Chapter 5

Bradley clenched his fists and made up his mind.

‘I have to get out of here.’

Not only that, he had to get his hands on the marriage certificate. Otherwise, he would never be able to prove his innocence, let alone divorce Lilian.

Fortunately, Lilian had not restricted his movements. She had only ordered the bodyguards to guard the door and make sure he did not leave.

Bradley slipped into Lilian's study and spotted the safe.

However, no matter how many times he entered a password, none of them worked. He tried his birthday, Lilian's birthday, and even the anniversary of the day they got together.

Finally, Bradley pulled out his phone and searched for Matthias's birthday.

Click!

The safe sprang open.

Bradley stared at the open door, feeling as if something had pierced straight through his heart. A bitter laugh escaped him.

"So, you stopped loving me a long time ago. How ridiculous."

Then he spotted the marriage certificate inside.

However, just as he reached for it, a piercing alarm blared throughout the mansion. All the lights suddenly went out, plunging the house into darkness. Outside the study, hurried footsteps and panicked voices rang out.

"Someone broke into Ms. Johnson's study without permission! Find them immediately!"

Bradley realized that opening the safe had triggered the security alarm. Although the safe could be opened with the correct password, it would also trigger an alarm if it detected that someone other than Lilian was accessing it.

Bradley quickly stuffed the marriage certificate into his pocket and made his way out in the darkness.

He felt his way along the wall. Just as he reached the doorway, someone suddenly threw a huge sack over his head. A heavy blow struck the back of his skull, and he blacked out instantly.

When he woke up, he was still trapped inside the sack. He could hear one of Lilian's bodyguards speaking nearby.

"Ms. Johnson said to break his arms and legs, then dump him outside the police station."

Bradley's heart jolted. His throat was hoarse as he called out, "I'm Bradley! Let me speak to Lilian. I'm her husband."

Suddenly, the sack was yanked off his head with a loud rustle. A man looked down at his face and broke into a mocking grin.

"Husband? Ms. Johnson's husband is Mr. Brooks. What the hell are you?

"You stole something on Johnson Group's property, yet you still have the nerve to pretend you’re the husband of the woman in charge of the Johnson family?"

Bradley had never seen this man before. The bodyguard had probably been hired by Lilian recently. The few bodyguards Bradley knew personally usually stayed close to Lilian to protect her, so it made sense that this man did not recognize him.

Bradley struggled to lift his head.

"I really am Lilian's husband. If you don't believe me, you can call her."

Before he could finish, the bodyguard cut him off coldly.

"Call her? Do you not know that Ms. Johnson is attending a concert with Mr. Brooks tonight? She ordered everyone not to disturb them before they went inside.

"Enough nonsense. Teach this thief a lesson. Make it hurt!”

The next moment, a baseball bat came crashing down, striking Bradley hard across the back.

"Ah!"

He cried out and collapsed onto the floor, pain ripping through his body.

"Ms. Johnson ordered us to break his arms and legs. Keep hitting him!"

Bam!

Another blow slammed into his lower back. Bradley no longer had the strength to stand.

One of the bodyguards stepped forward and brought his foot down hard on Bradley's wrist.

"Wait! I really am her husband. I have the marriage certificate in my pocket. I just took it from the safe. Look at it, and you will believe me!"

At last, the storm of blows came to a temporary stop. The bodyguards pinned Bradley to the floor and searched his pockets.

The marriage certificate slipped from Bradley's hand and fluttered to the floor. The head bodyguard pushed past the others to pick it up, but one glance at the document was all it took. His brows drew together, and a moment later, anger flashed across his face.

Bam!

He drove his fist into Bradley's face. A sharp, metallic taste filled Bradley's mouth as blood burst from his nose.

"You little b*stard! You think you can fool me?

"Open your eyes and take a good look. Do you even know what is written on this marriage certificate?"

The man grabbed Bradley by the hair and yanked his head up, forcing him to look.

Bradley's blood ran cold. It felt as if the ground had vanished beneath him and he had plunged straight into a frozen abyss.

The photograph and name on the marriage certificate clearly did not belong to him. They belonged to Matthias.

"H-how is that possible?" Bradley stammered. "Lilian and I got legally married. We have a marriage certificate.

"That’s impossible."

"The names and signatures are right there in black and white! Have you lost your damn mind? Beat him until he’s dead!"

Bam!

As the bat came down again, Bradley's last desperate hope collapsed along with it. It was as if he had fallen straight into hell.

He endured more than a hundred blows. Then, with a violent gurgle, he vomited blood, and his head slammed heavily against the floor.