Ch. 416..420: Divorced My Scum Husband, Married His Evil brother Chapter 416-420

Chapter 416

"Chloe, I… I have been in lo—" the word love was so hard to get out of his throat. He swallowed his saliva that had suddenly thickened and repeated, "I have been in lo—"

"MOMMY, I'M DONE WITH BATH!"

Chloe's attention was instantly diverted towards the kitchen, where she saw her daughter appear with slightly wet hair after a bath and a bunch of colorful markers in her hand.

She waved the markers excitedly, "Mommy! Let me draw on your cast!"

Chloe giggled and quickly ignored Vernon, who stood like stone. He clenched his fist, not that he was angry at Mackie for ruining the moment, but he was disappointed and frustrated at himself for being too nervous.

He could be flirting with countless women before he reunited with Chloe because he felt nothing for them. They were all flings, past loves to fill his boredom and destress while venturing into this harsh world.

But he couldn't flirt like he used to in front of Chloe. He was bound to feel nervous when facing the only woman who had occupied his heart for over a decade.

'Should've said it sooner before Mackie comes,' Vernon thought.

But he quickly loosened his fist and joined Chloe and Mackie, who chatted in the kitchen. Chloe crouched in front of her daughter and lifted the cast covering her right arm, "What do you want to draw on Mommy's cast?"

"Uhhh… I haven't thought about it yet," Mackie said innocently. "But I want to write my name, and then draw many things!"

Chloe chuckled and sat on the floor. She offered her cast for Mackie to draw, "Go on, you can draw whatever on the cast."

Vernon watched how his niece seemed to think so hard about what to write and draw. His heart was itching to draw something, too, maybe it was part of his childhood that wanted to have fun, or he just wanted to be involved in this small family time.

But he eventually joined and sat right beside Chloe. He opened his palm and asked, "Give me the black marker."

"Um? What for, Uncle?"

"I want to write something on her cast too," Vernon replied. However, Mackie didn't give in easily. She clenched the black marker and took a step back.

"Uncle, promise me that you will write something nice! I don't want my Mommy's cast to have bad words!"

"Tch, I'm not going to write bad words. Just give me the black marker."

Mackie finally handed the black marker to her Uncle.

Vernon pulled the marker tip and quickly glanced at Chloe, asking for her consent.

Chloe smiled and nodded, "Go write anything you want."

Vernon nodded and then started writing something on the white cast.

Mackie kept a strict watch on what her Uncle was writing because she remembered how her Uncle kept cursing and shouting in his office. It gave her a bit of a shock.

Vernon paused for a moment before writing his name on the cast and glanced at Mackie, who glared at him. He grinned and wrote something else instead of his name.

He gave Mackie a second glance, and his grin grew into a mischievous smirk.

After he was done, he gave the black marker back to Mackie.

"What did you write, Uncle?" Mackie asked as she tried to read her Uncle's writing.

-

Under the Protection of

Big bad Wolf Uncle

And

Little Wolf Mackie.

-

Mackie was pleasantly surprised with the writing. Because with Uncle's and her name on the cast, nobody would dare to hurt Mommy again!

Though she disliked the fact that Uncle named her little wolf.

She pouted and protested, "Uncle, why am I a little devil? I am a Big bad wolf too!"

Vernon laughed heartily and bickered with his niece, "Hah! You have to grow up first. You're so tiny right now, I could flick your head, and you will fall!"

"Ugh!" Mackie wanted to protest. But then realized that she was indeed pretty small compared to Uncle. "Hmph! Wait until I grow up, I will be taller and bigger than you, Uncle!"

"Sure, sure, you have to work out and eat a lot if you want to grow as big as me," Vernon teased.

Chloe giggled as she watched how these two bickered.

Mackie and Vernon turned their heads at the same time and asked, "What's so funny?"

"Nothing," Chloe smiled. "I just found the two of you to be so adorable."

"Adorable?" Vernon frowned. "Me?"

"Mhm."

"Hmph, nonsense," Vernon slowly released Chloe's cast and got up. "You two, go sit at the dining table. What do you want for dinner, by the way?"

"Ah, I forgot to cook dinner…." Chloe muttered. She was so busy in the laundry room, trying to fold Vernon's clothes with one hand. It took so much time and wasn't practical, "L—Let me cook something."

