Ashton's POV
“Ashton, you’re so pathetic now!” Christian sneered. “You can’t even dance better than me anymore. And the woman you married was someone I threw away out of pity for you. If I were you, I’d have died of shame already!”
I lifted my gaze to meet his and calmly asked, “Shouldn’t you be the one ashamed? You couldn’t beat me with skill, so you waited until I was injured to make your move. Your dancing talent is so awful. Has it ever occurred to you to try another career?”
My words hit him like a slap as Christian’s face twisted with rage, and he kicked my wheelchair hard. “You bastard! You’re a useless cripple now, yet you still dare to act proud in front of me?”
He grabbed the handles of my wheelchair and pushed me toward the garden pond outside the dance hall, laughing as he went. “Tell me, does Seraphina call you 'sweetie' when you’re in bed?”
He smirked. “Funny thing, she used to call me that way, too. She gave it to me because I loved sweets as a kid. Cute, right?”
Then his grin turned vicious. “Ashton, I’m going to make you watch as I take everything you ever had. How about we run a little experiment? You’ll see who she really cares about!”
Before I could react, he yanked my wheelchair and sent both of us crashing into the pond.
“Sweetie!”
A desperate cry split the air—Seraphina’s voice.
The water churned violently, and a shadow jumped in. I struggled to stay afloat and saw Seraphina swimming toward me. I reached out for her, but her hands bypassed mine. She grabbed Christian instead, pulling him up while I sank beneath the surface.
So, she was truly calling him “Sweetie.”
A bitter smile curved my lips before darkness claimed me. When I woke again, it was thanks to a kind stranger who’d pulled me from the water.
But the first thing I saw was Seraphina clutching Christian tightly in her arms. He was crying into her chest, while she whispered soothingly, her eyes never once glancing my way.
“Don’t be scared, sweetheart. I'm here. I’ll never let anything happen to you,” she comforted.
I smiled bitterly and was about to turn away, but Christian suddenly pointed at me, his tone filled with false remorse. “It’s my fault. I shouldn’t have pulled him into the water when he tried to hit me with his wheelchair. I just lost my balance. I didn’t mean to.”
Seraphina froze for a second. When she looked at me, her eyes were full of accusation, though her voice remained calm. “I’m sure it was just an accident. What matters is that you’re both safe.”
Christian frowned, clearly displeased that she hadn’t taken his side more openly.
Later, when no one else was around, Seraphina pulled me aside. “Ashton, Christian is still young and innocent. Even if you’re angry, you shouldn’t take it out on him or worse, try to hurt him like that.”
I almost laughed. Of course, she didn’t believe me.
“I’m in a wheelchair,” I said coldly. “And he’s perfectly healthy. You really think I could hurt him?”
She frowned, then countered, “Whether it was intentional or not, I don’t want something like this happening again.”
Then, as if realizing her words were too harsh, she softened her tone. “Christian is my brother’s only son. If anything happened to him, we’d both have a hard time explaining it.”
“Fine. Got it,” I flatly said, not bothering to argue.
She hesitated then, as if it just occurred to her that she hadn’t even checked on me since I’d been rescued. Her hand twitched like she wanted to reach out.
But before she could take a step, Christian let out a loud cry from behind us, complaining of pain.
And just like that, Seraphina turned and ran back to him without a second thought.
