hapter 148
Chapter 148
“You…” Lillian jolted when she heard this, her body going rigid as if spellbound. Her already crooked mouth began twitching uncontrollably, saliva spilling out like a burst dam.
Furious, ashamed, and panicked, Lillian wildly swiped at her chin, trying to hide the humiliating scene. But the more she rushed, the clumsier and more. absurd her movements became, even the other arm refusing to obey.
Her face flushed red, then paled, and then turned purple–an explosion of emotions–rage at Audrey and searing embarrassment.
Audrey scoffed, raising an eyebrow, ”
always been laid–back, never one
scramble for anyone or anything.”
meals
She added dryly, “Since Valerie’s so doting on Clayton, let her make his and endless smiles.” As she spoke, she gave Lillian a pointed smile.
Lillian nearly choked with rage.
John was going to prison, their embezzl
very day. I truly wish you a happy old age with a harmonious marriage
money had to be returned, and he already hated her recklessness which ruined his career and sent him to all.
She’d be lucky if he didn’t hold a grudge against her when he got out. How could their marriage in old age be “harmonious“?
And that “endless smiles“-it was a brutal dig. Audrey knew perfectly well that after her stroke, her mouth and eyes were twisted, yet she’d cruelly taunted her with that “wish.” What a vicious woman,‘ Lillian thought.
Lillian staggered, her hatred for Audrey burning hotter. At the same time, she thought of that even more loathsome Valerie.
The bitch had used God knows what tricks to enchant Clayton. Now he’d lost his job, was drowning in lawsuits, and who knew what enemies he’d made, getting beaten up all the time.
Audrey didn’t even have the guts to ask for Clayton’s paycheck, but Valerie had the nerve to demand it. Once she got the money, she’d shirk all housework and just go out and have fun.
When Clayton ended up in the hospital after getting hurt–a major ordeal–she showed up only once. Then she used Cheryl being sick as an excuse and vanished for good.
The chance of her cooking a proper meal for Clayton? It was about as likely as flying to the moon.
Just thinking about it made Lillian’s chest tighten, fury building up inside her.
She’d been trying to act all high and mighty as the mother–in–law, hoping to pressure Audrey into submission. But when Audrey refused her flat–out, Lillian felt a pang of panic, like she’d let something slip through her fingers.
Even so, she wasn’t about to show any
weakness.
“Cut out this petty talk. Clay might have made some mistakes, but you two are married. In a marriage, you have to give and take. Let’s just forget about the past,” Lillian said, stepping back to grab the gift box from Audrey.
Her voice softened a bit. “You’re new in Ironhaven, with no one to turn to. You asked Carson for help because you wanted him to take you to see Clay, right? Come on, enough stalling.”
Audrey deftly dodged Lillian’s outstretched hand, then took a big step back, her eyes filled with pure revulsion.
She sneered, “No wonder Clayton doesn’t know how to act right. He was never taught any manners to begin with. Does he really think he’s hot stuff that everyone’s dying for?
“Do you actually believe every woman is as shameless as Valerie, willing to do anything to get their hands on him?”
Audrey’s ruthless words slammed into Lillian like a sledgehammer, making her head buzz. Her body felt weightless, half her body starting to tingle
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Chapter 148
faintly.
Shaking with anger, she pointed a trembling finger straight at Audrey, her lips quivering as she tried to speak, only to have her throat feel as if gorras with cotton, unable to utter a word.
get out the rest. Her face, already aged by her sudden loss of authority,
“You… you… you…” Lillian stammered for ages as if spellbound, unable to get instantly lost all life like a withered old tree.
Clutching her chest, she looked at Carso
thinking that as Clayton’s best friend, he ought to stand up for Clayton and persuade Audrey now.
‘As the mother–in–law, I can’t beg,‘ she thought
intimidate her.‘
‘But Carson can. If Audrey’s attitude softens even a little, I’ll take the chance to back off and stop trying to
Though Audrey was an orphan with no family to help Clayton’s career, she wasn’t like Valerie, who only had eyes for money and treated Clayton harshly
Nor did she have a difficult mother like Cheryl, who’d embarrassed the Patel family by spreading Clayton’s scandals at Starise House.
No comparison, no pain. Lately, Lillian’d increasingly realized agreeing to Clayton divorcing and marrying Valerie had been a mistake. That was why when Clayton said he wanted to divorce and remarry Audrey, she’d been fully in favor.
When Lillian met Carson’s eyes, her heart went cold. Carson just shrugged, palms up, showing he couldn’t help.
In an instant, Lillian felt like she was alone in a barren desert with no one around to fight for her. She anxiously looked around, desperate to find even a single straw to cling to.
All of a sudden, she caught sight of a figure in the corridor. It was her precious son, Clayton, who’d somehow appeared at the hospital room door without anyone noticing.
Hearing his mother’s voice inside the room, Clayton realized Audrey had come to visit. A rush of indescribable happiness flooded through him.
To win Audrey’s pity and get her to forgive his past mistakes, he didn’t hesitate to yank out the IV needle from his hand. But when he heard Audrey’s biting sarcasm, his mood flipped. He seethed with anger, yet panic gnawed at him too.
One part of him dreaded that Audrey would walk away and never look back. And between his already fragile state and this intense emotional turmoil, he couldn’t bring himself to care about anything else. He just stumbled right out of the hospital room.
Clayton was a sorry sight. An ugly purple bruise marred his cheekbone, and his split lip made his deathly pale face look even more alarming.
Propped up against the corridor wall, he hung his arm down, and blood dripped steadily from his fingertips. He swayed on his feet, looking like he could crumple to the ground any second.
A