"You? Cook something with that hand?" Vernon pointed at Chloe's cast. "You can't even chop vegetables with those. Just sit with Mackie at the dining table and let me cook. Tell me if you two have anything you want to make. I'll look up the recipe on Google or Youtube."

"Okay, Uncle!" Mackie quickly interrupted. She grabbed Mommy's left wrist and pulled her to the dining table. She didn't allow her Mommy to continue arguing with her Uncle because she knew Mommy shouldn't tire herself. "Mommy, let's sit there! I still want to draw! I want to draw a mama wolf and her baby. I also want to draw a sword, shield, lightning, cloud, or bird!"

"B—But—" Chloe was overwhelmed by Mackie, who continued pulling her to the dining table.

Thus, in the end, she could only follow her daughter and sat anxiously. At the same time, her cast was put on the table for Mackie to doodle on. Her eyes were set on watching over Vernon, who was trying to wear her apron that covered nothing since his body was too big.

"Ugh, what is this tiny apron?" he complained.

He sensed Chloe, who was staring at him worriedly. He grinned and claimed with confidence, "Don't worry, Chloe. I'm a good cook."

Chapter 417

​ "Don't worry, Chloe. I'm a good cook," Vernon claimed confidently, and Chloe couldn't hide her frown as she did not believe that at all.

"Um… are you sure? Should we just order something with Ubereats?" Chloe offered.

Honestly, she didn't like buying food from outside because she liked trying out making many new dishes. She even had a few cookbooks and googled a lot of recipes. But since she couldn't use her right hand, they had no other choice.

Vernon was slightly offended by her doubt, "Just sit there and let me cook something."

"But-"

"Just trust me, Chloe. Sit there and enjoy your time with Mackie."

"… Okay then."

Chloe shifted her gaze back at her daughter, who was busy drawing a big mama wolf and her small cub. She kept glancing at Vernon, who had his sleeve rolled and was busy checking the ingredients in the fridge.

She thought Vernon would break something or burn the food, at least. But she was out for a surprise because Vernon was skillful in preparing all the ingredients, chopping veggies, boiling rice, and then pan-fried a few chickens before he poured it all into a wok.

The sound of the spatula hitting the wok echoed in the kitchen, and the delicious aroma filled the air. Even Mackie got distracted by it.

In the end, he brought a big plate full of what looked like fried rice, but the aroma was so flavorful that Mackie and Chloe got hungry instantly.

Vernon put the big plate on the dining table and announced, "This is Spanish Paella. I like it better with seafood, but we don't have any seafood in the fridge, so I used chicken instead."

He returned to the kitchen and brought three stacks of the regular plate, distributing them for his small family before, and then returned with three glasses of water.

Chloe looked at the delicious Spanish Paella in front of her and then looked back at Vernon, demanding an explanation on how he could cook a difficult dish.

Vernon put a big spoon of Paella on Chloe's plate, "Just try it first and see if you like it."

Chloe carefully used her left hand to scoop the food and slowly munched on the food.

Her eyes widened, and she looked up at Vernon, grinning proudly, "Good?"

Chloe swallowed the food and nodded, "It's amazing. I cooked Paella a few times, but this is much better than mine."

Vernon took pride in his cooking. He might not be a chef, even if he could if he studied culinary seriously. Getting Chloe's approval was the thing he wanted the most for his cooking skill.

"Mm, it's good, but Mommy is still better!" Mackie suddenly chirped, and Chloe panicked when her daughter said that. Mackie shrugged, "What? Mommy's Paella is the best! Uncle, yours is good, but you should learn more from Mommy!"

Chloe looked back at Vernon and muttered sorry, "She doesn't know what she's saying. Don't take it at heart, Vernon."

"Hm? Why not? I know that you're a great cook," Vernon smiled. He sat right beside Chloe and took a spoonful into his mouth. "Hm, you're right, Mackie. Mine is slightly less flavorful than what she made, so I should probably ask her recipe instead."

"See, Mommy? Even Uncle admits it!"

Chloe didn't want Vernon to feel unappreciated for cooking dinner. He must've been tired from work and all the events that happened today, but he still took his time to cook for the family.

"It's still great," Chloe insisted. "Anyway, when did you learn how to cook?"

