Catherine hissed in pain as she held her cheek, staring at her husband in disbelief. Her eyes were wide, her jaw was parted, and she looked at him as though she had just witnessed a monster devour a human right in front of her.
"Charles..."
"Don’t give that look," Charles Montgory said with a snarl. "I know you heard enter― the whole fucking city knows I’m here. Or are you too caught up in your little love bubble to realize― ack!"
Before Charles Montgory could bend down and land another hit on Catherine, he was bulldozed over to the ground instead. He collapsed in a heap, his face sliding across the floor with a nasty squeak as the crowd gasped in shock. Everyone backed away to make space for him, in fear that if he knocked onto one of them, and would imdiately get them to be responsible for his injury.
Due to that, no one dared to offer Charles Montgory a helping hand, likewise for Catherine. But the latter didn’t need the common people for help when she had a knight in shining armor ready to offer his life for her.
"Show where he hit you," Benjamin Hawthorne said as he bent down next to Catherine. As violently as her husband had handled her, Benjamin handled her with care and grace as though she was a delicate butterfly’s wing.
The difference in their treatnt was night and day.
"I’m fine, he just―" Catherine cut herself off with a hiss. However, she hadn’t touched her cheek where Charles had slapped her. Instead, she touched her ankle, which had now turned slightly swollen and pinkish.
"Your ankle..."
"I must’ve twisted it accidentally when I fell," Catherine said nervously. She bit her lip as she tried to move her foot, only to gasp sharply in pain.
Without another word, Benjamin placed one hand under Catherine’s knees and another on her waist, hoisting her up rather effortlessly before placing her on one of the vacated chairs.
"I’ll get a doctor," Benjamin said before he stood to his full height to assess the crowd.
There must be a doctor present since this was the hospital cafeteria.
Only, every poor soul who finally word a lunch break for themselves was unwilling to step up. They ducked and hid behind the crowd, afraid of catching Benjamin Hawthorne’s eye. Most of them weren’t willing to treat Catherine Laine, not because she was Catherine Laine, but because of the ssy love triangle between the three most powerful people in this country.
Those who hadn’t heard of what happened earlier in front of the surgery room had seen what just happened before their eyes― and they weren’t daft. It didn’t take a genius to piece two and two together.
Charles Montgory had been cucked.
Quite fitting, considering what had happened between him and his ex-wife, but no one was going to tell him that to his face. Everyone was content with watching the show silently.
"You have so nerve, haven’t you, Hawthorne," Charles Montgory said with a nasty sneer as he crawled up from the floor. He straightened his clothes and pointed a finger at the other man. "Both your wife and your daughter are hospitalized, fighting for their lives, and you’ve got the spare ti and energy to dine with another man’s wife!"
"I could say the sa for you," Benjamin Hawthorne stonily replied, causing everyone to draw in a breath of cold air through their teeth. "Weren’t you doing the sa when your first wife was alive? You didn’t seem all too keen on keeping her company. What gives you the right to berate for doing the sa?"
Charles Montgory’s eye twitched. However, unfortunately for him, Benjamin Hawthorne wasn’t done.
"Married for over twenty years, and yet this is how you treat your wife?" Benjamin said with a cold scoff. "That’s my wife and daughter in the hospital. I don’t see how their well-being concerns you. Shouldn’t you be more worried about your wife’s condition after you so ruthlessly pushed her down?"
Benjamin Hawthorne stood protectively in front of Catherine, shielding her from Charles Montgory’s view.
"I am simply doing what you’ve failed to do. Catherine deserves to be cherished, and not waste her life away with the likes of you."
Charles Montgory said nothing. He instead pounced forward, tackling Benjamin Hawthorne to the ground. The sound of flesh connecting with flesh reverberated through the air as both n began to throw punches, fighting to gain the upper hand. Screams tore through the canteen as a few people began to frantically call for law enforcent.
Above all of them, Catherine’s yells of panic were the loudest.
"Charles, no!" she scread, struggling to get up from her chair with her bad ankle. "Let go of him!"
"Mind your own business and get the fuck away from my wife!" Charles yelled, throwing a punch that Benjamin dodged at the last minute.
"Fucking bastard! She deserves better than you!" Benjamin returned.
Despite her little strength, Catherine managed to worm her way between both n and pry them apart. She pulled Benjamin back, who wrapped his arms protectively around her to keep her away from Charles’s reach.
Both n staggered back and away from each other, panting heavily. Then, Charles’s eyes slowly looked down from Benjamin’s face to his arms, embracing Catherine tightly. He gritted his teeth tightly before reaching for his pocket hidden by his suit.
"Co here," he said, glaring at Catherine.
Catherine Laine shared a glance with Benjamin worriedly, and Benjamin subtly shook his head. All of this was caught by Charles, whose eyes saw red, and his expression turned darker.
"Don’t make repeat myself again, Catherine," he warned. "Know your place."
"Benjamin..." Catherine muttered, gripping the fabric of Benjamin Hawthorne’s shirt. "I need to―"
"She’s not going anywhere with you," Benjamin Hawthorne firmly said, ignoring Catherine’s words. He only held onto her tighter.
"Fine," Charles gritted out. "You asked for this."
Without warning, he pulled out a silver pistol and aid it straight at Benjamin. Without hesitation, he pressed down on the trigger and fired.
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