My Husband Hated Me for a Lie

Chapter 4

Alena's brow furrowed. She softened her voice, though it was laced with growing impatience. "Tyler, it's just a temporary loan. He'll give it back once he's back on his feet."

"Whether he's feeling better or not is none of my business."

Tyler stood up, meeting her gaze with a cold, piercing stare. "I said no. It's not happening."

The mask of patience finally slipped, and Alena's face hardened. "You're the one who pushed him. You caused that injury. Giving him your Kirin Hearthstone to help him recover is the least you can do."

"Did you actually see me push him?!" Tyler snapped, his voice rising sharply as his composure finally broke.

Alena recoiled slightly, startled by his outburst, before her expression soured into deep irritation. "Tyler, you stabbed me once, and I let it go. But stop coming for Luke. He hasn't done anything to you."

Without another word, she turned toward the master bedroom, throwing a final remark over her shoulder: "I'm going to get the Kirin Hearthstone. Consider it your apology to him."

"Alena! Don't you dare!"

Tyler's pupils constricted violently as he rushed after her.

By the time he reached the study door, he saw her lifting the Kirin Hearthstone out of the safe.

"Alena! Put it down!"

Tyler's eyes were bloodshot, his voice trembling as he roared in desperation, lunging forward with reckless abandon.

"That's mine! I said no! Are you deaf?!"

Alena instinctively recoiled.

The moment Tyler's grasp met thin air, his composure shattered. He swung his hand, delivering a sharp, stinging slap across Alena's face.

The loud c***k echoed through the silent bedroom, jarring and harsh.

Alena's head snapped to the side, a clear handprint blooming on her cheek. When she turned back to him, her tone had turned deathly cold. "Tyler, that's enough. I've put up with your drama long enough, but don't push it."

Suddenly, two bodyguards in black surged through the doorway, flanking Tyler and pinning his arms behind his back.

"Alena! Let me go!" Tyler struggled violently, but the guards quickly bound his wrists with zip-ties, forcing him down against the floor until he could no longer move.

"That's the only thing my parents left me! You can't take it!"

"If you touch my Kirin Hearthstone, I will make you regret this!"

His eyes were rimmed with red as he glared at her, his voice shaking but laced with a lethal edge.

Looking at his tear-filled eyes and the sheer desperation in his gaze, Alena's heart softened for a fleeting moment. Her tense tone eased slightly. "Tyler, don't be like this."

"Luke has lost everything over the last five years. Since he's been back, you've done nothing but target him. I know you're a good person, Tyler. You've just lost your way. You'll understand eventually."

With that, she tucked the Kirin Hearthstone into her pocket and walked out of the room.

Left behind, Tyler struggled like a madman. The rough bindings chafed against his skin until blood stained his wrists, but the searing physical pain paled in comparison to the despair clawing at his chest.

Finally, gathering every ounce of strength, he slammed his forehead against the vase on the nightstand. It shattered instantly, shards scattering across the floor.

Lying on the ground, his bound hands fumbled for a jagged piece of porcelain. He began to saw through the restraints, bit by bit.

The moment the ties snapped, he ignored his bleeding wrists and raced toward the hospital.

Inside the ward, Luke sat on his bed, casually toyed with the Kirin Hearthstone. Catching sight of the disheveled, battered Tyler at the door, he raised an eyebrow in open mockery and deliberately let the Kirin Hearthstone slip from his fingers.

"No!"

Tyler's pupils were constricted. He lunged forward, driven by a frantic desperation.

But he was a second too late. He could only watch, paralyzed, as the Kirin Hearthstone shattered into a thousand pieces right before his eyes.