The State-Assigned Husband Chapter 05

The State-Assigned Husband Chapter 05

Liam didn’t leave.

He was far more patient than I’d expected.

He thought I was just having a tantrum, that I’d cool off in a few days, that six years couldn’t

possibly be erased by a single revelation.

What he didn’t realize was that I was no longer the woman who waited up for him.

The next day, I went to the Civil Registry to pick up another license.

With Ethan.

He was waiting for me at the entrance, dressed in a simple white shirt. The morning sunlight fell

across his shoulders, crisp and bright, rendering the scene almost painterly.

“Sure about this?” he asked.

“I am.”

“No regrets?”

“None.”

A faint smile touched his lips. Then he took my hand, and together we walked inside.

The whole process took less than thirty minutes. When we stepped out, the red license still held the

warmth of the printer.

I looked down at the names: Mia Moore, Ethan Carter.

Legally married.

This time, it was real.

“How does it feel?” he asked, glancing at me.

“Like a dream.”

“Then let’s make it a good one,” he said. He tucked the license away, then reached for my hand, his fingers lacing through mine as if it were the most natural thing in the world. “Come on. I’d like you

to meet my family.”

We walked out to the curb.

His bike was parked there-a vice president of a major group, riding an old bicycle.

He noticed my surprise and smiled. “Eco-friendly.”

I smiled too.

It was the first time he’d seen me laugh.

He rode with me on the back, down the tree-lined street, wind brushing past my ears. I held the new

marriage license tight, a strange feeling washing over me-

like someone drowning had finally reached solid ground.

Then screeching tires cut through the air.

Two panel vans swerved from the opposite lane, skidding to a halt directly in front of us, blocking

the road completely.

Doors slid open, and eight or so men with metal pipes jumped out, surrounding us.

Ethan reacted fast. He pulled me off the bike and stepped in front, his voice low. “Stay behind me.

Don’t move.”

“Ethan Carter,” the lead man said, tilting his head. “Someone wants us to bring you both in.”

Ethan slipped off his jacket and wrapped it around his hand, tone still calm. “Liam?”

No one answered.

A pipe swung down. I screamed.

Ethan blocked the first blow, the wrapped jacket taking the impact, and kicked the attacker back.

But he was one against seven. Pipes slammed into his shoulders, his back, his legs.

The sound was sickening-dull, heavy thuds against flesh and bone.

He never let go.

Never stopped shielding me.

In the end, two men pinned his arms, and a third pressed a pipe to his knee.

“Stop it-“I lunged forward, only to be grabbed from behind.

“Stay still!”

A black cloth was pulled over my eyes.