Chapter 3

Then the unmistakable sounds of intimacy started.

I wanted to cover my ears. I grabbed the metal desk lamp and slammed it against the door.

Bang!

Only then did Lara seem to remember that I was still locked inside the executive lounge.

The door opened.

Looking guilty, she asked, "Honey, did you hear anything?"

My eyes drifted to the zipper on the back of her dress, still left undone.

I closed my eyes. "What do you think?"

"We didn't do anything. I was just helping Kyson learn about the human body ahead of time. It'll come in handy for him someday."

I forced down the urge to explode. "Do you have any idea how important today's project was? I poured an entire year of my life into making today happen!"

She had spent the past three months helping Kyson prepare for the SAT, barely paying any attention to the company, yet she had destroyed a year's worth of my work without a second thought.

Lara froze.

Before she could respond, Kyson let out a cold snort. "Mr. Taylor, if today's negotiation was really as important as you say, then why were you hiding in the executive lounge instead of taking part?"

Lara immediately echoed him, "Nolan, you shouldn't neglect the company's future just because you're upset with me."

My anger burned so fiercely it felt like my heart was on fire.

I tried to push past the people blocking my way, but somehow my elbow caught Kyson across the face.

Before I could even react, Lara shoved me hard into the wall. A sharp pain shot through my spine, nearly forcing me to collapse.

She gently cupped Kyson's face, where the outline of my hand was already beginning to appear. Her eyes were filled with heartbreak.

"Nolan! How could you hit him? He's just a child!"

I swallowed the bitterness rising in my chest and let out a cold laugh. "So which is it? Is Kyson an adult, or is he a child?"

Lara's face shifted from pale to flushed before settling into an ugly scowl. "How did I ever end up marrying a man this petty? Nolan, just wait."

She carefully helped Kyson to his feet before leading him into the elevator.

I found my phone in the trash can outside the executive office.

After picking it up, I called my attorney to check on the progress of the property division. Just four or five more days, then I'd be able to throw the divorce papers in Lara's face.

As I reached my car in the parking garage and was about to open the door, a burlap sack suddenly dropped over my head.

Two large men overpowered me and dragged me to a deserted area on the outskirts of town. One twisted my arms behind my back. The other stood in front of me and began hitting me across the face over and over.

My vision blurred, and the taste of blood filled my mouth.

After a hundred blows, my ears rang so violently that everything sounded distant.

Even so, Lara's voice came through with startling clarity. "Kyson, you're an adult now. You decide how Nolan should be punished."

I felt as if I'd been struck by lightning. I couldn't believe the woman I'd been married to for seven years had become this person.

…

For the sake of a boy she'd sponsored, she was handing me over for him to punish?

Kyson wrapped an arm around Lara's waist and rubbed his cheek against hers with feigned innocence. "Isn't this a little much?"

Lara affectionately tapped the bridge of his nose. "Don't worry. There aren't any security cameras here. You can do whatever you want."

Kyson thought for a moment before turning to look at me, my face bruised and swollen. "Since Lara said so, why don't you guys help Mr. Taylor learn his lesson?"

The two thugs hesitated, waiting for Lara's instruction.

Blood filled my mouth until I could barely breathe. "Lara, we've been husband and wife for seven years. Let's end this with some dignity."

The gentle, compassionate woman everyone thought they knew seemed to tear off her mask.

With a vicious expression, she snapped her fingers. "If you can't even spare a child, then today I'll make sure you learn your lesson."

The two men charged at me. Their fists crashed into my body again and again, each sickening impact swallowed by the ringing in my ears.

Lara lifted a hand to cover Kyson's eyes and softly coaxed him, "Don't look. You'll get polluted."