Chapter 14

Lucas, again it was Lucas!

What more did he want from them?

Forcing her into a divorce wasn't enough—now he had to destroy Alan too?

She rushed downstairs as fast as her weakened body would allow and hailed a cab.

"Southgate Police Station! Hurry!"

Southgate Police Station.

When Angela stumbled through the entrance, her face had drained of all color.

"Alan..."

"Angela!" Chrissy, who had been huddled in the corner sobbing, looked up at Angela's arrival like a drowning person spotting a life raft, and lunged toward her desperately.

"Angela, you're finally here! That terrible man wants to send Alan to prison!"

Angela gasped for breath, forcing herself to stay upright as she gripped Chrissy's arm. "What happened? Why would Alan get into a fight with him?"

Chrissy's face was streaked with tears as she choked out between sobs, "We were... we were having dinner, and that man suddenly came over and started yelling at Alan, calling him a freeloader, and saying... saying that you and Alan had some kind of inappropriate relationship."

Angela's body swayed, nearly collapsing on the spot.

The same accusation, again.

Even now, Lucas still believed there was something improper between her and her brother.

"Angela," Chrissy watched as Angela looked ready to faint at any moment, tears streaming down her face even harder now.

She bit her lip, as if summoning all her courage, and suddenly grabbed Angela's hand.

"Listen, Alan has always cared about you, deeply!"

Angela froze, then shook her head bitterly. "No, he hates me. For three years, he refused to see me, wouldn't even accept my money."

"That's not true! It's not like that at all!" Chrissy shook her head frantically, tears soaking her face. "Alan doesn't hate you, he hates himself!"

Angela stared at her in shock. "What?"

"Alan told me that he said if it weren't for his illness, if you hadn't needed to raise money for his surgery, you would never have sold yourself to the Conway family, never would have married that man who doesn't love you and suffered for three years!"

Chrissy cried out, spilling all the truth Alan had kept locked inside his heart.

"He thinks he's a burden, that he's the reason your life turned into a tragedy! He can't face you because he feels like he's been living off your blood, and every day is torture for him!"

"That's why he deliberately acted rebellious and tried to avoid you. Actually, every time you sent him money, he secretly cried under the covers..."

"Angela, he loves you more than anyone, and he wants nothing more than for you to be happy!"

Angela felt as though her mind had gone completely blank, all surrounding sounds fading away into nothing.

Tears spilled from her eyes without warning, an unstoppable flood.

So this was the truth—her brother, who always wore that cold expression, who always spoke harshly to her, had been carrying such crushing guilt and love all along.

For three years, she had believed she was utterly alone in this world.

But he had been silently caring for her the entire time.

"Fool, such a fool," Angela whispered, covering her mouth as her entire body trembled with sobs.

At that moment, the sharp click of approaching footsteps echoed through the station.

Several impeccably dressed elite lawyers strode into the police station, led by none other than The Conway Group's chief legal counsel.

They walked with cold precision, heading straight for the mediation room without a sideways glance.

Angela took a deep breath and wiped away her tears.

If Alan had thrown that punch to protect her, then this time, she would be the one to protect him.

Angela dragged her exhausted body forward and pushed open the door to the mediation room.

Inside, the atmosphere was thick with tension.

Lucas sat with an ice pack pressed against his face, and when he saw Angela enter, he paused briefly before a mocking sneer curled at the corners of his mouth.

He tossed the ice pack onto the table.

His eyes held not a trace of affection between husband and wife, only the look of someone watching a spectacle unfold.

"Angela, you're finally here."

Lucas leaned back in his chair, his gaze sweeping over Angela's sickly, pale face with undisguised disdain.

"Rushing over so quickly, worried I might bully your little lover? Makes sense, considering he was ready to risk his life for you, attacking someone in broad daylight."

Beside him, the high-powered lawyer adjusted his glasses and produced a document with an expressionless face.

"Ms. Andrews, I represent Mr. Conway. Your brother, Alan Andrews, is being charged with assault and battery, having caused my client multiple soft tissue injuries and a suspected concussion. Given the severity of the incident and the defendant's refusal to settle."

The lawyer paused, his tone dripping with cold arrogance. "We are prepared to proceed with prosecution. According to sentencing guidelines, Alan could be looking at three to five years in prison."

"Did you hear that?" Lucas watched Angela's face drain of color, a twisted sense of satisfaction rising in his chest.

He stood up and moved closer, staring into her eyes.

"Angela, you only have one option left."

Lucas leaned in slightly, his warm breath brushing against her cold ear as he spoke words that felt like a devil's whisper, "Beg me. Get on your knees and beg me properly."

She looked at the man standing before her—Lucas.

This was the husband she had loved for three full years.

The shoulder she had longed to lean on during countless moments of pain and illness, the dignity she had tried to protect even when misunderstood and humiliated.

But now, he stood there with that superior attitude, ready to grind what little pride she had left into the dirt, and drag her only remaining family member down with her.

Every ounce of patience she had left was shattered in that instant.

"Lucas," Angela's voice came out trembling and hoarse.

Lucas raised an eyebrow, the mockery in his eyes deepening—he thought she was about to give in.

He thought Angela would finally grovel before him like she used to.

"What? Finally come to your senses? Then just—"

A sharp, resounding slap exploded through the silent mediation room!

Angela had put every ounce of strength she had left into that slap.

Lucas's head snapped violently to the side, and five distinct red welts immediately appeared across his once-flawless face.

Time seemed to freeze in that single second.

The Conway Group lawyer standing nearby was completely stunned.

Chrissy, in the corner, covered her mouth in shock.

Even Alan, his face still covered in blood, stared in disbelief at Angela, who had always been so gentle and patient.

Lucas remained frozen in place, his head still turned to the side.

The burning sting on his cheek was a harsh reminder that he had actually been slapped.

In his entire life, no one had ever dared strike him.

And now it was Angela—this woman who still needed his charity to survive—who had done it.

"Lucas, you bastard!" Angela's chest heaved violently, her eyes bloodshot, tears brimming but stubbornly refusing to fall.

"What gives you the right to treat people this way? What right do you have?!"

"If we're getting divorced anyway, if you already think I'm only after money, then why won't you leave us alone? Why do you have to push him to the breaking point?!"

Angela screamed, her voice raw and desperate.

Lucas slowly turned his head back.

His eyes, once merely cold, now churned with towering fury.

He ran his tongue over the inside of his stinging cheek, tasting blood, and let out a chilling laugh.

"Angela, you dare to hit me?"