Ch. 456..460: Divorced My Scum Husband, Married His Evil brother Chapter 456-460
Chapter 456
"Give me your phone. I will block her myself."
Vernon's voice was demanding, full of impatience. He was so pissed off, and Chloe understood what caused that.
She knew Vernon had a lot of resentment and anger toward his mother. Chloe witnessed how Dorothea never actually gave shit about Vernon growing up and how she always busied herself getting drunk and screaming like a madwoman to everyone in the Gray family mansion.
Dorothea and Vaughn fought a lot, and Chloe had to hug Vernon tightly whenever he cried. Despite his arrogant young master persona, Little Vernon was still a vulnerable boy who got upset whenever he saw his parents yell at each other.
Chloe also remembered the first day she entered the Gray family mansion. Vernon was running around the corridor, knocking on expensive vases as he tried to get Dorothea's attention. But Dorothea's reaction was too much. She started cursing him like cursing an adult, calling him a bastard and little shit, and even told him to go die because nobody wanted him.
Vernon stood still, he didn't cry, but he stared at his mother with hatred.
When Chloe witnessed that hatred in Vernon's eyes, she realized that Vernon must've been deprived of love since he was raised in such a hostile environment.
Chloe thought that Dorothea's harsh words back then were just because she was under the influence. But Chloe never saw her without a bottle of booze in her left hand. She even caught her taking heroin from time to time.
Dorothea was a mess, so Chloe gave up trying to connect the daughter and son and decided to raise Vernon by herself.
Chloe's memory flashed at that moment when then-seven-year-old Vernon told her something shocking;
-
"Big sis Chloe, I wish my Mom and Dad would die," Vernon said innocently.
Chloe paused for a moment, but she didn't freak out because she had experienced babysitting many toddlers around her neighborhood as a part-timer in middle school.
Toddlers and kids around Vernon's age often said unexpected things without realizing it.
So she calmly asked, "Why do you think like that? What's wrong?"
"Um... because they keep telling me to die, so I want them to die too," Vernon replied, still with innocence.
...
Chloe took another deep breath. She was still trying to stay calm.
"Vernon, do you know what death means?" she asked, and Vernon replied by shaking his head.
"Well, to die means that your Mom and Dad will not be there with you anymore. They will leave somewhere far away and will never come back. Do you want that to happen?"
Vernon's eyes brightened when he heard that explanation, "Then I want Mom and Dad to die! I really want them to die!" Vernon chirped happily. "Big sis, can I stay with you if Mom and Dad die? I want to stay with you forever!"
...
--
Chloe stared at Vernon, who was trying to intimidate her. She was scared, of course. But she felt that blocking Dorothea would solve nothing, especially when Chloe believed that Dorothea was genuinely trying to make peace with Chloe... and with herself.
"She is not as bad as you think she is," Chloe muttered.
Vernon scoffed. He really had no mood to argue with Chloe right now, especially when it was obvious that he was in the right.
Chloe was always stirred by her emotion, so it was easy to fool her, especially with a manipulative bitch like Dorothea.
"And why do you think so? What makes her good?" Vernon raised his chin and crossed his arms in front of his chest. It was obvious that nothing could change his mind right now.
But Chloe still wanted to say something for Vernon to think.
"Vernon, your mother is also a victim of severe abuse by your father. She's no different than me," Chloe said.
Vernon was triggered the moment Chloe said that. He grabbed Chloe's arms and squeezed them until she winced in pain.
"V--Vernon, let go...."
"Listen to me, Chloe," Vernon's voice was a bit coarse because he was holding off his rage. His hawk eyes glared at Chloe as if he was about to do something very unpleasant soon.
"Don't you ever dare to compare yourself with Dorothea," he said. "So what if she got abused back then? She still unleashed all of that abuse at me as a revenge just because I was just a defenseless kid."
"Did you ever scream at Mackie-- telling her to die and rot in hell? Did you ever shove or hit your daughter with a beer bottle just because Vincent did the same to you?! DID YOU?!" Vernon's emotions started getting out of control when he remembered all the abuses he had experienced at the hands of Dorothea.
Chloe's face paled instantly. She wasn't in the Gray mansion 24/7, so she didn't know the true extent of abuse Little Vernon experienced.
She just thought that-- at least, at the bare minimum-- Dorothea never physically abused Vernon.
And she was wrong, it seemed.
"She hit me a lot of times, Chloe, especially when I was only five to six years old. You never know and I never tell because I just don't want you to know," Vernon added. "So don't you fucking dare to compare yourself to that drunkard. It disgusts me. Do you understand?"
