He Chose Her Joke, I Chose His Ruin Chapter 02

He Chose Her Joke, I Chose His Ruin Chapter 02

At that moment, frigid water pierced my bones like shards of blade.

I stared at him, eyes bloodshot.

“Adrian, you know I’m terrified of this!”

When I was eight, I was trapped in a collapsing warehouse.

Floodwater surged outside. Water rose past my knees.

Darkness closed in amid splintered lumber, leaving me with nowhere to flee.

My mother died saving me, shoving me out before the beams crushed her.

Ever since, I’d suffered crippling dread of confined spaces and the unceasing rush of running water. Any night I couldn’t escape.

I’d never told a soul.

Only Adrian knew.

Years earlier, when Vale Group was hounded by creditors and loan sharks in an underground parking lot, he’d spent an entire night trapped in a car guarding critical project files.

In our couples’ therapy sessions, he’d held my hand and said, “Elena, from now on, I’ll shield you from your fears.”

Now, he stood downstairs, turning my deepest terror into a joke for his guests.

Celeste Shaw chimed in, smiling sweetly.

“Adrian already said—I just like to play.”

“Elena, don’t be so small-minded.”

She turned to the terrace crowd, voice ringing out.

“Ladies and gentlemen, the bet is officially on.”

“If she cries and begs Adrian to save her within half an hour—I lose.”

“If she lasts without begging Adrian for rescue, I’ll write each of you a six-figure check.”

The crowd erupted.

“Miss Shaw is generous!”

“Obviously betting she breaks.”

“Does some small-town nobody honestly believe a couture gown qualifies her as the Vale family’s future matriarch?”

“Is Adrian actually marrying her? I thought this was just a fling.”

My fingertips went numb.

Rainwater streamed into my eyes, stinging.

I slammed my palm against the glass.

“Adrian, last warning.”

“Open the door!”

Finally, he looked up at me.

No guilt in his eyes.

Only irritation at being challenged in front of his peers.

“Elena, must you make such a scene?”

“Celeste was spoiled by the Vales—why stoop to her level?”

“Besides, aren’t you the one who brags about handling crises?”

“Can’t even solve this?”

I stood frozen. Then slowly, I smiled.

So in his eyes, locking me in a freezing glass box was just a minor inconvenience.

Three years of shielding him from mortal danger had been reduced to nothing more than a cheap joke.

Celeste didn’t like my smile.

She hated how utterly defeated I appeared yet still refused to submit.

She raised the remote.

The sprinklers roared louder.

Chilling spray crashed relentlessly.

My knees buckled.

Down below, the crowd gasped, not out of worry, but undisguised glee.

“She’s cracking!”

“Get the cameras rolling—this’ll blow up tomorrow!”

“Vale heir’s fiancée’s got some spine…”

Celeste pressed her face close to the glass, her voice falling to a whisper meant solely for my ears.

“Elena, stop pretending.”

“I know exactly what you fear.”

“Adrian told me everything.”