My Cruel Husband Knocks Me Down, But a Stranger with a Gold Watch Changes Everything

The Shattered Glass

The dining room of the Blackwood estate had always been a place of quiet terror for Sarah. Under the glittering droplets of the crystal chandelier, the atmosphere was suffocating. Her husband, Julian, sat at the head of the long mahogany table, his eyes tracking her every movement with a cold, possessive glare. The dinner guests, a collection of the city's wealthiest elites, laughed and chatted, completely oblivious to the silent war raging between the hosts.

Julian leaned in close, his breath hot against Sarah's ear.

'You will sign the transfer papers tonight, Sarah. I am tired of your games. Your father’s legacy belongs to me now,'

he whispered, his voice dripping with venom. When Sarah looked him in the eyes and firmly whispered, 'Never,' Julian lost all control. In a flash of blind rage, he struck her across the face.

The force of the blow sent Sarah crashing to the dark hardwood floor. A crystal wine glass shattered next to her hand, spilling deep red liquid like a stain across the wood. From her pocket, her father’s gold pocket watch slid across the floorboards, its steady ticking sounding like a countdown in the sudden, horrified silence of the room. None of the guests moved; fear locked them in their seats.

But the silence was shattered by a sudden flash of bright headlights piercing through the heavy fog outside the large French windows. A powerful car had pulled up to the entrance. Seconds later, the heavy double doors of the mansion swung open. A cold wind rushed in, extinguishing the candles on the table. A tall man in a charcoal trench coat and black leather gloves stepped inside. It was Victor, Sarah’s father’s former protector, whom Julian had run out of the country years ago. Victor walked straight to Sarah, knelt beside her, and picked up the ticking pocket watch with a cold, intense gaze.