...
"I SAID, DO YOU UNDERSTAND?!" Vernon raised his voice, and Chloe nodded slowly.
Her eyes were already glazed with tears, and she was shaking, "I--I understand, sorry...." Chloe mumbled. She lowered her head, too scared to face Vernon right now.
His face... looked like he could be the second Vincent soon, and it terrified her so much.
Vernon realized what he had done.
He quickly released his hands from Chloe's arms. He took a few steps back to give Chloe room to breathe.
"Sorry, I-- I got too angry...." Vernon admitted. He tried to lower his voice so he didn't sound intimidating. The last thing he wanted to see was Chloe's tears. "I didn't mean to scare or hurt you, It's just... whenever we talk about my mother, I can't help to get angry."
Chapter 457
...
"Chloe?" Vernon called her name, but there was no answer from Chloe. Instead, he saw her lap was already wet with a few drops of tears coming from the edge of her eyes.
Vernon went stiff in an instant. He was about to drop to his knees and begged Chloe not to cry. It was almost like muscle memory for him to do anything so he wouldn't see her tears.
But this time, it was different.
As much as he wanted to coax Chloe, what she did was stupid. She always used her heart and put aside her logic, so it was easy for her to fall into a small trap like this.
'I have to be firm. I cannot be swayed by Chloe's tears, not when I'm defending the right thing,' Vernon told himself. 'She needs to know who's her friend or foe.'
Vernon clenched his fists and turned around decisively. He couldn't bear to speak when he saw Chloe looking so vulnerable like this, "I'm not trying to scare you, but you must think logically. What's the chance that a neglectful bitch like my mother will suddenly change and try to help you? Of course she's being controlled by Vincent to do his bidding."
"Don't be an idiot, Chloe," Vernon said. He looked over his shoulder and saw Chloe was still crying. He muttered a low 'fuck' before leaving the room. He couldn't bear to see Chloe crying for too long, or he might lose it and start begging her to stop crying.
'No, I am in the right one here. Chloe is being an idiot who can't use her logic. I can't let her fall into a stupid trap just because her heart is too soft,' Vernon convinced himself as he grabbed his briefcase upstairs.
He made long strides through the foyer heading to the front door. He held the door handle, but his heart was aching right now. He was still fighting not to rush back downstairs to coax Chloe and watch over her, just in case she might actually call Dorothea again.
'No, I can't be too weak. Not right now, Vernon. This is for the best of her, the best of us,' Vernon convinced himself again. 'I need to make my point.'
Vernon took a deep breath and finally left the apartment. He tried to keep himself busy by thinking about his work today since he had a lot to do.
But he kept feeling guilty as he imagined how Chloe would cry because of him, and it ate him up inside.
**
Chloe tried to wipe her tears that couldn't stop. She was sad, but not for herself.
She was sad when she saw Vernon's eyes full of anger, disappointment, and sadness.
He was hurting so much because Chloe decided to give Dorothea a chance.
She had a lot of things going on in her mind right now, mostly about the whole situation between her, Dorothea, and Vernon.
She knew she was illogical, and Vernon was the right one here. Dorothea had done absolutely nothing for the past ten years to help her.
In fact, rather than trying to understand Chloe's situation, she just tried to ridicule her, making it as if Chloe's problem wasn't as bad as hers and she was just being a spoiled little bitch.
Dorothea had treated Vernon terribly too. She was verbally abusive, but this was the first time Chloe heard that Vernon was also getting physically abused by her.
So she understood Vernon's situation really well and would do anything to support him.
But her heart...
She had this gut feeling that something just flipped the switch in Dorothea. As if something just changed her overnight, Dorothea was now genuinely trying to make things better for all of them, especially for herself, as she was trying to have peace of mind.
'But, should I trust my gut feeling?' Chloe asked herself.
There had been an instance where her feelings got the best of her, and she married the wrong man. She ignored all the red flags and married Vincent, and now she suffered the aftermath.
'And what if Dorothea tries to reach me because Vincent told her to do so? What guarantees that she's on my side when there is basically nothing good coming from our in-laws relationship?'
Chloe was conflicted, she lay on the bed, staring at the ceiling, and the only thing she could think of was Vernon.
How could she not think that her action would affect Vernon badly, and how she made him sad because she didn't heed his words? It was a logical one as well, just to keep her safe.
Then, a question popped into her mind.
'Do I ever think about Vernon as a person?' Chloe asked herself. 'I always think of myself and Mackie, and I took all of his kindness for granted. Do I ever do something to help him other than doing my job as a maid here?'
