Part 2After She Disappeared

The next day, after clearing out my room, I went to the stables to retrieve Obsidian.

Obsidian was more than a horse I had brought from the past; he was family. He had once saved Randall's life when he'd nearly been thrown from another horse. Randall had always doted on him, even building him a private, state-of-the-art stable.

But I was sorry. I could part with everything else, but not Obsidian.

I was taking him back to our time. Our family was waiting.

The moment I teleported to the stables, I heard his cry of pain.

I rushed inside, and the sight that greeted me made my blood boil with rage.

Obsidian was chained, and Isabelle—holding a barbed whip she'd gotten from who-knows-where—was lashing him relentlessly. Her eyes were filled with a vicious cruelty. Every strike was meant to maim.

"You ugly beast! You think you're worthy of being my wedding gift? One day, I'll throw you and that bitch of a master out of here!" she shrieked. "That pathetic bitch dared to threaten me with a photo? I've already had all the evidence destroyed. Let's see how she threatens me now!"

Obsidian screamed in agony, his glossy black coat split open, blood pouring from the wounds and pooling on the pristine grass in a shocking, crimson puddle.

The scene drove me to the brink of madness. I flashed over to Isabelle, grabbed her, and delivered a series of sharp, stinging slaps.

She shrieked in terror, her viciousness vanishing the moment she saw my face. She immediately began to beg.

"Cathy! What are you doing here?! No, I'm sorry, please, don't hit me!"

I sneered and raised the whip, ready to bring it down on her.

But it never landed. Randall caught it mid-air.

The second Isabelle saw her protector, she burst into theatrical, tear-streaked sobs. "Randall, save me! Cathy's gone crazy! She's trying to kill me with this whip!"

Randall, who I hadn't seen in days, didn't even spare me a glance. He rushed to Isabelle's side, comforting her. "Don't be afraid, I'm here now. She won't dare to touch you."

Finally, he looked up at me, his voice a block of ice.

"Cathy, what is the meaning of this?"

I pointed a trembling finger at Obsidian and told him exactly what Isabelle had done.

Isabelle panicked, her sobs growing louder. "Randall, darling, I didn't mean to! It was Obsidian, he was being disobedient, he kicked me in the stomach! I just lost my temper and hit him a few times, I didn't realize I'd grabbed the wrong whip… I really didn't mean it…"

It was the most ridiculous excuse I had ever heard. But Randall believed her.

He lifted Isabelle's shirt to look at her stomach. Sure enough, there was a faint red mark.

He turned his cold glare on me. "Cathy, Obsidian is just an animal. So what if Isabelle hit him? It wouldn't matter if she beat him to death. How can you compare a beast to a person? You shouldn't take advantage of my affection for you to attack Isabelle. Apologize to her. Now!"

My heart shuddered. Obsidian had saved his life, and now he was calling him a beast.

A bitter laugh escaped my lips. "Apologize? Fine. On one condition: we get a divorce."

At the mention of divorce, Randall flew into a rage. "Cathy, have you not caused enough trouble? You want a divorce over something so trivial? Can you stop being so unreasonable?"

"Unreasonable? Why don't you check the security cameras? Then we'll see who's being unreasonable!"

At the mention of cameras, Isabelle, who had been enjoying the show, went pale. "Randall, darling, I'm fine, really. Please don't fight with Cathy because of me…" She made a show of trying to stand, looking faint.

Randall immediately rushed to support her, his glare fixed on me. "Cathy, Isabelle is being the bigger person here. I don't want to argue with you. Go home and think about what you've done."

He then helped Isabelle walk away. As they reached a safe distance, she turned and flipped me the middle finger.

I turned back to Obsidian, unfastening his chains. I whispered in his ear.

"My brave boy, want to get some revenge?"

Obsidian understood. He let out a powerful neigh and shot forward like an arrow, closing the distance to Randall and Isabelle in a heartbeat.

With a single, powerful kick, he sent them both sprawling, face-first, into the mud.

I clutched my stomach, doubled over with laughter.

Randall glared at me, his face a mask of fury. Isabelle, however, was more cunning. Her eyes rolled back in her head, and she collapsed in a dramatic faint.

Randall panicked. He made a huge scene, rushing her to his family's hospital.

I stroked Obsidian's neck as he trotted back to me, sighing.

"Well, my boy, I think we might be in a little trouble."