"Hm…. Probably a few months after I left to Europe," Vernon said, though he didn't specify which part of Europe he stayed. "I realized that I just can't palate many of the takeouts, since I grew up eating your homemade dishes."

"So I started learning how to cook by myself. I also traveled around Europe whenever I had free time and learned many dishes from my travels. That's why I can cook well."

Vernon raised his brow as he stared back at Chloe, "I should blame you for making me unable to eat takeouts. My picky palate can't handle them."

Chloe remembered how much of a picky eater Vernon was when he was a kid. He disliked most things. Sometimes he could like one food and suddenly dislike the same food the next day.

It was so frustrating for the cooks until Chloe took over Gray mansion's kitchen and started cooking whenever she visited, so Vernon could eat a lot without giving the cooks a headache.

'Now he's a grown man. A rich, young CEO who happens to be Handsome, with a great body, and also a great cook,' Chloe kept on showering Vernon with praises in her heart. She was too embarrassed to say it, but she was proud of him.

'Ah, I hope he can find a good woman to marry soon. So he doesn't need to think about me too much.'

Chloe knew that Vernon was in love with her. She would be a dense idiot if she didn't realize that.

All the things he did and the dedication he had just to protect her screamed the word 'love.'

But at the same time, she still couldn't stomach it.

She raised Vernon for at least eight years, and if he was in love with her, it was probably just a remnant of a childhood crush he'd get over eventually.

Besides, she didn't think she was worthy of dating- let alone marrying a man like Vernon. He was obviously a dream man for many young women out there.

But she didn't want to ruin the good atmosphere between them, so she swallowed all her concerns and ate with her family.

Maybe it was the concern that plagued her mind, or her exhaustion after a harsh day, or the food was just too damn good. She actually ate a full plate of Paella at an average pace. She even went for a second plate, much to Mackie and Vernon's relief.

Chapter 418

Chloe sat beside Mackie on the little girl's bed at night. Mackie was lying on her bed with her blanket tucked up to her chest.

She stared at the ceiling and then at Mommy, who carefully patted her head after dinner. She was happy that her stage play was a success. Even Mr. Peterson said that she was the one who played the best as the Big bad wolf.

She was also happy to see her Daddy, though not for long…

Her little brain was still trying to process what happened between Mommy and Daddy back in the Principal's office.

She saw how her Daddy handled her Mommy roughly, lifting her up until her feet hovered above the ground, choking her.

When she lived with Mommy and Daddy in the mansion, she often witnessed her Daddy hit Mommy. Though he'd always stop when Mackie saw.

She saw her Mommy was often hurt with many blue or purplish marks, but always told Mackie that it was alright or Daddy didn't mean to hurt Mommy.

Her Mommy often told her not to get angry at Daddy because Mommy was at fault for angering Daddy.

She was too small to understand what was happening then and truly thought it was normal to get bruises.

But when she got bullied by Jaden, Mia, and a few other kids in the school. She realized that getting bruises and cuts hurt so much.

Getting shoved to the ground hurt, and so did getting her hair pulled.

So she fought back until none of her bullies dared to attack her anymore because Mackie was truly like a little wolf, not sparing anyone who dared to hurt her.

"You should close your eyes, Dear," Chloe muttered softly while caressing Mackie's long hair. "You must be tired from your stage play."

"I'm not sleepy, Mommy."

"Really? Why so?"

"Because I keep thinking about you…." Mackie said. She put her hand on her Mommy's cast and caressed it gently. "Why don't you cry, Mommy? I got hurt by my bullies, and I cried in the bathroom a few times before I could fight them back. It hurts so much when they shove me to the ground or pull my hair."

"Daddy did the same to you, but why aren't you crying?" Mackie asked with her innocent eyes staring at Chloe.

…

Chloe stopped caressing Mackie's hair for a moment. Her heart was bleeding, knowing that Mackie had to know about her father's abusive behavior, no matter how hard Chloe tried to hide it.

She was trying to portray a good family for her daughter, thinking it would help her grow normal, unlike Chloe, who never had a father figure.

But today's eventful encounter between all three of them- Chloe, Mackie, and Vincent, must have put doubts in Mackie's heart.

'I thought I could hide this until Mackie is at least old enough to understand….'