Now, Chloe believed that Vernon didn't mind her not doing anything, as staying hiding was the best thing she could do right now as he was doing his job.
But it made Chloe feel so... useless.
It made her feel like she was nothing but a dead weight.
She could stay as a dead weight for the rest of her life, and Vernon wouldn't complain.
But she wanted to do something to help him, especially after seeing how hurt Vernon was.
"He resents Dorothea much more than he resents Vincent, and that will haunt him for the rest of his life...." Chloe muttered.
Now, if her gut feeling was right, she might be able to do something between Vernon and Dorothea to give them peace of mind, so they wouldn't at least resent each other for the rest of their lives.
"I might not be able to give him monetary support-- not that he needs it anyway. But I... I can give him emotional support. I want him to be happy, just like how I want Mackie to be happy."
Chapter 458
"And by connecting this estranged pair of daughter and son might be able to make him happy, or at least realized that he's well-loved...."
After making her decision, Chloe grabbed her phone and turned it on. She had at least four more missed calls before Dorothea gave up. Though Chloe believed that her mother-in-law would call her again, there were so many things they had to discuss.
"But I have to be careful. I can't let my emotions control me," Chloe reminded herself. She was already stupid enough to marry Vincent, to let her family trample her all over, and to fall into Maria and Vincent's traps twice-- first in the coffee shop, second in the Principal's office.
She couldn't mess this up, especially when this involved Vernon.
Thus, instead of calling Dorothea, she had to take more... careful approach because listening to Dorothea's voice kept apologizing to her made Chloe feel vulnerable and made her feel like she could trust Dorothea with her life.
Which was too naive.
So she texted her instead;
-
Chloe:
Sorry that I ended the call, Dorothea. I had to do something for a while.
Please don't call me. Just text me instead.
-
It took Dorothea only five minutes to reply to her text, which meant that she had been waiting on her phone the entire time.
-
Dorothea:
Oh, thank god, I really thought something happened just now.
Were you okay? Did this new man of yours also abuse you just like he did?
Be honest with me, Chloe.
-
Chloe was stunned by her answer. The fact that she didn't refer to Vincent as 'my son' meant that there must be something wrong between Vincent and Dorothea.
That, and...
The fact that she asked if she was okay. It gave off the feeling that Dorothea actually cared for her well-being.
'Crap, this only confuses me even more....' Chloe was like a thirsty woman stuck in a desert, and Dorothea's attention was like an oasis she had been searching for.
But she was unsure if it was a real oasis or just a Fata Morgana because she was so damn thirsty.
Chloe took a deep breath and tried to keep herself in check before she texted back;
-
Chloe:
I'm alright. I just had something come up when we were on a call before.
My new man is not abusive to me at all. He's been nothing but very loving to me.
Dorothea, why did you call me so suddenly? You've never seemed interested in my life before, and I don't think I can fully trust you yet, Dorothea.
-
Chloe knew that her question was straight to the point. But she had no capability of playing a mind game with Dorothea. She wasn't an expert manipulator like Vincent or Vernon, so she'd rather ask the question and guess whether it was a truth or a lie using her gut instinct.
Dorothea didn't give Chloe a quick answer. Chloe waited more than ten minutes without responding, and she couldn't help but frown.
'What took her so long to answer?' she wondered.
Unfortunately, her focus quickly shifted when she heard a little girl's voice coming into her room, "Mommy... um... morning...." Mackie greeted while rubbing her eyes.
She yawned a few times before walking towards Chloe and sleeping again on Chloe's bed.
Chloe quickly turned her phone off. She didn't want Mackie to see anything related to Dorothea, or she might throw a tantrum so she could meet with her Granny.
"Wake up, dear. It's almost eight already," Chloe said gently.
"Umm... I want to sleep more, Mommy. Let me sleep... zzz..." Chloe giggled and gave Mackie a light kiss before getting up.
"Well, Mommy already made you a banana-apple juice for breakfast. If you're still sleeping, I guess I will drink it myself."
Mackie's eyes widened in an instant. It had been a while since the last time she had a banana-apple juice that her mother made, and she was craving it.
Mackie jumped out of bed and chirped while tailing Chloe, "I want my banana-apple juice! Mommy can only drink half of it!"
Thus, Chloe and Mackie left the bedroom and went upstairs for breakfast.
Chloe intentionally left her phone in the bedroom because she didn't want to keep checking on it as she waited for Dorothea's answer.
**
Meanwhile, Dorothea had been staring at Chloe's last text for at least thirty minutes, trying to find a good answer to this question.
