What Happened
Tuesday, continued…
Hou Yi was shocked when Anna returned in tears. When she got out of the car, he had already planned how to deal with the situation if approached by Lu Jinhu and Yang Lin inside. Gently, he lifted Anna up to put her seat belt on, only to have her collapse back into him, crying. He comforted her for a few minutes until her tears began to lessen.
Hou Yi asked, his voice calm and soft, “Can you tell me what happened?” As he helped Anna sit back up, he noticed the mark across her face, which instantly enraged him. Who had dared to hit his wife? He held his tongue, not wanting Anna to realize the depth of his feelings, which he had kept hidden for six months. Hou Yi needed her to understand that he wanted her to get everything—revenge included.
Anna could only cry harder. Hou Yi reached into the pocket of the seat in front of him and pulled out a few tissues from the box. He handed them to Anna and asked, his voice even gentler this time, “Can you tell me what happened?”
Hou Yi paused for a moment before continuing, “Please, let me know so I can help you. While I might not have said it when we got married, it’s implied that I would help and protect you from anything. Regardless of how our marriage began, it’s implied that you would do the same for me. I need to know what happened so I can do everything I can to help you.”
With that, Hou Yi gently lifted Anna’s chin with a couple of fingers, making her look at him. As soon as their eyes met, he saw the same hurt he had seen when she had crashed into him earlier. Instantly, he knew the cause—Lu Linhu and Yang Lin.
Hou Yi decided the best thing he could do was lean in and gently kiss Anna’s cheek where she had been slapped. He did so, feeling his anticipation tremble, wanting to give his wife even this brief gesture of comfort. The feelings he had fallen for her on sight returned, making him realize how much further along he was in their relationship than Anna. He needed to be brief and careful, not to scare the intriguing woman who was his wife.
The brief kiss caused Anna to stiffen immediately. She started to raise her hand to slap the person who dared to kiss her, only to realize it was Hou Yi. He didn’t deserve such a reaction. All she could feel was the physical pain from the hits, and the mental wall she had tried to build around herself in marrying Hou Yi shattered.
Before Anna could say anything, Hou Yi began to speak, his voice low and steady. “Sorry about that, I hope it didn’t hurt too much. I was trying to avoid the places where it looks like someone slapped you. I just wanted you to know, given everything, that someone cares for you.”
Hou Yi stopped and took a deep breath, holding his hands up so Anna could see they posed no threat. “I guess you ran into Lu Jinhu and Yang Lin, and they physically and verbally abused you. I know they tried to keep you from getting into the car so they could belittle and hurt you more.”
Anna could only nod in response.
Hou Yi continued, “I think we should go to the police and report this assault.”
Anna shook her head.
Hou Yi insisted, “Anna, we need to report it, even if you decide not to pursue anything right now. You know, as a lawyer, that this is the right approach. If they continue their actions, something can be done.”
“I know,” Anna said quietly, “I would tell my clients to do that, but…”
“No buts,” Hou Yi interrupted. “I’ll arrange for a police officer to come and take your statement at home, once we deal with a couple of matters.”
“Okay,” Anna said, her voice resigned.
She seemed ready to say something else when their discussion was interrupted by Assistant Wang. “Young Master, Young Madam, we have arrived at Fengs.” With that, he brought the car to a stop, turned off the engine, came around to open the door, and helped Anna out of the vehicle.
