Chapter 3
INT
The deepest wound in my heart was casually turned into a joke for Chelsea to smile at.”
As soon as I said that, Maxwell’s expression changed. He stormed to the door, grabbed me by the hair and dragged me in front of the phone, forcing me to face Chelsea on the video call.
“Suzanne, Chelsea was just joking around. Don’t be so aggressive.“}
“Apologize.”
I didn’t move. I stubbornly straightened up.
Maxwell grew angry as well. He slammed my head onto the ground. I lost my balance and knelt awkwardly in front of the phone. My hair was disheveled, my face covered in tears, looking like a lunatic.}
I didn’t remember how I got out of that room. All I could recall was the sound of Maxwell and Chelsea laughing.”
“Why don’t those thugs bother someone else?“}
“Max, looks like your little wife is pretty popular with men.”
I slid down the wall, slowly collapsing onto the floor. I covered my mouth tightly to keep from making a sound. My eyes were so full of tears that I couldn’t see anything clearly.”
I pulled out my phone and searched my contacts until I found the old chat history.
[I’ve changed my mind. Let’s get married.]}
The reply came almost instantly. I threw the buzzing phone aside, forced myself to my feet and returned to the room.
The door flew open in the middle of the night with a loud bang. Maxwell stormed in and yanked me out of bed.
“Get up. Chelsea’s here to apologize.”
Before I could even fully wake up, he dragged me into the living room.
Chelsea was all dressed up and glowing. When she saw me, she smiled warmly and pulled me down to sit beside her, pushing a box into my arms.
“Suzanne, I shouldn’t have said those things about you.“}
“Max said you love strawberry cake. I made this one myself as a peace offering.”
Only then did I look down and realize what I was holding: a cake smothered in strawberry sauce.}
“I don’t want it.” I slapped the cake out of her hands.
The edge of the cake box grazed Chelsea’s hand, leaving a small red mark on the back of her hand. Her eyes instantly welled up with tears.
“Max, I didn’t know Suzanne didn’t like this.”
She spoke between sobs, large tears rolling down her cheeks.
Maxwell hurriedly hugged Chelsea to his arms and slapped me in the face.
“Suzanne! Don’t push it.”
“Chelsea went out of her way to make this for you and this is how you repay her?“}
He didn’t hold back. I collapsed to the floor, my ears ringing.
After a long moment, I slowly got up, pressing a hand to my face.
“I’m allergic to strawberries, Maxwell. Did you forget?“}]
When Chelsea wasn’t around, Maxwell strictly forbade anything strawberry–related in the house. He was always afraid I’d accidentally eat
some.
For a second, a flicker of hesitation crossed his face. But the sound of Chelsea softly sobbing made him glare at me even more fiercely.” “Stop making excuses. You’re just doing this to make things difficult for Chelsea.”
“I don’t believe one bite would kill you.”
Chelsea tugged at his sleeve, speaking gently.
“Max, if Suzanne doesn’t want to forgive me, that’s okay. Let’s forget it.“@
Her pitiful tone only made Maxwell angrier. He pointed to the mess of cake on the floor.”
“Eat Chelsea’s cake. If you do, I’ll pretend none of this ever happened.“}
1 looked up at him in disbelief. He didn’t even glance at me, gently patting Chelsea’s back to comfort her.