Chloe sighed, "Getting hit by your Daddy does hurt me, dear…."

"Really? Then why have I never seen you crying after getting hurt?"

"… Because I don't want to make you sad," Chloe replied. "I'm sorry for not telling you that bruises are painful. I just don't want you to be sad about me."

"Mommy…" Mackie noticed the sad expression that Mommy made, even though the light around the room was dim. Mackie lifted her hand to touch her Mommy's cheek. "You can cry now, Mommy. Mackie is a big girl now. Now I know that getting bruises is painful after I get bullied. So you don't need to hide it when you get hurt."

Mackie's words effectively stabbed Chloe in the heart. She wanted to preserve Mackie's innocence as much as she could, but she got bullied in the school instead, and Chloe couldn't do a thing to prevent it.

Chloe tried to hold her tears, but a tear dropped from the corner of her eyes and landed on her daughter's cheek.

"I'm sorry, dear," Chloe muttered while sobbing. "I can't protect you from the bullies in school…."

"Mmm, it's not your fault, Mommy," Mackie replied. "Jaden and Mia are just bullies. They just don't want to play with me anymore, and I don't mind, because I have other friends as well."

'My dear girl, if only you knew that your father is the one who set up those kids to bully you….' Chloe could only say that in her heart.

While Mackie already had a faint understanding of what happened around her now. Chloe didn't want to shove a bitter pill of truth into her mouth.

Mackie already learned too much from what they encountered today. If she had to know about the truth sooner than Chloe expected, then at least it needed to be gradual. She didn't want to completely shatter a little girl's heart in just a day.

"Mommy, promise me that you will not hide from me when you cry or get hurt," Mackie demanded. "Mommy also needs to stop puking! You need to keep the food inside your stomach!"

Chloe chuckled. He wiped the tears from the corner of her eyes and nodded, "From now on, I promise I will not hide it from you if I get hurt. I also promise that I will not puke after eating anymore. Is that enough?"

"Mm!" Mackie nodded happily. She was satisfied with Mommy's promise, though she still had a few things bugging her mind.

"Well, go to sleep now, Mommy will talk to Uncle about something," Chloe said. She kissed her daughter's head before getting up and leaving the room.

Chloe closed the door and let out a deep, relieved breath. While she was nervous and sad that she had to tell Mackie about her bruises, at least Mackie still hadn't asked her about her Daddy.

Or maybe not yet. Chloe believed that the question about Vincent was already lingering in Mackie's mind, and the little girl would eventually ask why her Daddy had hit Mommy so many times in the past.

But as long as Mackie hadn't brought up the question, Chloe had no obligation to answer.

'I hope the question won't pop up anytime soon. I want her to grow up first before learning about the painful truth….'

 

Chapter 419

After making sure that her daughter was asleep, Chloe went up to the penthouse, where she saw Vernon sitting with a laptop on his lap.

He seemed to be working on documents again, and Chloe walked to him with a hot herbal tea in her left arm. She brewed it downstairs because she knew Vernon would not let her do anything because of her injury.

She put the herbal tea on the table and sat beside him on the sofa. He stopped his work, closed his laptop and tossed it to the smaller seat.

He glanced at the herbal tea and then at Chloe. He frowned disapprovingly, "Why did you make that? I don't ask for it."

"Well, you're going to stay up all night, so I thought you'd need some energy boost…." Chloe replied. She wasn't scared of Vernon's disapproval because she knew that Vernon was just looking out for her.

"You're hurt, Chloe. You shouldn't be doing anything right now."

"My left hand is still functional," Chloe raised her left hand, which was proven to be a wrong move.

Because Vernon suddenly grabbed her wrist and pulled her closer, "V—Vernon— What are you—"

Vernon gave Chloe no time to protest. He grabbed Chloe's hips and lifted her up easily, allowing her to straddle his lap.

Now they were facing each other with Vernon gently tracing his hand around her hips and thighs, "I know you're a hard worker, Chloe. I also know you used to work in Vincent's mansion even after he hurt you."

"But I will not allow you to do anything while you're hurt," Vernon insisted. He looked up at Chloe, who sat on his lap. His expression showed a hint of pain despite him trying to hide it. "Why can't you listen to me?"

