Chapter 1092: The Accidental Mall Stalker 2

Before I could answer, her eyes turned red again. She bit her lip hard, clearly fighting back tears.

"So... when you said you would marry me... You were lying to me the whole time, right?" Her voice cracked with pain and accusation. "You just said it to calm me down so I would let you treat me... You already have a girlfriend... a whole family even. Was I just a pathetic dying girl you felt sorry for?"

She clenched her fists tightly at her sides, her entire body trembling with a mix of rage, hurt, and embarrassment.

"You... you idiot! I actually started believing you for a moment. I even cried like a fool thinking about it last night after you left. But seeing you here happily shopping with your real women... I feel so stupid. So you were just playing hero, huh? Just another rich guy who says whatever he wants to get what he needs in the moment."

Tachibana turned her face sharply away, but I could clearly see the tears threatening to spill over.

"If you were going to lie... You shouldn’t have said it so convincingly. I hate you... I really hate you right now, Jack."

Her voice grew quieter at the end, filled with raw hurt and embarrassment.

Without hesitation, I stepped forward and pulled her into a tight embrace, wrapping my arms firmly around her smaller frame.

Tachibana stiffened instantly. "Let me go...! Let me go, you bastard!" She began struggling violently in my arms, pushing against my chest. Her voice grew louder and louder, echoing through the mall corridor. "I said, let go of me!!"

Her shouting quickly drew the attention of several passersby. A few men, seeing a beautiful young woman seemingly in distress, immediately stepped forward with righteous anger.

"Hey! What the hell are you doing?! Let go of her right now!" one muscular man shouted.

"Someone call security!" another yelled.

Before I could even release her, two aggressive-looking men rushed over. The first one didn’t hesitate — he lifted his leg and delivered a hard kick straight into my ribs.

Thud!

The impact was sharp and powerful. Pain exploded in my side as the force sent me stumbling backward. I deliberately didn’t resist, allowing myself to crash dramatically onto the cold tiled floor of the mall. I let out a pained grunt as I hit the ground, clutching my side.

The second man followed up with another kick aimed at my back, though it was lighter. "You piece of shit! Beating a girl in public?! Scum like you deserve to be beaten!"

Tachibana’s eyes widened in pure shock and fury. The moment she saw me on the ground, something inside her snapped.

"STOP IT!!" she screamed at the top of her lungs, her voice cracking with rage. Tears streamed down her flushed cheeks as she glared at the two men with murderous intent. "Don’t you dare touch him again!! I’ll kill you—! I’ll fucking kill both of you!!"

Her usual cold assassin demeanor completely vanished, replaced by raw, protective anger. She looked ready to tear them apart with her bare hands. Her body trembled violently, not from fear, but from pure fury.

She dropped to her knees beside me instantly, her hands hovering over my body. "Jack...! Are you okay?! Did they hurt you badly?!" Her voice was shaking as she turned her furious gaze back to the two men. "You bastards... You dared to kick my husband?! I’ll make you regret being born!"

The crowd gasped at her words.

I quickly grabbed Tachibana’s hand to stop her from launching herself at the men. Still on the floor, I raised my other hand toward the gathering crowd and forced a weak, apologetic smile.

"Sorry, everyone... My wife was a bit angry at me. We had a small fight. It’s completely my fault. Please don’t worry about it."

The two men who had kicked me froze, looking embarrassed now that the situation was revealed.

"W-Wife...? This is a lovers’ quarrel?"

"Shit... we misunderstood..."

The surrounding crowd began murmuring:

"Hah, another domestic fight in public..."

"Young people these days have no shame..."

"Keep your arguments at home, damn it."

The two men awkwardly muttered apologies and quickly retreated into the crowd, disappearing as fast as they had appeared.

Once they were gone, Tachibana stayed kneeling beside me. Her eyes were still red and swollen with tears as she gently wiped the dirty shoe marks off my clothes with her hands. Her touch was surprisingly soft and careful, completely contrasting her earlier rage.

"You idiot..." she whispered, her voice hoarse. "Why didn’t you dodge? Why did you let them kick you? Are you hurt? Does it hurt a lot...?"

I looked up at her tear-streaked face and asked softly, "Don’t you hate me?"

Tachibana froze. Her hands stopped moving on my shirt. She bit her lip so hard it turned white, fresh tears dripping onto my clothes.

"Just shut up..." she muttered, refusing to meet my eyes. "You’re really the worst person I’ve ever met... Saying you’ll marry me, then appearing here happily with other women the very next morning. What was I supposed to think?"

She continued gently brushing the dirt off my clothes, almost tenderly. "I waited, worrying about you. Then Master told me you left... I thought maybe you really meant those words. But then I saw you laughing and shopping with them... I felt like the biggest idiot in the world."

She punched my chest lightly with her small fist. "If you were going to have girlfriends... You shouldn’t have made me believe you. You made me... You made me hope, you stupid bastard."

Tachibana looked up at me, her eyes still watery but filled with a storm of complicated emotions — anger, pain, embarrassment, and a fragile trace of longing.

"...Were you really serious when you said you’d marry me?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper. "Or was that just a lie to save my life? Tell me honestly, Jack." 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

I looked straight into her teary eyes and nodded without hesitation.

"I am still serious," I said calmly and sincerely. "I really meant it when I said I would marry you. I wasn’t lying."

Tachibana’s breath hitched. Before she could respond, I added with a small smile, "Didn’t you just call me your husband a minute ago in front of all those people?"

The moment the words left my mouth, Tachibana’s face turned bright crimson. She froze completely, remembering how she had screamed "He is my husband!" in a panic to stop the men from attacking me.

"Th-That...!" she stammered, her cheeks burning red. "I-I was just trying to save you! I didn’t mean it like that! It was an emergency! I had to say something so those idiots would stop kicking you!"

She looked extremely flustered, her hands fidgeting nervously on my chest as she tried to explain herself. The tough, sharp-tongued assassin was nowhere to be seen — only an embarrassed young woman blushing furiously.

"You... you’re shameless!" she hissed, though her voice lacked any real venom. "Taking advantage of the situation like that... I only said it because I didn’t want them to hurt you more. Don’t get any weird ideas!"

Despite her denial, she didn’t move away from me. She was still kneeling close, one hand resting on my shirt, her face only inches from mine. Her ears were also bright red, and she kept avoiding direct eye contact.