Chapter 3

Ethan sped down the road. It was supposed to be a 20-minute drive, but with the speed he was going, he'd managed to cut the time by half.

When he'd shoved Tessa into the car earlier, she hadn't had time to fasten her seatbelt. She'd ended up losing her balance in the passenger seat and getting knocked sideways by the momentum. By the time the car screeched to a halt, she was aching all over.

She knew Ethan was punishing her for snapping at Charlotte. It was his way of standing up for his beloved woman. He coldly said, "Get out."

Tessa straightened up in her seat. She waited until she'd recovered from the bumpy ride before she opened the car door and got out.

It was nightfall, and the neon lights outside the club put up quite a colorful show as they illuminated the front steps.

Tessa's vision was limited, and though she'd tried narrowing her eyes to focus on the steps before her, she nearly missed one. She staggered and instinctively clutched the hem of Ethan's shirt to steady herself.

Ethan went still and glanced at Tessa's hand. A second later, he pried her hand away from his shirt. "I warned you not to bother with these useless games, Tessa."

Tessa's hand grazed the cold, thin air. She felt like a hole had cracked open in her heart as well, allowing the chill to seep into her core. She opened her mouth to speak, only to close it again.

Such misunderstandings had occurred in the past few years, and Tessa had grown tired of explaining herself. She simply stood on the steps and waited for Ethan to enter the club.

Just then, his phone rang. He glanced at the screen and said to Tessa, "Go in without me. I'll join you shortly."

Tessa recalled the bullying she'd had to endure from his friends and hesitated. But when she caught the sharp look Ethan threw her way, she took a deep breath and slowly entered the club.

Azure Club was the usual hangout spot for Ethan and his friends. It accorded its patrons complete privacy, and even the lounges were flawlessly soundproofed. As Tessa made her way through the club, she couldn't hear anything other than the shuffle of the waiters' feet against the ground.

It was only through muscle memory that she found the door of the lounge, which Ethan and his friends usually occupied. The door was slightly ajar, and the riotous noise in the lounge came through the gap. It hurt her eardrums.

She did not move to enter the lounge and instead kicked the door open.

When the door swung open, a basin dropped from where it'd been placed atop the door. Sticky liquid splashed onto the ground.

Based on past experiences, Tessa gathered that the liquid was glue. It would take her two or three days to wash the glue from her hair and skin. Even then, she would break out into rashes because of her allergy.

Tessa had barely heaved a breath of relief when someone darted out of the lounge.

"Ethan's lapdog is here! She looks like she could use a facial!"

Suddenly, an abrasive substance was splashed directly into her eyes. She screamed in pain as her eyes stung and burned. She backed away from the door instinctively, but someone tripped her and caused her to fall to the ground.

Tessa looked so pathetic that everyone in the lounge began laughing at her. The pain from her eyes was enough to make her chest tighten. It felt like countless microscopic beings were slicing the surface of her eyes with knives.

She couldn't help the tears that streamed down her face.

Tessa managed to force her eyes open, and through the narrow slit and her blurry vision, she noted the figure approaching her. He beheld her helpless form with twisted admiration before snorting.

"You look like a dog." He paused, then added, "You're just as useless and pathetic as your father!"

An intense roaring filled Tessa's head. She had no idea where she got the strength from, but she leaped to her feet and lunged at the man. "You and your family are the useless, pathetic ones, Derek! You think you can accomplish anything by picking on a woman?"

She had gone mad with anger as she seized Derek Gallagher and beat him up while hurling abuse at him.

"Fuck! Let me go, you bitch!" Derek cried in pain. He grabbed Tessa's wrists to pry her away from him, but she gripped fistfuls of his hair and refused to let go.

When she knew she could not beat him, she resorted to scratching, biting, punching, and kicking him instead. She couldn't care less about her maneuvers and only wanted to make him pay.

Chaos erupted around them. Some screamed while others urged them to stop fighting, but Tessa did not hear them at all. Thoughts and memories clamored in her mind, making her relive random moments of her past.

She recalled how Adam had continued working despite running a high fever and spent New Year's Day in his research laboratory, all so he could do something for his patients. He would never have gone against his conscience to hurt anyone on purpose.

She figured that there was more to the case against Langford Corporation than what everyone believed!

Tessa wouldn't stand for anyone insulting Adam. Resentment, bitterness, and rage welled up within her. She bit Derek's ear and slowly clenched her jaw. He howled, "Have you lost your mind, Tessa?"

"Let go of him! You'll kill him at this rate!" someone yelled.

"Call the cops!"

The noise around her rose in pitch and rang in Tessa's ears, but she couldn't care less. She only wanted to make Derek pay for insulting her father!

Suddenly, someone reached out and grabbed her jaw. She cast a sidelong, impassive glance at Ethan, who had materialized in the lounge. He ordered, "Let go."

Tessa ignored him, but he gripped her face tightly enough to shatter her jaw, forcing her to release her bite. He immediately pulled her toward him, and the scent of pine filled her nose. She frowned and struggled to break free.

Ethan tightened his arm around her and pinned her to his chest.

Freed from Tessa's bite, Derek looked up to reveal his bloody, scratched-up face. The worst of his gashes ran from the highest point of his left cheek down to his jaw. He looked worse for wear.

His ear, in particular, was gushing blood. "Fuck," he cursed as he touched his face. He curled his fist and stormed up to Tessa, ready to punch her.

"That's enough!" Ethan growled, stopping Derek.

Anger flashed in Derek's eyes, but he obeyed Ethan and stopped in his tracks.

"I didn't bring you here so you can run amok." Ethan gazed down at Tessa. "Apologize to Derek."

Tessa wryly noted that Ethan seemed to have developed a habit of making his wife apologize to others. In just half a day, he'd already forced her to apologize twice. However, she didn't respond.

Derek was overwhelmed with emotions. "How would her apologizing help? It won't bring my sister back! Even if an apology were due, both she and her useless father should apologize to my sister!"

There was a reason Derek hated Tessa with such passion. His sister had been diagnosed with cancer, and her condition was under control until she took medication produced by Langford Corporation. Her cancer worsened rapidly after that, and she passed away.

But none of that gave Derek the right to insult Adam.

"I will not apologize," Tessa said flatly. "And you don't get to tell me what to do."

Her attitude grated on Ethan's nerves. He fixed her with an icy stare. "Are you seriously arguing with me when you started the fight with Derek? Don't be ridiculous! I'm done putting up with your madwoman behavior and nonsense, Tessa!"

Tessa's tempestuous emotions suddenly calmed down when she heard Ethan roaring at her. She eyed him steadily as black spots appeared in her vision once more.

"Then let's get a divorce. I only ask that you return the corneas you stole from me. I'm going blind."