Congratulations, You Finally Broke Her

Chapter 6

In the blink of an eye, Jasper darted forward, kicking the gun clean out of Frank's grasp. The bullet whizzed past Cindy's ear, narrowly missing her.

At the same moment, Frank pulled out a dagger and lunged straight for Jasper.

Pshht.

Jasper let out a dull grunt as the blade grazed him. He twisted Frank's wrist backward in one fluid motion, pinning him brutally to the ground.

"Jasper! You're bleeding!" Jenna cried out.

Jasper ignored her completely, stumbling unsteadily toward the water vat. Cindy's body slumped limply out of the container, and Jasper caught her firmly in his arms.

"Cindy?" He patted her cheek, his palms instantly slick with her blood. "Cindy, open your eyes!"

No response.

Jasper swept her up into a bridal carry and sprinted out of the warehouse.

"Call an ambulance! Now!"

Chaos erupted around him. He could hear his own heart pounding violently in his chest, feel the faint, shallow rise and fall of her breath against him. And he heard the quiet, almost inaudible words she'd whispered right before slipping into unconsciousness.

She'd said, "Jasper, I hate you."

In that moment, the calm, unshakable heart he'd always known twisted with a sudden, fierce hatred—for himself.

*****

The rescue helicopter jolted through the dark night sky.

Jasper sat shirtless as his wound was dressed, his gaze locked unblinkingly on Cindy. The doctor pulled off his gloves, his face grave and tight with suppressed anger.

"Mr. Chase, I need to be blunt. This woman's injuries are catastrophic. She only just got out of the ICU ten days ago. Now, between the massive blood loss, the hypothermia, and your gunshot... her body is completely spent. If there's even one more incident like this, I can't guarantee I'll be able to bring her back."

Jasper's jaw tightened into a hard, rigid line. Staring out at the pitch-black night beyond the window, he gave a low, quiet grunt of acknowledgment.

*****

Three days later, Cindy woke up.

The ward was deathly quiet. The nurse told her Jasper was at work and would return in the evening. Her phone on the nightstand lit up with a message from Ryan.

Ryan: The paperwork is finalized. The clerk's office needs you to sign in person one last time to officially dissolve the marriage. Come home, Cindy. I'm waiting for you.

Cindy read the message three times over.

At two o'clock that afternoon, she went to the clerk's office. The staff stared at her bandaged arms and deathly pale face, hesitating.

"Ms. Shaw, are you absolutely certain? Mr. Chase—"

"I'm certain." Cindy's voice was calm as she took the pen and signed her name with surgical precision.

The official stamped the document with a heavy thud. "It's done. Your marriage to Jasper Chase is officially terminated."

Cindy nodded. As she turned to leave, she caught two staff members whispering.

"Shouldn't we notify Mr. Chase? A divorce is a major thing."

"Why bother? He gave strict orders months ago that anything regarding Cindy was low priority and shouldn't disturb his schedule."

So that was how it was. She tugged at her lips in a bitter half-smile, her eyes burning red.

*****

The elevator doors slid open in the lobby, and Jasper stood right outside. Jenna and several staff members stood behind him, clearly fresh out of an emergency meeting.

"Cindy, what are you doing here? The doctor ordered strict bed rest."

She shifted her gaze away, indifferent. "Just handling some business."

Jasper's eyes lingered on her face for several long seconds. "Is it done?"

"Yes."

He pressed his lips together, never good at showing her his softer side. "Come inside and wait. I'll finish my handover and drive you back to the hospital."

Cindy was about to refuse when her gaze locked onto Jenna's wrist. It was a string of olive wood rosary beads.

She knew them better than anyone.

In her first year of marriage, she had traveled to a remote monastery, climbing nine hundred and ninety-nine stone steps on her knees. She had crawled every single one, her knees raw and bleeding, the blood soaking through her jeans.

The old monk had pitied her state and placed the seven-day blessed olive wood rosary into her palms with a sigh.

"What do you seek?"

"Protection and peace for my husband."

The monk had looked at her worn, bloodied knees and asked softly, "Does your husband treat you well?"

Cindy hadn't answered. She had only smiled.

Back then, she truly believed that whether he was good to her was his business, but whether she loved him—that was entirely hers.

But now, her treasured rosary was wrapped around Jenna's wrist.

Sensing Cindy's stare, Jenna casually adjusted her cuff, feigning nonchalance.

"Oh, are you looking at this, Ms. Shaw? I got it from Jasper. I saw it lying forgotten in his desk drawer. He's not exactly the religious type, so it was just collecting dust.

"I heard someone had to crawl up a thousand steps to get this. Poor soul... lucky for me... Jasper just handed it over."