Christian's POV
It wasn't just the usual crowd anymore. Even the bored, spoiled trust fund brats were suddenly wide-eyed with excitement, practically bouncing on their heels.
Then, with a sharp crack, a glass bottle nailed me in the side of the head and exploded on impact. The sting of alcohol combined with the warmth of blood as both flowed down my face. My head spun, everything around me lurching sideways like a ride gone off the rails.
The punk who scored the hit shrieked with glee, skipping to collect their $10 million prize from Jillian as if they hit the jackpot.
I didn't have time to be a sitting duck. I knew if I stood there like some helpless target, I'd get torn apart. So I forced myself forward.
I had to keep moving.
That first throw got everyone fired up. Bottles started flying everywhere, crashing like a storm of glass and cheap whiskey. Most of them missed, breaking harmlessly on the stairs around me, but that only made the next volley more reckless.
By the time the last one broke, the entire staircase looked like a war zone. Jagged shards coated the steps like a minefield.
I had been so focused on dodging that I didn't notice until my foot landed wrong, slipped, and I crashed face-first into the floor.
Agony ripped through me.
Glass tore into my skin like razors, slicing across my arms, my chest, my hands. Blood poured freely, painting a crimson trail across the dirty concrete.
Off to the side, the butler leaned toward Jillian, her voice low but nervous. "Miss Schulz, Sir Christian already has anemia. If this keeps up, he might bleed out…"
Jillian gave a small smile, her tone light and almost chipper. "I know. That's why I told the maid to make him some iron-rich soup."
Then she added, casually flipping her hair out of her face, "This is all just to teach Christian a lesson. So he stops bullying Austin."
She gave me another once-over, her expression flat.
"Besides, didn't you see? He keeps heading for the rooftop. It's dangerous up there. If he falls, that's on him. Maybe once he sees the stairs are covered in broken glass, he'll come to his senses."
But what she didn't see coming was that even with my body shredded, bleeding, and half broken, I still managed to get back up.
Trembling, I pushed myself up from the ground.
One foot in front of the other, I kept climbing. Every step drove glass deeper into the soles of my feet. My shoes were soaked with blood by the time I reached the third stair.
Behind me, the crowd quieted, and even Jillian's smirk faltered as she looked uneasy, maybe realizing this wasn't going as she thought.
But before guilt could settle, Austin leaned into her side, his voice soft and whiny like a lovesick teen.
"Jill, can't you tell? Christian is doing this just to get under your skin. He knows damn well there's no exit that way. He's just too proud to admit he's wrong."
Then he paused, let the silence do the talking.
"All those guys who marry into wealthy families? They know how to behave. They'd crawl through fire just to please their wives. But Christian? He keeps fighting back. Always challenging you."
Austin lowered his voice to ensure she caught the next line. "Sometimes I wonder... does he even love you? If he doesn't, then why'd he marry into the Schulz family to begin with?"
And that was all it took.
Jillian's face darkened like a storm cloud rolling in.
"So that's it," she snapped. "All that sweet-talking, all that playing the loyal husband—it was all just a damn act? You're just like every other gold-digging pretty boy. You played me into marrying you. All for the money!"
Her voice dropped colder, eyes narrowing like a blade.
"You wanna keep playing tough? Keep pushing your luck? Fine. Let's break your legs and see how far that attitude takes you."
Two of the wealthy kids stepped forward, baseball bats already in their hands and matching grins across their smug faces.
I barely had time to brace.
One of the bats came down hard on my knee, and I heard the crunch before I felt it.
I dropped, my whole body buckling under the pain. My knees hit the glass, and more shards tore into me like they were hungry for blood.
I never thought it'd come to this.
I never thought the woman I once loved would stand there and watch while I was beaten like an animal.
Following her car crash, she completely lost her memory of her identity. I discovered her, almost unresponsive, by the roadside. I dedicated every penny I had to healing her. Six months of my life vanished in the process.
I cleaned her wounds, fed her, kept her warm, and helped her recover her ability to walk. I gave her everything.
She once looked me dead in the eyes and told me she'd make me the happiest man alive.
To buy me a watch for my birthday, she took on three delivery jobs. She delivered food all night just to make it happen. She handed me that watch with the brightest smile I've ever seen.
"Christian," she said, "one day, I'll give you the best the world has to offer."
But everything changed the second she regained her memory, rejoined the Schulz family, and had a private talk with Austin.
After that, everything changed.
She constantly looked at me with suspicion, doubting everything I said, while trusting Austin completely.
And to protect the man who murdered our daughter, she had my eyes sewn shut, dumped me in this hellhole, and let these people humiliate and torture me.
I should have seen it coming. We may have been a mistake from the start.
Still bleeding, trembling, I reached for the black diamond earring I'd kept hidden. My fingertips found it.
I took a breath and once again said calmly, "I want a new wife. Send the helicopter. You've got one hour."
