Chapter 351 Thoroughly Hurt Once

Chapter 351 Thoroughly Hurt Once

The cup slipped from her hand and crashed to the floor.

Then Ronald's face appeared before her—a face that might look handsome to others, but now seemed terrifying to her.

"Lydia, what's wrong? Did I scare you?"

Ronald took a seat across from her.

A server noticed the broken cup and hurried over to clean it up.

Only then did she manage to steady herself from the shock.

"How... how did you find me here?" Lydia asked.

He smiled. "I kept calling you, but you wouldn't pick up. I was worried, so I tracked you down. When you were in the hospital before, I set up location sharing between your phone and mine, so no matter where you are, I can find you."

She shuddered again. It was terrifying—suffocating.

Ronald's smile now looked twisted.

He didn't notice her expression and said, "I checked where you've been these past few days. It seems like you've been staying in one place for quite a while. Have you been alone?"

"Yes." She took a sip of the hot water the server had just brought her.

"And you still didn't call me? I've finished my work for now, so I can spend a few days with you," he said.

She thought to herself, 'There was no need for that.'

But knowing him as she did, she knew that if she didn't go along with him, he might lose his temper again.

"I'm planning to head back to Cloud Town in the next couple of days," Lydia said.

"Why not stay a few more days? Now that the weather's getting colder, how about we visit the snowy mountains?"

"There's nothing much to see there—just barren mountains."

"So what do you usually do for fun?"

"I just find a nice place to eat, sit around, drink tea, and zone out—the day just passes," Lydia said.

Ronald took her hand and said, "Then I'll just sit with you and zone out."

……

Later that day, they went back to the hotel together.

Since Lydia was staying alone, she had booked a room with a large bed, so Ronald didn't need to get his own room.

When they entered the room, he began sniffing around like a dog, moving from place to place.

"I've been alone all these days. No man has stayed here," she uttered.

Ronald laughed again. "It's not that I don't trust you. I just want to check if there are any hidden cameras or anything like that. A lot of hotels these days aren't safe—some even had dead bodies found under the beds."

She felt utterly sick of him.

How had she ever fall for him in the first place? How had she ended up sleeping with him?

Seeing nothing unusual, Ronald hugged her again and then, unable to wait, threw her onto the bed.

As soon as he threw her onto the bed, he lunged at her.

Lydia instinctively resisted. She had completely lost interest in him—not just lost interest, but felt disgusted.

Seeing her resist, he couldn't help but ask, "We haven't seen each other for so long, don't you miss me, Lydia?"

"I'm tired," she said, trying to push him away.

But he wouldn't let up. "I'm not tired."

"Ronald, I don't want this."

"I do. You're my wife—you have to do what I want. Do you know how much I've missed you all this time?"

The more he tried to force himself on her, the more fiercely Lydia fought back.

Her knee accidentally struck him in the stomach.

Ronald froze in place.

In that instant, he grew angry and immediately slapped her. "Lydia, I went through all that trouble to find you, and this is how you treat me?"

Seeing him lose his temper, Lydia felt a flicker of fear.

If they truly got into a fight, she wouldn't stand a chance against him.

She had no choice but to stop resisting.

Seeing her compliance, Ronald said, "There we go, that's my good wife. Don't forget, we're still legally married—this is your duty."

Lydia gritted her teeth and endured it. No matter what he did, she didn't resist.

This was an unfamiliar place—she couldn't risk getting into a conflict with him, or no one would be able to help her.

After staying at the hotel for two days, they returned to Cloud Town.

At the airport, Lydia secretly took emergency contraceptive pills. She could not allow herself to get pregnant again.

Mrs. Graves was still there. Seeing them return, she eagerly cooked for Lydia and took care of her.

Lydia knew Mrs. Graves genuinely cared about her, but she couldn't stay by her side forever. Lydia still had to walk her own path.

Back home, Ronald wanted to have sex again.

This time, Lydia didn't go along with him. She resisted. "Didn't you already do it several times over there? Why again?"

Ronald whined, "You're so beautiful—how could two days ever be enough?"

"I'm tired. I don't want to." This time, she refused firmly.

He tried to force her, but Lydia yelled at him, "I said I don't want to! Can you please stop?"

Her shout stunned Ronald for a moment.

He pushed her down and tried to force himself on her.

He couldn't believe he couldn't control his own wife!

This time, Lydia fought back desperately. "Ronald, I want a divorce!"

"What? What did you say?" Ronald's anger flared instantly.

"I want a divorce!" As she spoke, Lydia secretly sent an emergency text to the police.

"Why do you want to divorce me?" Ronald's eyes reddened like an enraged lion as he shook Lydia violently.

"I don't want to be with you anymore. I just want a divorce."

"I don't agree—I absolutely don't agree!"

"I've had enough of you. You not only hit your wife, but you also secretly track me. Living with you makes me feel suffocated. I have to be on guard every day in case you hit me," Lydia said firmly.

"Didn't I say I wouldn't hit you anymore?"

"Then who did you hit in the hotel that day?"

Ronald became agitated. He suddenly slapped Lydia across the face. "So what if I hit you?"

This time, Lydia didn't hold back and fought him.

But how could her strength compare to Ronald's? Once his temper flared, he grabbed her hair and slapped her repeatedly.

Then came the barrage of punches and kicks.

Mrs. Graves heard the commotion and knocked frantically on the door from outside.

Fortunately, the police arrived in time and rescued Lydia.

By then, Lydia was covered in injuries—her face bruised and swollen, with a large clump of hair torn out.

But she didn't cry. Instead, a cold smile appeared on her face.

Without enduring this ordeal fully, she wouldn't be able to secure the divorce.

She went with the police to document her injuries and then filed a report at the station. Ronald was detained for fifteen days on domestic violence charges.

……

That day, after work, Matilda saw someone standing at her office door, wearing a scarf, face mask, and sunglasses.

Matilda felt that the person looked familiar.

"Can I help you?" Matilda asked.

The person in front of her took off the sunglasses and mask.

Matilda froze. "Lydia? What happened to you?"

Lydia now looked bruised, swollen, and haggard—nothing like her former self.