame? If that leaks out, I’ll get scolded.”
Justin laughed arrogantly. “I want to see who dares to scold you.”
His gaze swept over, cold as ice, gliding past Kathy as he teased, “Either kneel down and beg Lucy for forgiveness, or let these two old people take the blame.
“Your choice.”
The two elders restrained were Kathy’s weak spot.
She’d been abandoned at the orphanage door as a newborn.
Thanks to the orphanage director and her husband, Amira Lindsey, and Gauge Alvarado, she hadn’t frozen to death that winter.
Of all the orphans there, Kathy was smarter than the others from early on.
And sensitive too.
Amira and Gauge patiently guided her out of her shell, helping her grow bright and confident.
They were the reason Kathy was who she was today.
She had no parents but was never lacking love from her elders.
Justin knew this well.
Chapter 5
But to force her to apologize to Luciana, he wouldn’t hesitate to drag innocent people into it.
Kathy suddenly smiled.
A faint smile blossomed, a shallow dimple on her lips.
Justin’s eyes flickered, then darkened again.
He didn’t know when she’d stopped ever smiling at him.
Coldness grew in his eyes.
He repressed a sudden surge of anger, clenching his teeth.
A disobedient woman must be tamed.
Break her wings, crush her pride, and she’ll curl up in his arms and let him spoil her.
Luciana watched the silent fight in their eyes, feeling uneasy. She deliberately swung the golf club in her hand.
“Justin, forget it. I really can’t bring myself to hit two elders.
“Besides, in Mrs. Garrett’s eyes, I’m just a pet. She looks down on me. Forget about her lowering herself to apologize.”
Anyone with ears could hear her fanning the flames.
But Justin always fell for it.
His face turned cold, lips curling in a mocking smile.
“If I respect her, she’s Mrs. Garrett. If I don’t, she’s nothing.
“Hit her! I’m right here!”
Chapter S
11
Luciana was pleased, though she still said, “You’re giving the word–if I don’t hit, I’d be ungrateful.”
Then she swung the golf club hard, whistling through the air.
A blur flashed by.
Kathy lunged forward, shielding the two elders.
The club struck her with a dull thud, and she collapsed into their arms
with a gasp.
“Stop! I’ll kneel!”
A man who could throw away his own son wouldn’t hesitate to hurt unrelated elders.
Kathy couldn’t let them suffer. She had no other choice.
“No, Kathy! You can’t kneel!”
Amira struggled, but the guards held her tight.
where
Kathy lost focus for a second–someone kicked the back of her knees. She dropped to the ground.
“Where’s the bowing? Just kneeling’s not enough!”
A hand grabbed her hair, forcing her head down.
“You’re so stubborn. That’s not the way to ask for forgiveness.
“Relax. Tensing your neck will only hurt more.
“Apologize. What, cat got your tongue?”
With every line, Justin slammed her head into the ground.
Chapter
The dull thuds made the elders cry. But Luciana beamed with joy.
She intentionally pouted and said, “Justin, be careful now. If you break her, I’ll get blamed.”
The first slam made stars dance in Kathy’s vision.
She struggled instinctively, but Justin held her firm.
The second made her strangely clear–headed.
Each slam shattered whatever good still clung to the cracks in her heart, scattering to the ground in pieces.
By the third, whether from shock or numbness, Kathy didn’t feel a thing.
After her husband’s betrayal and her son’s brutal death, nothing could hurt her anymore.
By the fifth, Justin finally let go.
Blood stained the floor. Her forehead was split open, her face smeared with blood, and she collapsed–motionless.
“Feel better, baby?”
Justin held Luciana close, gazing at her lovingly, as if she were a treasure and the one on the floor was trash.
Luciana giggled sweetly as he led her upstairs.
The freed elders helped Kathy up and rushed her to the hospital.
The scans showed surface injuries and a mild concussion. She had to stay
for observation.
Before leaving, Amira gripped her hand, hesitating as she said, “Kathy,
Chapter 5
hard life is still a life. But if it really can’t go on, then get divorced.
“If it comes to the worst, come home. Help Gauge and me–we’ll make room for you.”
Her eyes brimmed with pain, and her hand kept passing warmth into Kathy’s.
But they never knew–it wasn’t that Kathy didn’t want to divorce. She couldn’t.
283 Vers
Chapter
She clung to hope, thinking maybe he’d change.
Instead, she compromised again and again, then fell silent.
And he, emboldened by her silence, grew bolder.
Eventually, there was no love left–only control. And he reveled in it more and more.
She, on the other hand, had been pushed to the edge.
11
Kathy lowered her gaze, burying the emotions that hadn’t stirred in a long time. She didn’t want these messy memories to disturb the peaceful life of the two elderly.
She smiled gently and nodded. “Don’t worry, Amira. I know what I’m doing. Life will only get better.”
After one day in the hospital, Kathy signed herself out.
She hadn’t forgotten–an important research topic was still in the works.
Only seven days remained until submission.
She went back to the house the past couple of days but got delayed by Luciana. Even reading was a struggle.
Kathy took a deep breath.
This topic was her way out–her breakthrough. It was the first crucial step in taking back what she was owed. Failure was not an option.
But life, as always, didn’t go as planned.
She had just returned to her rented apartment and hadn’t even unpacked when she got a call from Justin’s assistant.
2007–chers