Chloe was stunned by Vernon's last sentence. She didn't realized how much her condition upset Vernon. But she was used to working on house chores in Vincent's mansion even after Vincent beat her up or fainted due to hunger.

She was afraid that Vincent would try to nitpick and yell at her for being a 'lazy-good-for-nothing-wife.'

That fear of being yelled at already seeped deep inside her mind, making her subconsciously try to find something to do even when she was in so much pain.

Chloe looked down and observed Vernon's handsome face. Under the dim light, she could see the trace of exhaustion on him, making him age five years older in just a few days.

"Vernon, you need rest," Chloe muttered while tracing her fingers around the corner of his eyes down to his cheek.

She rubbed Vernon's cheek with her left thumb and added, "Your eye bags are so dark, are you suffering from insomnia?"

Vernon bit his lower lip, getting infuriated by Chloe's comment, "See? This is what I don't like about you, Chloe."

"Eh? D—Did I do something wrong?"

"Yes, you did," Vernon replied. "You keep worrying about someone else. You worried about me, Mackie, heck— you're even worried about Diamond! Yet, you have no worry about your own health!"

Vernon's eyes were filled with intense emotion that Chloe could identify easily, but she tried to ignore it because she didn't want her heart to catch feelings.

"I… I just want to keep my family healthy… and happy," Chloe muttered. "It's my duty as a—" Chloe quickly zipped her mouth. She almost said that it was her duty as a housewife. But she and Vernon weren't bound by marriage or any kind of intimate relationship. So she stopped and went silent.

"You— Don't you understand that your health is also my concern?!" Vernon started to grow frustrated. "Why can't you think about yourself for a second, be fucking selfish, seriously!"

"I—I can't be selfish…."

"Yeah, and that cost you this!" Vernon grabbed Chloe's cast and lifted it. "You said that Vincent tried to inquire about my identity from you. He intimidated and abused you for not telling him about my identity, right?"

…

"See? If you can be a bit selfish and tell him about me, it would save yourself from getting hurt," Vernon said ruthlessly. "Stop trying to be a martyr, I don't need your protection, I can fight him!"

His words were harsh, startling her and making her whole body stiff for a few seconds.

Vernon noticed her shock and sighed before burying his face in Chloe's chest. His voice muffled as he confessed, "I'm sorry, Chloe. I got upset whenever I saw your injuries. I keep blaming myself and can't help but start making scenarios in my head."

"Scenarios?"

Vernon lifted his face to stare at his beloved's concerned eyes, "I keep making scenarios of what I should've done in the past to prevent your abuse. I know there's nothing I could do to change the past, but I— I just can't help it."

"I shouldn't have left you alone for ten years. I shouldn't try to hurt you when you come to me, begging for help. I shouldn't be a damn-fucking-idiot who can't even protect you from Vincent today."

"Vernon," Chloe called his name to interrupt Vernon from all of his negative thoughts. "Don't blame yourself. It's never your fault in the first place."

"I am the one who's willing to marry Vincent. I didn't know how twisted he is until I married him, and that blame should be on me," Chloe stated boldly. "I was careless, blinded by love, and that's what got me roped into his twisted game."

Vernon opened his mouth, wanting to refute that argument. But realized that what Chloe said was right.

As much as he wanted to blame himself for everything, he had to admit that nobody knew how twisted Vincent was until recent years when he morphed into just like their father, Vaughn Gray.

"I know you must be working hard these days, having so many sleepless nights to find resources to fight him, right?" Chloe asked, and Vernon nodded in response.

He was working tirelessly to find a way to fight against his Big brother and slowly chipping away at all the foundation that the Gray family had made for the past decades.

Chapter 420

"And why did you do that? Obviously, you don't need to fight him, he loves you so much, Vernon."

"Because I want to free you from him," Vernon replied without thinking twice. "I don't want you to get hurt anymore, and the only way for that to happen... is to topple him from his throne."

Vernon decided not to say his original motive. Initially, he returned to New York and launched his slow revenge because he hated both Chloe and Vincent for making him live in a nightmare.

But his motive changed after he got closer to Chloe, and he soon realized that he truly could not help himself from falling in love once again. Now, he fell in love so hard that he became distressed by the smallest pain that Chloe experienced.

He had nothing else in his mind other than protecting Chloe from that monster, even if it would cost his fortune or life.

