Page 18 of Billionaire’s Cruelty

What happened? I searched my memory, but the moment was a blur. I had been too busy prying him off Jenny—I hadn’t even seen her strike the fatal blow.

But there was no denying the truth. He wasn’t going to make it. Jenny had killed her husband. Her abuser.

“What did you do?” I needed to hear it from her. I needed to know that it was self-defense.

“I didn’t mean to,” she murmured, shaking her head.

“We have to call the police.” As much as I wanted him dead, I knew that keeping him alive—if even possible—was a better solution.

“They’ll think I murdered him,” she said bitterly.

“He was hurting you.” I pointed out, my voice sharp with frustration.

“So… you punched him.” Her gaze locked onto mine, reminding me of my own role in this disaster.

“I couldn’t just stand there…”

The images flashed through my mind—Chen dragging Jenny by her hair, his hand cracking across her face. The slapping noise filling the air of the room. I shook my head, trying to push them away.

“You kicked him.” Jenny added quietly.

“I did.” My chest tightened. This wasn’t the first time he had hurt her, and it killed me that I hadn’t been there to protect her.

“You could get into trouble if we called the police.”

“I would kick him again if I had to.” I didn’t hesitate. I would protect her—no matter the consequences.

“If you let me bleed to death, you could tell the police that you found us like this. I killed him, and then I killed myself.” Her voice was chillingly calm. “I’ll take all the blame.”

“No.” I snapped. “Stop talking like that. Have you thought about your children? The baby you’re carrying?”

“Yes, of course. I think about them every single day.” Her voice cracked with pain. I knew she loved them deeply—no matter what anyone else believed. She hadn’t abandoned them out of selfishness. She had left to survive.

“Mario… Mario will know what to do.” The words felt hollow, but I clung to them. Right now, I had no better ideas. I tried to keep my composure, but my lips trembled as I spoke.

I had done my fair share of terrible things. But I had never got my hands dirty—not like this. Paying someone else to handle the mess had always been my way. But this? This was something else entirely.

“It would be easier if I die with him.” Jenny said quietly.

“No.” My throat tightened. “Please stop that. It was self-defense.”

“Was it?” Her smile sent an icy chill through me—a smile that belonged in a horror movie.

“It was? I saw it with my own eyes. Everyone here can testify for you—Mario included. The guards and the housekeeper must’ve seen what he did.”

“They can only prove that I was assaulted,” she said. “But bruises don’t have names. Everyone will think I killed him for the money.”

“That’s ridiculous.”

“No, it isn’t.” Her laugh was bitter. “My family’s been drowning in debt for years. That’s why they made me marry him in the first place—hoping his family connections would save my father’s crumbling empire.”

“I… I thought you loved him.”

“I did. For the first few years.” Her voice softened. “I was naive. I thought I’d found the perfect husband.”

“That’s what you made everyone believe,” I said quietly. “You seemed so happy.”

“I was. And then… I wasn’t.”