"Huh?" Lucas blinked, snapping back to reality. His voice dropped. "Get up. Hurry and go work."
The fire in his eyes extinguished instantly.
Evelyn wanted to escalate the situation, but I had already knelt and apologized. I had robbed her of her momentum. She had no choice but to swallow her frustration.
Lucas carried her out of the room. I sat back in my office chair and returned to my unfinished work as if nothing had happened.
Not long after, Lucas returned.
"Why did you hit her?"
I glanced at him but didn't argue. I simply stood up and lowered my head like a child caught stealing candy.
"Do you know how heartbroken she was?"
"If she's still not satisfied, I can go apologize again." My absolute obedience left Lucas with nowhere to vent his anger.
"Did you *really* hit her?" Skepticism crept into his tone.
"I didn't..."
I paused, then corrected myself. "I hit her. It's all my fault."
"Who are you trying to fool?"
Lucas strode to the computer and pulled up the study's surveillance feed. On the screen, Evelyn's provocation, my silence, and her self-inflicted violence played out in crystal clarity.
"You were obviously wronged—why didn't you say anything?"
His voice carried a slight tremor.
A bitter smile crossed my lips. "I don't want to trouble you."
When my family first went bankrupt, I was bullied constantly. Back then, Lucas would stand in front of me, frowning as he asked the same question: *Obviously you were wronged—why didn't you say it?*
But things were different now.
Back then, he pitied me. Truly wanted to protect me.
Now? He betrayed our marriage first and only offered scraps of guilt afterward.
"Evelyn loves me very much. You know that."
Lucas sighed, helplessness seeping into his tone. "I can't let her down, so don't take her behavior to heart."
"Don't worry, I won't." I nodded lightly.
He walked to the door, then stopped. Turned back to me. "Old Li on the board of directors has a family emergency and plans to withdraw his shares. I'll provide the capital—you buy the shares under your name."
I sat back in my chair, my fingers drumming a rhythmic beat on the tabletop. With my left hand, I picked up my phone and sent a quick WeChat message: *Put the Li deal on hold.*
After sending it, I deleted the chat history and threw myself back into work.