"See? You are fighting against him to protect me. So what's so wrong if I did the same for you? I fight back because I want to protect you," Chloe said. She lowered her head and kissed Vernon's forehead gently. "Mr. Phoenix Gray, I think YOU need to stop trying to be a martyr instead. What's with you trying to sacrifice yourself for me? Do you think I'm willing to be the damsel in distress?"

"You are my damsel nonetheless," Vernon claimed.

"But I'm not a virgin anymore, damsel is for an unmarried maiden, right?"

"Doesn't matter, you're still my damsel," Vernon wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer until their bodies rubbed on one another. "You're forever my damsel until I marry you."

"Ah-"

"Ah-"

Both Chloe and Vernon widened their eyes at the same time. The comfortable atmosphere became awkward instantly because Vernon accidentally slipped his tongue and muttered one of the forbidden words between them.

Love and Marriage.

They both knew that love was in the air. Their eyes spoke with passion, and all their intimate moments weren't just because of a 'familial bond.'

That was bullshit that Chloe used to justify all of their actions.

But in the end, Vernon slipped his tongue and made everything too awkward for them to continue.

...

They got silenced in an instant, not knowing what to do next.

But one thing is for sure, they couldn't continue their intimate moments because it was too awkward.

"I-- um... I better go back to my room," Chloe muttered. She pushed herself away from Vernon and got up from Vernon's lap.

Vernon did nothing to stop her, as he was ashamed of himself.

Chloe stood in front of Vernon and glanced at his bulge, 'I guess he slipped because he got horny,' she thought.

"You should drink that herbal tea while it's hot, Vernon. It's good for your health," Chloe suggested. "And um... try to sleep early if you can, it's really not good for your health."

Vernon replied with a soft hum. He turned his head to the glass door leading to the balcony, afraid that Chloe might notice his tomato-red face.

"P--Please excuse me then."

Vernon heard Chloe's small steps as she walked to the kitchen and went downstairs.

Vernon kept staring at the glass door until he was assured that Chloe wasn't around. He cursed himself in his heart for being a total idiot that ruined the night.

He took a sip of Chloe's herbal tea and walked out to the balcony. He closed the glass door behind him before taking long steps to the balcony guardrail.

The air was so cold, but for some reason, his whole body-- especially his face, was so hot.

He took a deep breath and shouted into the open air, "WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU JUST SAY VERNON? FOREVER YOUR DAMSEL? THAT WAS SO FUCKING CRINGE!"

Vernon knew that they weren't ready for that talk. He made it obvious that he was in love with Chloe, and Chloe's positive changes showed that she was comfortable with him in many ways.

But they were still on a rocky path. Talking about love and marriage would distract them.

Besides, Vernon promised to start taking the relationship seriously after he toppled his Big brother.

"Well, this awkwardness will stay for a while, ugh...." Vernon groaned.

Chloe would usually try to avoid him for some time whenever they had a fight or simply had an awkward moment like this, and it was like torment for Vernon.

Because he liked to see the bubblier and happier version of Chloe, free from her constant anxiety stemming from the abuse.

"I have to remind myself not to slip again," Vernon said as he put a mental note. "I need to focus. FOCUS! There are lots to do. Things like love can wait until I can kick that bastard out of Chloe's life, and Chloe's physical and mental health improves until she's ready to open her heart once more."

**

Chloe returned to her room, closed the door carefully, and threw herself onto her bed.

She was like a teenage girl that had just gotten a confession from a boy she had a crush on.

She buried her face in her pillow and muffled her scream.

Chloe rolled on her bed, trying to contain her excitement, and the sharp pain from her hand stopped her from getting too excited.

She lay flat on her bed, staring at the ceiling.

Her mind kept on replaying Vernon's sentence over and over, like a broken cassette.

-

"You're forever my damsel until I marry you."

-

She felt there was a pang in her heart. She put her left palm on her chest, feeling the accelerated heartbeat.

"Ah, why am I getting so excited just because he said some cheesy words? You're thirty-five, Chloe. Get a grip!" Chloe scolded herself.

But she couldn't lie that Vernon's sentence was so out of the blue, it took her like a storm, and now she couldn't get it off her head.

"This is bad, I'm so love-deprived that a frivolous sentence can make me feel like a high school girl again."