Page 53 of My Ruthless Husband

My head is pounding, and my heart feels like it’s been torn apart. This can’t be real.

Dad can’t… he is the sweetest man I know. He might’ve cut ties with me, but he could never stoop so low by hurting Damian. He just disapproved of my relationship with Damian because he wanted me to marry his business partner’s son, Edward McAllister.

It had strained my dad’s decades old friendship with Richard McAllister. I had humiliated him publicly. Because I was so much in love with Damian that I blindly went where my heart wanted me to go. And now I’m finding out that my marriage was never about me. It was about him and his agenda that somehow involves my dad.

I take an unsteady step back, swaying. And after a beat, I feel his touch on my upper arms.

Even in the shock, the feeling of his fingers against my skin stands out. I can feel his touch, hear his voice but it feels distant, like I’m floating in a sea of confusion.

I try to free myself but end up pressed against his chest. It feels like a stranger is embracing me. Is this the same man who I was so crazy about?

Now everything is clear. I finally understand why he changed after our marriage. Why he’s been so distant, so cold. Damian’s words echo in my mind again. He said my father ruined his life. But if that’s true, does it mean he married me to destroy mine in return? Was I just another way for him to punish both me and my father?

I don’t even know what to believe anymore. I’m left with so many questions, so much heartache.

I think I’m in shock. It’s the only explanation for the sudden numbness and the heavy silence that wraps around me. I can see Damian’s lips moving, but the words don’t register—everything feels muffled, like I’m underwater. My head spins, and if it weren’t for Damian’s grip on me, I would have crumpled to the floor.

The cool glass presses against my lips and water slides down my throat.

Tears blur my vision as I try to make sense of the chaos inside my mind. My entire world has crumbled, and I’m left with nothing but shards of a broken mirror who all but shows a distorted reflection of my life.

My husband’s voice grows sharper, more agitated. What’s happening?

His words echo in my ears again.

Because your dad ruined my life!

A heavy weight settles upon my chest, and I find myself struggling to draw in a full breath. It feels like the air has turned to lead, and each inhalation is a battle.

The door slams open, and a tall figure storms in—it's Hal, I think.

He is met by Damian’s gruff admonishment.

Why is Hal here? What’s happening? My mind is spinning, trying to process it all, but everything feels distant.

I see Hal’s mouth moving, his eyes wide with concern, but the words don’t reach me. Damian’s jaw tightens, his expression darkening by the second.

Then, suddenly, as if someone hit unmute, Hal’s voice slices through the haze. “Let me get her, sir. She is having a panic attack and she’s bleeding.”

I feel Damian’s arms tightening around me.

“She is my wife. I can take care of her.”

“But she is sweating—”

Why are they arguing? Why won’t they just let me be?

As they continue their tense exchange, my confusion deepens. A sharp throb pulses through my arm where I had torn the drip out earlier.

“Get the doctor.” Damian snaps as he wipes the sweat off my brow.

“Already on it,” Hal mutters, his voice tense. “But what I don’t get is what happened to make her—” He trails off.

Damian must’ve shot him his icy glare. The tension in the room grows palpable and I feel the remaining strength ebbing away. In the blink of an eye, my body slackens, and my eyelids grow heavy as the world fades into darkness.

???

My head throbs with a persistent ache as I open my eyes. The sharp pain in my arm draws my attention, and I gingerly lift it to find it wrapped in clean, white bandage.

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