Releasing his wrist, I didn't give him time to recover. I drove a backhand punch straight into the bridge of his nose.
Crack.
"Argh!"
Ethan clutched his face, squealing like a dying pig. Bright red blood seeped through his fingers, splattering onto the floor.
"Blood!" someone in the crowd shrieked.
"Liam! Are you insane? You can't just assault people!"
Claire rushed forward, shoving me hard enough to make me stumble. She didn't spare me a second glance—she went straight to Ethan, her eyes wide with tender concern.
My stomach turned.
I let out a dark chuckle. "Does it hurt your heart to see him bleed?"
I gestured to the cowering man. "Funny. You didn't panic like that when he tried to swing at me."
Claire's breath hitched. Her gaze darted away, unable to meet mine. For once, she had no rebuttal.
"Besides," I continued, my voice dropping, "he deserved it."
Claire looked at me in disbelief. "Liam, when did you become so unreasonable? This is between us. Why drag an innocent bystander into our mess?"
I scoffed. "Innocent?"
I pointed at Ethan. "Ask him. Is he innocent?"
Ethan's expression flickered with panic, but he quickly dropped his head, adopting the posture of a martyr.
"I'm sorry, Ms. Henson. I was wrong," he murmured, voice trembling. "I shouldn't have spoken out of turn. I upset Mr. Barnes... Please, don't blame him."
He looked up at Claire, eyes wide and wet—a kicked puppy begging for scraps.
"I don't blame you, Ethan. I'm the one who dragged you into this," Claire cooed. She produced a tissue and gently wiped the blood from his upper lip, her voice dripping with a sweetness she hadn't used on me in years.
Nausea rose in my throat. I snatched the divorce agreement from the table and slammed it down in front of her.
"If you don't want your precious assistant beaten to a pulp, sign. Now. Otherwise, every time I see his face, I'll finish what I started."
The threat snapped something inside her.
Slap!
Her palm connected hard with my cheek.
"Have you lost your mind?" she screamed. "Ethan is just my assistant! What does our divorce have to do with him?"
My face burned, a high-pitched ringing filling my ears. I ran my tongue over the inside of my cheek, tasting copper.
I stared at her, then at Ethan, still cowering behind her like a shield.
"Are you sure he's just your assistant?" I asked quietly.