Chapter 144
“What on earth are you doing? Do you really want to hit her?!” A kind–hearted middle–aged woman stepped forward, her voice firm with righteousne she defended Valerie.
She continued, “Who gets divorced just after a month into marriage? Can’t you sit down and talk this through calmly? Besides, domestic violence is against the law.”
“I’ve never laid a hand on her!” Clayton snapped.
“If you didn’t, why is she so terrified?” the woman retorted.
Clayton turned to Valerie in exasperation. “Tell them, have I ever hurt you?”
Valerie’s eyes were red–rimmed, tears pooling as if about to spill any second. She meekly scanned the circle of sympathetic middle–aged women around her, biting her lower lip hard as if fighting to hold back fear and grievance. Her body trembled slightly.
“N–no, he hasn’t hit me,” she murmured, her voice thick with hurt that was almost tangible, enough to make anyone’s heart ache.
Then, as if making a solemn resolve, she turned to stare straight at Clayton, her voice breaking into a pleading whimper. “Clay, I’ll be good from now on. I’ll do whatever you say. Just don’t leave me. I’ll do anything, just don’t ask for a divorce.”
Clayton felt his temples pounding violently, his head spinning as if a power drill were churning inside it. He thought, ‘Why couldn’t Valerie just speak plainly?‘
He hadn’t so much as nicked a hair on her head, yet here she was, groveling and playing the victim. Strangers would think he’d committed unspeakable abuse. It was a losing battle to reason with this.
In that instant, a flash of clarity struck Clayton like lightning, illuminating the truth he’d been blind to. He remembered every time he’d asked Valerie how she got her injuries, she’d always hedged, her answers vague and evasive.
Back then, he’d naively assumed she held back because she feared the truth would put him in a bind. But now, everything sharpened into focus. She’d been hardwired to manipulate people’s judgments this way, deep down.
In reality, the scars on her hands weren’t inflicted by Audrey as she’d claimed. Her broken finger had zero connection to Audrey. Even the so–called “Audrey picking a fight” was pure fabrication. It had all been a farce Valerie scripted and starred in.
First, she’d posed as a friendly provocateur toward Audrey, then used her slick tongue to twist facts, successfully skewing his perception.
As clarity dawned, Clayton’s once–clouded eyes sharpened like bright stars on a frigid night.
He locked eyes with Valerie, a cold, mocking smirk tugging at his lips. “On Audrey’s birthday, you scratched your own hand all for show!”
At this, Valerie’s pitiful, wounded expression froze mid–air. The next moment, tears poured out like a burst dam.
She nodded through sobs. “If that’s what you’re convinced of, fine. What else do you want me to admit? I’ll own up to anything! Just don’t divorce me. Don’t abandon our daughter. I’ll take any blame, any charge. Just don’t leave us.”
Clayton ground his teeth, chest heaving. He drew a ragged breath, feeling a blazing inferno of rage inside, tempting him to raise his hand and slap the
woman before him.
He feared that if he kept dragging out this endless mess with Valerie, he might truly lose his grip. Unable to hold back his fury, he might even strike her.
At this thought, Clayton spun around sharply and marched toward the apartment building. Valerie didn’t flinch and quickened her pace to follow.
She grabbed his sleeve. “Clay, give your salary to your mom if you want I don’t care about the money anymore. I’ll stop taking to support us, just please stay and live with me like a normal couple.”
e cent. I’ll get a job
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Chapter 144
The nearby middle–aged women grew more outraged.
One woman gaped in disbelief. “What? You’re giving your whole salary to your mother? And making your wife work to feed the family? kas siek don’t you have any shame?!”
Facing such scolding, Valerie immediately jumped to Clayton’s defense. “Ma’am, please don’t say that. Clay is just being a caring son. He lets his mom handle his money. It’s my fault for complaining about it.”
Then Valerie turned to Clayton with mournful, pleading eyes, adding in a soft voice, “Clay, every dime you earn from now on–how you spend it, who you give it to–is up to you. I won’t say a word about it.”
Clayton’s face instantly darkened into a a glower. He roughly jerked his hand free from Valerie’s g
grasp as if trying to shake off a restrictive chain.
He’d given his salary to both his mother and her. Audrey had never uttered a word of complaint, but Valerie–barely married to him–had demanded his wages from his mother. ‘How dare she broadcast this in public!‘ he thought.
Valerie stubbornly reached for his hand again, pleading, “Clay, let’s go home. We can sort this out in private, okay?”
Clayton knew he wouldn’t get to see Audrey today. If they did cross paths, Valerie’s relentless clinging would only plant deeper misunderstandings in Audrey’s mind. When Valerie tugged at him again, he sighed and let her lead him away.
Watching their figures grow smaller, Audrey finally stepped out of the car.
The chatty middle–aged women continued their discussion.
One said, “Who lets their mom handle their paycheck at his age? Total mama’s boy, isn’t he?”
Another said, “Tell me about it. He looks so refined, but who’d suspect domestic abuse? You really can’t tell a person by their appearance.”
A woman holding a bag of groceries frowned. “Does anyone else think the woman’s story doesn’t add up? They’ve been married for a month. How can he be abandoning his wife and child? When did she even have the kid?”
Someone speculated, “Maybe she was pregnant before the wedding? Women should keep their dignity. My sister’s neighbor got knocked up pre- wedding, and the guy refused to hold a ceremony.”
Audrey walked past the group in silence. One of the women turned to greet her warmly.
AD
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