My mind rang with alarm bells as I stared at him in disbelief; I never imagined he could be so perverted and vile. "Adrian Gordon! What you’re doing is illegal! You better leave immediately, or I’ll—ah!" I was panic-stricken, unable to warn him in time as he suddenly tried to drag me into the house. Strong survival instincts caused me to cling firmly to the doorframe, refusing to go inside. If the door were to close, I would be doomed. "Help! Help—" I opened my mouth to call for help, but the next moment, this bastard dared to lower his head and kiss me. I refused to submit, turning my face away and resisting with all my strength. In the chaos, one hand grabbed something from the shoe cabinet, and without knowing what it was, I blindly smashed it towards him. "Woof—woof woof!" The bulldog inside the house jumped out just in time, barking fiercely at Adrian, and pounced to bite his pant leg. I seized the chance to break free and immediately took out my phone to call the police, "Hello, officer, I’m here—" "Get lost! Damn dog! Get away!" Adrian viciously kicked the bulldog twice, rushed over, and snatched my phone away, smashing it heavily to the ground. Insane in a way I had never seen before. The bulldog pounced again, yelping miserably as he kicked it, rolling on the floor. Feeling heartbroken for my dog, I grabbed a long-handled umbrella from the entryway and jabbed and hit him with it. At this moment, I was afraid. The physical disparity between women and men was equivalent to throwing eggs against a rock. I didn’t know whether he had always had violent tendencies and hid them well; or if my forcing a divorce led him to lose control, but at this moment, he was terrifying. If he truly wanted to use force against me, I probably wouldn’t be able to escape. But at this moment, I still resisted with all my might! Fortunately, the commotion of our argument startled the neighbors, a young couple opened their door and were shocked by the scene. The young man dashed up to pull Adrian, trapping him from behind. Adrian, with some unknown brute strength, broke free and turned to fight the guy. I picked up the broken umbrella from the ground again and battered Adrian fiercely. The girl was on the phone, seemingly calling the police. But she didn’t finish the call before the elevator dinged and several police officers arrived! Thank heavens, the 911 call I didn’t complete was traced by the dispatcher to the address. "Stop! Police is here! Stop!" The officer commanded sternly, and several others stepped forward to skillfully separate the two. Ignoring the pain all over my body, I rushed forward to explain, "Officer, he assaulted me, and this gentleman is my neighbor, acting bravely." Adrian, who had been like a mad lion just before, was suddenly calm as the police restrained him and mumbled incoherently, "I... I was looking for my wife, what does it have to do with others..." He reeked of alcohol, and a single word revealed he was drunk. My heart skipped a beat as I turned to him, realizing he was pretending to be drunk! If it’s a domestic dispute and drunken loss of reason, then even if the police take him back, they would just complete the records and educate him. Adrian had begun using strategy against me as well. "Are you husband and wife?" the officer asked. "Yes, but we are getting a divorce, and a lawsuit has already been filed." I put away the shock in my heart, first dealing with the immediate problem. "Please come back with us for now." I thanked the young couple repeatedly and called the bulldog back into the house, locked the door, and left with the police. We had just arrived at the police station when Adrian’s lawyer showed up. The police inquired about the details of the incident, and I cooperated fully, recounting the entire thing, including Adrian’s scandalous infidelity during the marriage. The officer suddenly asked, "Is that viral video of the bride swap at a wedding about you guys from a while ago?" Since the embarrassment wasn’t mine, I nodded frankly, "Yes, now he wants to reconcile, but I refuse, insisting on divorce, and he resorted to domestic violence, even attempted to rape me." Saying this, my heart suddenly brightened. Adrian’s disturbance tonight will leave a record with the police, proving his history of domestic violence, which would favor me in court. The officer nodded, "Alright, we understand the situation now. It’s late, you can go home first." "Thank you, officer." I stood up and couldn’t help but inquire, "How will he be dealt with?" "Mr. Gordon’s lawyer has arrived, so I estimate..." the officer shrugged, and I understood. At this moment, I somewhat regretted, I should have let him hit harder, preferably leaving some scars, it would be more convincing. Now if injuries are assessed, they wouldn’t meet the criteria for minor injuries, indeed he couldn’t be dealt with severely, at most reprimanded. Back home, it was already two in the morning. I was so tired I couldn’t keep my eyes open, did some simple tidying up and fell into bed to sleep. The next day, upon waking, I found bruises on the backs of both hands and some scratches, and my back hurt, as if a tendon was strained. The phone was broken, but fortunately, I had an old one to use temporarily. Installing the SIM card, I immediately called my lawyer to schedule a meeting in the morning. I needed to discuss this