Instinctively, Violet wanted to turn around, but she remembered that her “hearing impairment” had yet to recover. She forced herself to stay still.
Grayson rushed to her side, his eyes filled with panic.
“Violet, are you leaving me? We’re about to get married—where would you go?”
When she gave no response, he suddenly realized and hurriedly repeated his words in sign language.
Violet’s expression remained calm.
“A friend of mine is leaving.”
He studied her face carefully, searching for any sign of deception. Only when he was sure she wasn’t lying did he let out a breath of relief.
“That’s a relief. Violet, you don’t know how terrified I just was. I can’t even imagine how I’d live if you ever left me.”
He pulled her into his arms, holding her tight, his face still etched with fear.
Hearing his heartfelt words, Violet felt nothing.
If he was so afraid of losing her, why had he betrayed her?
Was it because he believed she couldn’t hear, so he had nothing to fear?
Too bad for him—he was about to be disappointed.
The lingering fear in Grayson’s heart had yet to fade. He tightened his grip around her waist, ready to leave.
“Violet, let’s go home. I won’t let you out of my sight for even a second.”
“Oh? And what about your assistant?” she asked.
“She wasn’t feeling well, so she left early.”
His lie came so effortlessly that it was almost laughable.
Just as they reached the parking lot, Violet saw Ruby struggling against a man’s grip. The man held her wrist tightly, refusing to let her go. His other hand was already reaching for her waist when she suddenly broke free and slapped him hard across the face.
The man’s expression twisted with anger. He grabbed a beer bottle from the ground and swung it at her.
In that split second, Violet felt the arm around her waist suddenly loosen.
Grayson bolted forward, shielding Ruby in his embrace.
The bottle shattered against his shoulder. Sharp glass cut through fabric and flesh, and blood quickly soaked his shirt.
His face turned terrifyingly dark. He checked Ruby for injuries, and when he confirmed she was unharmed, he grabbed the man by the collar and landed a fierce punch squarely on his face.
“Who gave you the guts to touch one of mine? Do you have a death wish?”
The man recognized Grayson instantly and was so terrified that he begged for mercy, not even daring to resist.
A shard of glass had cut Violet’s cheek, leaving a thin trail of blood, but she remained motionless. She simply stood there, watching the man in front of her unleash his fury.
The scene overlapped with a memory from five years ago.
