Chapter 363
Her voice rose with each question. Why is it acceptable for you to keep another woman in your heart, but I’m not allowed to love Oliver? Tou hypocrite: If you didn’t love me, why did you marry me? Nobody held a gun to your head!
The weight of years of mistreatment came crashing down, and Catherine broke into tears.
She was the true victim here, yet somehow she’d ended up suffering the most.
Richard’s face remained completely unmoved by her accusations.
“If you hadn’t been planning to escape with Oliver, how could I have caught you? If you hadn’t chosen to run, I might have given you a way
out
Throughout this ordeal, he had been carefully communicating with Catherine’s parents.
After all, they were his late wife’s parents, and he felt obligated to consider their feelings.
Both elderly people had health issues and couldn’t handle shocking news.
Richard had even developed a reasonable plan: if Catherine would sign divorce papers and promise to keep her affair with Oliver private, he would provide her with a generous settlement–enough to leave the city and start a new life abroad. This could have been a dignified end to their marriage.
But Catherine had pushed things too far.
Oliver assessed the situation carefully before speaking. “Mr. Harding, since we’re in this position, let’s be direct. What exactly do you want?”
Richard smiled. “Straightforward indeed, Mr. Smith! I like that.”
“Here’s my proposal,” Richard continued. “I don’t want your money. I don’t want you arrested. All I ask is that you slap Catherine thirty times across the face, and I’ll let you walk away.”
Oliver’s eyes lit up at the simplicity of the condition. “That’s it? That’s all?‘
Richard raised an eyebrow. “Yes, that’s all.”
Frankly, Richard’s proposal was tempting to Oliver.
Catherine had already received one slap; after hearing Richard’s condition, she looked at Oliver with murder in her eyes.
“Richard, you cruel bastard!” she shrieked. “I’ll kill you!”
Without warning, she lunged from beneath the sheets, not caring about her nakedness, and charged toward Richard. Before she could get anywhere near him, security guards grabbed her and forced her to the ground.
Catherine had never experienced such humiliation in her life. Even pinned to the floor, she continued screaming and struggling.
“Richard Harding, you piece of garbage! I curse you–may you never see the woman you love again, not even in death!”
Richard dismissed the media personnel and had his security team bring clothes for Oliver. Once dressed, Oliver approached Catherine, who was now being forced to kneel on the ground by the guards.
Oliver lifted her face and, without hesitation, slapped her hard six times in rapid succession—left cheek, right cheek, back and forth.
“Catherine,” he said coldly, ‘don’t blame me for this. I have no choice.”
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Chapter 363
Your reputation is tied to the Harding name–Richard won’t let this video get out. But I’m different. I can’t afford any scandals, so I’m afraid you have to take the fall.
Catherine received slap after slap, seeing nothing but flashes of light before her eyes. She couldn’t even cry properly anymore, reduced to pitiful whimpering sounds..
Oliver showed no mercy. After delivering over thirty resounding slaps, his hand had gone completely numb. Looking at Catherine sprawled on the floor like a beaten dog, he felt no sympathy whatsoever.
He turned to Richard. Mr. Harding, am I free to go now?”
Richard waved his hand, and the security guards opened the door.
As the guards filed out, Richard looked down at Catherine’s motionless form one last time, his heart completely unmoved.
He smiled coldly at her. “So this is the man you chose! Pathetic.”
With those final words, he turned and left, abandoning Catherine alone on the floor..
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