Chapter 3
Hugh slammed the guy in charge to the ground, raining punch after punch without holding back. He took down the whole group, leaving them with busted heads, bloodied, and pleading for mercy.
“We’re sorry, Mr. Johnston! We messed up! Please, show us some mercy and let us go!”
“Get lost! You’ll regret it if I ever catch you near Natalie again!” Hugh shouted, his voice seething with fury.
Terrified, the men scattered like rats.
A crowd had gathered in the stairwell, drawn by the noise. Hugh ignored their nosy looks and helped Natalie to her feet.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
Natalie threw herself into his arms, tears streaming down her face. “I twisted my ankle. It hurts so bad.”
Hugh’s expression turned grim. He scooped her up and shoved his way through the onlookers, moving fast. As he shielded Natalie in his arms, his elbow accidentally knocked Kelly down.
Kelly’s head slammed into the edge of the steps, splitting open, and blood started pouring out. The crowd gasped in horror.
“You’re bleeding! Somebody call 911, now!”
Kelly’s face twisted in pain as cold sweat broke across her skin. Warm blood seeped through her fingers, dripping onto her lashes, every drop weighing her down like a ton of bricks.
She watched Hugh walk away without sparing her a glance, the bitter taste of it spreading in her mouth.
She couldn’t help but think back to when she’d nicked her finger making soup for him. He’d freak out, insisting on calling a doctor just to be safe, worried she might end up with a scar. She’d always joke that he was overreacting.
He’d look down, kiss her hand, and softly say, “Kel, you’re the one I care about most. When you’re hurt, it hurts me even more. Things are better for us now. You shouldn’t be doing that kind of work. One day, your hand will wear the ring I give you, and scars would only mess with its beauty.”
But now, she was hurt, and he didn’t even notice. The ring he promised her was now on someone else’s finger.
An ambulance took Kelly to the hospital. She checked in, saw the doctor, and picked up her medication on her own.
By the time she got home, it was already well past midnight. The pain kept her tossing and turning until dawn. Hugh never came back that night.
…
The next morning, Kelly dragged herself out of bed to change her bandage. That was when she saw Natalie’s Instagram post.
It was a video of Hugh down on one knee, massaging her foot, and putting on some medicine. Kelly replayed it over and over, her eyes getting redder, until she fell asleep without even realizing it.
When she woke up again, night had already fallen. Her phone was buzzing nonstop beside her pillow.
She answered the call, and Hugh’s voice came through. “Orcella Retreat, Room 703. Get here now.”
Kelly hesitated for a moment before climbing out of bed. After a quick wash-up, she made her way over.
When she opened the door, the first person she saw was Natalie. Her eyes were red, looking like a defenseless little bunny, fragile and hurt. Hugh was sitting there, staring at Kelly, his face unreadable.
The room was still, the silence hanging heavy.
Finally, Kelly couldn’t hold it in anymore. “Why’d you call me here?”
Hugh sat up straighter, hands clasped before him as if he was in charge. “Kel, did you send those thugs from last night after Natalie on purpose?”
Kelly froze. Her eyes darted to Natalie, catching a brief flash of satisfaction in her gaze. In that split second, she realized Natalie had probably set this whole thing up to pin it on her.
She let out a dry laugh. “I didn’t do it. I don’t even know those people, and I’m not interested in pulling something like that.”
Hugh’s face stayed serious as she explained.
He lowered his gaze, his voice steady. “Kel, I moved on from Natalie the moment she walked out on me all those years ago. We’ve been together for seven years now. You should know where my heart is.
“Yeah, the Ashworths are finished, and there are plenty of people lining up to take them down, but you don’t have to be one of them. You don’t need to go after her because of me.”
Evelyn felt like the wind had been knocked out of her. She remembered those late nights when Hugh broke down, their frantic search for doctors and treatments, the way silence took over after he was misdiagnosed and told he might never see again.
This man, who had been above all others, had lost his sight for Natalie’s sake. But now, he was brushing off those seven long years of pain like it was nothing.
Finally, Kelly remembered Hugh and Natalie’s legally sealed marriage certificate. A faint shimmer of tears gathered in her eyes.
“Seven years together, and it’s only now that I see who really has your heart,” she said.
Hugh’s eyes sharpened. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
Kelly shook her head, a wry smile on her lips. “It means I’m just the daughter of a housekeeper. How would I have the power or connections to gather a bunch of thugs and go after her?”
She laid it out as clearly as she could, but Hugh still wouldn’t believe her.
Exhausted, Kelly let out a deep breath, giving up on any hope of getting through to him. “If you don’t believe me, just tell me what you want me to do.”
Hugh pinched the bridge of his nose. “Apologize, Kel. You owe her an apology now that you’ve messed up.”
Natalie, who had been quietly playing the victim, finally spoke up. “Forget the apology. Just down all of these if you’re truly sorry.”