matter with the lawyer to see how to present the evidence more favorably in court. After finishing this, I hadn’t even caught my breath when the phone rang. Not having stored any numbers on the old phone, I stared at the number for a few seconds before realizing it was Daniel Carter calling! "Are you still busy?" Daniel Carter asked, not knowing I’ve changed my phone number, perhaps curious why I answered so slowly. I replied honestly, "Had something going on this morning, just finished talking with the lawyer." "Still about the divorce case?" "Do you have free time now? Where should we go for lunch?" His question reminds me we had arranged for lunch yesterday. "Why not go somewhere convenient nearby?" He chuckled, "Sure, the usual place then." The usual place nearby is the sky garden on the top floor opposite my company. After hanging up, I quickly tidied myself up. Didn’t sleep well last night, my complexion was dull, and the dark circles were particularly noticeable. I could only apply a light makeup swiftly to look slightly energetic and rushed out. This time, I finally arrived before Daniel Carter. To save time, I took photos of several meal sets and sent them to him, letting him choose while I placed the order. I sat in the usual spot, and as soon as Daniel Carter arrived, he saw me. Just as he approached, the waiter brought over the meal set. "See, it’s better to be lucky than early, sit down and eat," I said with a smile. Daniel Carter also smiled warmly, praising, "You arranged it well." After the waiter placed the meal set, I reached out to slightly push his plate towards him, aligning it properly. "What’s wrong with your hand?" he suddenly asked, retracting his smile abruptly. I was startled and saw the bruise on the back of my hand, quickly pulling my hand back into my sleeve, "It’s nothing, let’s eat." I didn’t want him to know about last night. But he already saw it, so it wasn’t easy to fool him. "Show me your hand," he said slightly sternly, gesturing towards me, his tone changed. That strong aura not allowing refusal made my hand under the table unconsciously curl. "It’s really nothing, just accidentally bumped myself when closing the door last night," I still tried to cover up. He directly stood up, crossing the small table between us, sitting beside me. Startled, I hurriedly moved inward. Daniel Carter, without saying a word, grabbed my hand, pulling to inspect, his brow furrowed, eyes darkening. "What about the other hand?" he asked, looking at me. Swallowing, I had no choice but to extend the other hand. He held my hands, our body temperatures touching, and my heart pounded wildly. "Could closing a door injure both hands at once?" Daniel Carter seemed unaware of my anomaly, only speaking in a heavy, questioning tone. Since I couldn’t hide it, I could only confess, "It was Adrian Gordon who drank too much last night, came to me, and we had a conflict, eventually ending up at the police station..." "Did he get physical with you?" Daniel Carter’s face turned angry, his voice tinged with danger. I don’t know what I was thinking at that moment, silent for a while, nodded. Probably a mentality like a little girl bullied outside, trying hard to stay strong, but only showing grievance and fear when her support arrives. I looked at him eagerly, thinking not to trouble him but also hoping he might help me, to escape this misery sooner. Sure enough, after I nodded, his expression instantly became more grave, pulling out his phone, checking his contacts while asking me, "When is your divorce hearing?" "Thursday." I answered, then my mind suddenly cleared up. "Daniel Carter!" I hurriedly pressed his hand, slightly wrinkling my brow and shaking my head, "Don’t interfere in this matter, Adrian Gordon already suspects there’s something between us. If you intervene and he finds out, it would damage your reputation." He turned to look at me, his deep and enchanting eyes were assessing, after a moment he asked, "Are you afraid of the outside world thinking we have something?" "..." My heart fluttered more, eyes flustered, not daring to look at him. Is it about to break that invisible barrier? My face was burning, my mind chaotic like a bowl of porridge, forcing myself calm for several seconds before saying, "Your family background and identity are special, don’t get tangled in such scandals, else it won’t just affect your reputation but also implicate the Carter Family." And I can’t bear such responsibility, would feel guilty toward Mrs. Carter’s kindness. Daniel Carter’s expression softened slightly, his tone became gentler, "You’re overthinking, something won’t affect me." "No, it’s better to be cautious." I withdrew the hand pressing his arm, turned to look at the food on the table, smiled, "Let’s eat first, it’ll be cold soon." Daniel Carter stared at me, didn’t get up and leave. After a moment, he spoke again, "Lily Miller, I—" "Hey, these steaks are cooked perfectly, crispy outside and tender inside, quickly try them!" Fearing he’d voice his feelings, I hurriedly interrupted the moment he opened his mouth. Daniel Carter’s expression changed, becoming silent. He’s so smart, surely he knows what I meant by interrupting him. Some words are best left unspoken, once aired, it’s awkward for both sides, and the relationship could become strained too. This content belongs to ɴovelfire.net