This was crossing the line.
Half an hour later, drenched in rain and sweat, I shoved open the front door.
Inside, the room was dimly lit, flickering candlelight casting warm glows across two figures seated at the table.
Glen raised his wine glass, clinking it lightly against Wynona’s. The moment he noticed me, he stood up with mock surprise. "Mr. Saunders, you’re back?"
"I’m so sorry," he apologized. "It started raining out of nowhere. Mrs. Rhodes was kind enough to lend me these so I wouldn’t catch a cold."
I looked at Wynona.
She was seated gracefully at the dining table, makeup flawless as always, but her eyes were cold. As if I were nothing more than a stranger who had barged in on something intimate.
"Why didn’t you tell me you were coming home?"
Her tone was cool, detached.
I clenched my fists, forcing myself to stay calm. "This is my home. Do I need your permission to walk through the door?"
Before she could respond, Glen stepped forward again, his voice dripping with artificial guilt. "Please, Mr. Saunders, don’t get the wrong idea. I was only here to drop off some documents. I didn’t mean to overstay… the rain caught me off guard…"
I finally could not stand it any longer. "Is borrowing my pajamas also part of delivering documents? And the candlelit dinner? Was that on the schedule, too?"
"Get out."
Glen took a half step back, his expression painted with mock panic. His eyes shimmered faintly, as if on cue.
"I’m really sorry… this is all my fault… I’ll change right away…"
As he spoke, his fingers slowly unbuttoned the pajama top, deliberately drawing out the movement. His eyes darted toward Wynona, searching for a reaction.
Sure enough, she stood abruptly and stepped between us.
"Noah, that’s enough!" she snapped. "Glen is my guest. Who do you think you are, treating him like this?"
"Guest?" I let out a dry laugh. "Fine. Let your guest stay. I’m leaving."
I turned and stormed into the bedroom, pulling clothes from the wardrobe and stuffing them into a backpack without care.
Wynona made a move to stop me, but Glen caught her sleeve gently. She hesitated, then slowly sat back down.
On my way past the study, I paused. I pushed the door open to retrieve my mother’s portrait. The frame lay shattered on the floor, glass in pieces. A large footprint marred the photograph, right across her face.
My chest instantly tightened.
"Who did this?" I asked quietly, trying to contain the fury pulsing through me.
Glen appeared behind me, feigning remorse. "I’m so sorry, Mr. Saunders… I must’ve knocked it over while I was showering. I’ll get you a new one, I swear."
"Knocked it over?" I repeated slowly, turning to face his fake guilty expression. "Did you knock it over—or did you stomp on it on purpose?"
His eyes flickered, just for a moment. Then his pitiful expression returned. "I didn’t mean to… Please don’t be mad…"
Wynona appeared at the doorway, her brows furrowed in irritation. "Noah, Glen already apologized. What more do you want?"
"It’s just a picture of your mother. I’ll reprint it tomorrow."
"He said he didn’t mean it. Do you really have to make a scene over something like this?"
Her words were the spark that lit the fuse.
In an instant, the anger I had been holding back exploded. I lunged forward, grabbed Glen by the collar and slammed him hard against the wall.
"Who the hell do you think you are?" I shouted. "How dare you touch my mother’s picture?"
For a moment, his eyes widened in panic. But just as quickly, they filled with tears. "Mr. Saunders… I swear, I didn’t mean to…"
Wynona rushed to my side, grabbing my arm. "Noah! Have you lost your mind? Let him go!"
But I did not even hear her.
Blinded by rage, I grabbed a fistful of his hair and slammed his head against the wall. A dull, sickening thud echoed through the room. Blood immediately began to trickle from his nose, mixing with the red swelling on his forehead.
"Noah, stop! Stop it!"
Wynona’s scream rang out, her hands clawing desperately at mine as she tried to pull me away.
Glen finally dropped the facade. The mask of politeness he always wore cracked, revealing the twisted malice beneath as he glared at me.
Yet his voice remained soft and pitiful. "Mr. Saunders… if you do this, your wife will be upset…"
"Upset?" I slammed him against the wall again. "Her opinion has nothing to do with me."
Wynona rushed forward, wrapping her arms protectively around him before turning to glare at me.
"Noah, have you completely lost your mind? You’re being ridiculous!" she screamed. "We’re done. We'll finalize our divorce tomorrow."
I slapped her hard across the face.
"This isn’t something you can just walk away from with a simple divorce, Wynona Rhodes."
"You can rip my heart to shreds, but you will never insult my mother and walk away like it means nothing."
"If I don’t make you both pay, I don't deserve to carry the name 'Saunders' another day, for the rest of my life!"
