My Husband Hated Me for a Lie

Chapter 6

Alena looked at his stubborn expression, the fire in her eyes intensifying.

"Since you're still sticking to this lie about Luke, I guess you'll have to learn your lesson the hard way."

Her gaze turned cold as she turned to the bodyguards and barked an order, "Hold him down. Slam his head against the floor ninety-nine times. And don't stop until Luke says it's enough."

"I'm not doing it!" Tyler struggled desperately, the movement tearing at the wounds on his wrists with agonizing pain.

But the bodyguards dared not defy Alena. They pinned the back of his neck with a vice-like grip, forcing his forehead against the cold, hard floor over and over again.

The dull thud, thud, thud of the impact echoed relentlessly through the silent hospital room.

Before long, blood began to seep from Tyler's forehead, trickling down past his eyes and blurring his vision. With every strike, it felt as though his very dignity was being smashed into the ground.

By the time he had reached dozens of strikes, his forehead was a bloody mess, his hair matted to his face with gore. His consciousness began to flicker; shadows danced before his eyes as Alena's angry rebukes and Luke's soft sobbing faded into a dull hum.

A split second before he blacked out completely, Alena finally noticed something was wrong.

"Tyler!"

The fury in her eyes was instantly replaced by panic. Her voice trembled with a frantic helplessness she had never shown before.

When Tyler finally regained consciousness, Alena was sitting by his bedside, her eyes bloodshot.

"Tyler, you're awake!"

She reached out, intending to touch his forehead, but Tyler jerked his head away, flinching from her contact.

Alena's hand froze in mid-air. A flicker of loneliness and embarrassment crossed her face before she moved to gently grasp his cold hand instead.

"Tyler, look... I just wanted to teach you a lesson so you wouldn't mess up like this again. Once you're discharged, let's go on a trip. Just the two of us. It'll clear your head."

She paused, then added, "As for Luke... I'll handle it. I know I was hard on you, but he's had a rough life. I'll give him a solid payout and send him back to his hometown."

Tyler remained deaf to her words.

A moment later, Mrs. Roberson entered carrying a thermal flask, quickly urging Alena to go back to her own room to rest.

In the days that followed, Alena came by frequently to keep Tyler company.

The fellow patients and nurses noticed everything, frequently praising her for being a rare and devoted wife. Yet, Tyler remained indifferent. He neither rejected nor responded to her care. This uneasy peace lasted for nearly a week.

One day, his phone vibrated. It was a message from his superior containing two images: one was a bright red divorce certificate, and the other was a transfer order to a remote frontier outpost. The moment he saw the photos, a faint, genuine smile slowly spread across his lips.

Alena happened to be standing at the doorway, catching the glimpse of his smile. Her heart leaped with joy, and she couldn't help but smile along. "Tyler, did something good happen? Would you like to tell me?"

"You'll find out soon enough," Tyler replied, looking up at her with eyes that were perfectly calm.

It was the first time he had responded to her in days. Unaware of the underlying coldness in his tone, Alena assumed he was finally softening. "Okay," she said, her voice bright with relief. "I'll wait for you to tell me."

She was still dreaming of a future together, oblivious to the fact that Tyler had already brought their relationship to a definitive end.