Page 49 of Torch

He sent an icy glare my way. “What do you mean? You invited me here.”

I shook my head rapidly. “No, I didn’t.”

Julian squinted at me. “So, you didn’t tell your new little family to send invitations to my father?” He continued to walk toward me as I backed away.

“No. I swear I didn’t. His mother sent invitations to a lot of CEOs, Julian. Why on earth would I invite my ex to my husband’s family event?” My eyes widened at the slip. I did not mean to say that out loud. I wasn’t ashamed, but I knew now wasn’t the time to disclose that information.

Julian’s eyes seemed like they turned black. “Your husband?!” he spat. “You married him after a month when I spent five years with you!” he roared.

I jumped at the venom lacing his tone. “L-look. I’m just going to go. This isn’t the time or place for this.”

I tried walking around him, but he grabbed me, slamming me into a wall. He wrapped his hand around my throat, choking me. Panic settled in the longer I went without oxygen. I lifted my knee right into his dick as hard as I could. He let me go, cupping himself. I made a run for it, but I didn’t make it far.

Julian grabbed my dress around the shoulder, yanking me back. The material ripped, and my breast fell free. Seconds later, I was back against the wall, and he was choking me with one hand while covering my mouth with the other.

His jaw was clenched as he stared at me with nothing but pure hatred. “You dirty, money-hungry little bitch! Do you know how much money I spent on you? I guess the real problem was I didn’t have enough money, huh?!” His eyes traveled down to my breasts, and he licked his lips. A shiver ran down my spine. “Since you’re nothing but a paid whore, I should just take what I want.”

Before he could make good on his promise, the bathroom door burst open. Cara and Sara paused in shock when they stumbled into the room. “Christian, get in here!” Cara shouted as she and Sara ran over and pried Julian off me.

Christian ran in and quickly gathered what was happening. Julian didn’t have time to make an escape as Christian rushed him. He threw a flurry of blows, beating the living shit out of Julian. All Julian could do was curl into a ball against the wall and take the beating.

There was so much going on I couldn’t keep up. Cara was on her phone, speaking in a hushed tone while Sara tried to help me fix my dress. Meanwhile, Christian hadn’t stopped throwing punches at Julian. The fight was beyond over. Julian’s nose and mouth were leaking profusely, and he looked out of it.

“Christian, stop! You’re going to kill him.” Cara rushed over, trying her best to pull him back. Thank God four guards came in when they did. They pulled Christian back as he fought to get back to Julian. Cara palmed his face, not the least bit concerned with how angry he was. “Please, chill. Not here. Brittney needs you right now.”

That seemed to snap him out of it. He darted his gaze at me and hurriedly made his way over. He pulled me into his arms, holding me tight. My body trembled, but this was the safest I had ever felt in my life.

“I’m so fuckin’ sorry I let this happen,” he whispered, kissing me on the forehead.

“It’s not your fault. You didn’t know.” We held on to each other, almost forgetting we weren’t alone.

“Enjoy that conniving bitch now. It’ll only be a matter of time before she jumps ship for someone who has a bigger account than you.” Julian chuckled as the guards dragged him out of the room.

I felt Christian’s body tense before he took a step away from me. My heart shattered at the blank stare he was giving me. I couldn’t gauge his reaction to Julian’s words, and that scared me. I had been too afraid that something or someone would ruin what we were building.

And now it looked like Julian had successfully done that.

Christian’s eyes roamed over my ruined dress. He removed his suit jacket and put it around me. He still hadn’t looked me in the eyes. I felt my eyes burning with tears. I couldn’t believe he was listening to Julian. I thought he knew me better than that!

“Christian, I got a car service for you. Go down the hall and make a right. There’s an emergency exit there, and the driver is waiting there for you.”

His nostrils flared, and his jaw tightened. “Let’s go, Brittney.” He held the door open, waiting for me.

I couldn’t even look at his sisters, so I dropped my head and walked out. A guard led us to the exit. Once we were in the vehicle, I kept stealing glances at him. He stared out of his window, not saying a single word. His fists were balled. I could feel the anger radiating off him.

By the time we pulled up to his home, I didn’t wait for anyone to open my door. I jumped out and ran inside. I went into the bedroom, grabbed my duffel bag, and started packing what I could. Since I had been here a while, a few of my things were scattered around the room. I was ready to get out of here.

I felt like the world's biggest fool. I knew everything that was happening between us was too good to be true.

Christian walked into the room, and I didn’t even bother looking up. I could feel him staring at me. Still, I didn’t have the courage to face him. If I did, I would probably start crying, and I didn’t want to do that in front of him. I didn’t want him to know how much he had gutted me.

“What are you doing?” he asked as if he couldn’t see exactly what I was doing.

I scoffed, shaking my head. “Let’s not pretend, Christian.”

“What are you talking about?” He came over and pulled the bag and the clothes out of my hands. My eyes stayed trained on the ground. He gripped my chin, bringing my gaze up to him. “Talk to me, Brit,” he said softly.

I pushed his hand away. “Don’t do that. I felt how you reacted to what Julian said. And let’s not pretend you haven’t said a word since.”