Just then, the door clicked open. Liam pushed it in, and the scene before him ignited a fury that made the veins on his temples throb. He lunged forward, grabbed Noah by the collar, and slammed him to the floor. Without a second thought, he raised his right fist and drove it into Noah's face, again and again, unable to quell the rage burning inside him.
Noah was quick to react. He scrambled to his feet, ready to fight back, but Liam blocked every move. Liam seized Noah's tie with his left hand and punched him hard in the stomach with his right.
Pain shot through Liam's hands, but he didn't care. He wasn't about to let Noah off easy.
How dare Noah touch his woman?
Was he tired of living?
Liam poured every ounce of his strength into the blows, wanting nothing more than to beat Noah into oblivion.
Ethan saw what was happening and tried to pull Liam away, but Liam shoved him off with a roar. "Stay out of this!"
Ethan froze, staring at the twisted fury on Liam's face, then at Emma, who had just gotten up from the sofa. Surprise flickered in his eyes.
This woman had the power to make Liam lose control like this?
Noah was barely conscious now, blood dripping from his split lip. But when he looked at Emma, there was a faint smile in his eyes.
That only made Liam angrier. He kicked Noah to the ground.
Liam yanked at his tie, his eyes sharp and terrifying. He walked toward Noah step by step, raising his hand to deliver another heavy blow to Noah's face.
But Emma rushed over, panic-stricken, and grabbed his arm. "Stop, Liam! Please, no more fighting..."
She held his right hand tightly, her eyes full of worry.
His hand wasn't healed yet. What if he hurt the bone again?
Emma gently stroked the joints of his right hand with her slender fingers, her lips pressed together. Looking up at his furious face, she whispered, "Please, don't fight anymore..."
What?
Was she pleading for her old lover like this?
Because she couldn't stand to see Noah get beaten, she had to step in and beg for him?
Liam sneered inwardly. So this was how much she cared.
His hands clenched into fists, his face dark as a storm cloud. His eyes, sharp as blades, bore into Emma as if he could pierce right through her.
His black suit was wrinkled from the fight, and his tall frame looked even more desolate under the dim light. The sudden cold, dangerous aura around him made the air feel icy.
But none of that diminished his noble, commanding presence. If anything, it made him look even more masculine.
"Emma, you're so kind..." His voice was cold and calm, but it sent a shiver down her spine.
Emma bit her lip, wanting to say something, but the fierce look in his eyes scared her into silence. She just raised her gentle, tear-filled eyes to meet his, full of grievance and love.
Liam reached out with his left hand and pried her fingers off his right hand one by one. She gasped as he did, and his eyes fell on her torn dress, the pink strap of her bra, and the red, swollen marks on her shoulder. The anger in his chest grew even hotter.
He fought to control the violence surging inside him. Slowly, he unbuttoned his suit jacket, shrugged it off, and draped it over Emma's shoulders.
Emma looked down at herself, a little embarrassed. "Liam, I..."
Before she could finish, Liam reached out with his right hand, grabbed her wrist, and dragged her out of the room without a word.
Emma didn't even have her shoes on. He pulled her barefoot into the elevator, his grip rough and unyielding.
In the last second before the doors closed, she saw clearly the man who had been with Liam earlier. He was the same man she had met for the first time that night.
The man was holding the woman beside him.
So she had misunderstood him. There was no other woman. It was all her own insecurity and narrow-mindedness.
But it seemed too late for regrets now.
Ethan didn't leave right away. He glanced at Noah, who was still on the floor, and snorted coldly. "Do you know whose woman you were messing with? How dare you touch Liam's woman? Hmph..."
In the elevator, Emma could feel the blood seeping from Liam's palm, the warmth of it spreading across her wrist.
But she didn't dare say a word. Liam didn't speak either. His overwhelming presence was enough to terrify her. She could barely breathe, the air thick with his anger and danger.
When Liam made such a scene, a crowd of staff and hotel managers gathered in the lobby. They stood at the entrance, watching as Liam dragged a barefoot girl with disheveled hair out of the hotel and into his imposing black Land Rover.
At that moment, Liam wasn't thinking about anything else. Not Ethan, not Noah, not anyone. All he knew was that Emma had completely infuriated him today.
And she had the nerve to plead for that scumbag!
Liam fastened his seatbelt, then slammed his fist against the steering wheel. Red blood dripped from his slender fingers onto the car's interior.
Only this kind of pain could ease the anger and despair burning in his chest.
Emma was terrified by his action. She sat frozen in the passenger seat, not daring to move. After a long hesitation, she carefully reached out to touch his injured right hand.
The moment her fingers brushed the back of his hand, he jerked away. "Don't touch me..."
He growled the words, then remembered that the bandage on his hand had been wrapped by Emma that morning. Disgusted, Liam bit off the gauze, tore it off, and threw it out the car door, far away from the hotel. Then he started the engine, slammed his foot on the accelerator, and drove home.
When he had seen Noah pressing Emma down and kissing her, the only feeling Liam had, besides anger, was disgust. It felt dirty.
From the moment they got married, he had considered Emma his. Everyone wanted to get close to her, to please her. But now?
How could anyone be so reckless as to touch his woman?