She wanted to sound genuine because she really was being genuine right now.
But Dorothea understood that it wasn't easy for Chloe to open up, especially after all the horrible treatment she had done to her daughter-in-law back then. She deserved to be punished for her ignorance, but she felt that giving birth and turning Vincent-- her favorite son-- into a monster who ruined everyone's life, including his own.
"Should I just tell her about everything? That Vincent showed the abuse that he did towards Chloe in the Principal's office?" Dorothea wondered. "Does that sound genuine enough?"
There were a lot of doubts in Dorothea's heart, and she decided to send something else instead of addressing Chloe's question:
-
Dorothea:
I don't feel comfortable just texting. Do you have time to meet? I want to meet you somewhere, and we can talk about this. I will answer everything that you want to know. You can judge whether I'm being genuine or not.
-
Dorothea thought that Chloe would reply to her soon. But she kept waiting and waiting until there was a phone call.
Dorothea grabbed her phone and checked the caller, and her anticipation faded.
Because it turned out to be Shailene, her psychiatrist. She must've called to remind Dorothea about their next meeting this evening.
Dorothea had planned the meeting for a long time. She felt that she wasn't getting better each day, and the memory of Vaughn always overwrite all the peace she had in mind.
'Should I just cancel the meeting, or... should I talk to Shailene about this?'
Chapter 459
'Should I just cancel the meeting, or... should I talk to Shailene about this?' Dorothea pondered.
She thought she could get much-needed advice from Shailene, especially about her changing views. She knew it was abrupt, but Vincent's action shook her to the core, making her feel so much worse, and the guilt was eating her from the inside.
'Though, so far, Shailene always told me to try to reconnect with Vernon. I don't think anything good would come if I try to reconnect with him….'
Dorothea was unsure about that piece of advice from Shailene. She was a good listener, but her advice was consistently ineffective, mainly because Dorothea refused to talk with Vernon.
She was too prideful and embarrassed, thinking of her past sins. It was much easier to keep up with the animosity between her and Vernon rather than trying to be nice to each other.
Dorothea sighed, "Oh well, I still want to talk about Chloe with Shailene," she murmured as she texted Shailene back, telling her that she would come to her office in the evening.
With that being said, Dorothea decided to just wait for Chloe to text her back, hopefully giving her a location they could meet in private. However, she doubted it'd be that easy.
"God, please make this easier," Dorothea pleaded. "I've been eaten by my guilt ever since Vaughn's death. I don't know if I could spend the rest of my life feeling like this…."
**
Vernon was busy reading documents and calling a few people in the office. The mood around the office was a lot more tense than usual, and that affected Diamond, who thought she didn't need to put up a serious act around Vernon all the time anymore.
It was tiring working with a boss that was always on edge. One mistake, and he would yell at every single soul in the office.
Diamond knocked on the door before entering Vernon's office. She put another document for Vernon to read and asked, "Sir, what do you want for lunch?"
Vernon picked up the document and started reading. With his eyes on the file, he answered, "I'm not hungry. You can return to your desk."
…
"Sir, Chloe called me just now, she was telling me to buy you lunch. Just tell me if there's something wrong between you two, it tires me out that I have to get caught between the rift," Diamond said.
Vernon subtly flinched when Diamond mentioned Chloe. He was trying to keep himself busy because he felt guilty for what he had said to her in the morning.
So he ignored Chloe's texts, especially her telling him to get food for lunch and short breaks in case he got too tired.
Those small things made him feel at home with the right woman.
And he didn't want to feel that, at least not now. He was still trying to make a point.
"It's none of your business, Diamond," Vernon said. "Just do your job and stay on your line."
"Oh, I'd love to do that, Sir. But the atmosphere here is choking me, I couldn't concentrate at all!" Diamond complained. "Let's just get this over with, shall we?"
Vernon went silent for a moment and slowly put the document on the desk. He looked at Diamond and said, "Chloe is calling Dorothea, my useless piece of shit mother."
The information was too abrupt for Diamond to process. She blanked out for a moment, "Huh?"
"Yeah, I caught her red-handed calling Dorothea, and they had some serious, heartfelt discussion," Vernon's heart ached whenever he remembered Chloe calling his useless mother. He felt betrayed because he always believed that Chloe would always be by his side at this point.
Turned out he was wrong. She could turn around anytime she wanted simply because of foolishness.
"Why'd she do that?" Diamond asked. "That's so not her."
"That is very much her," Vernon replied curtly. "Chloe is driven by her emotion. Dorothea must've softened Chloe's heart to make her vulnerable and willing to talk. It won't be long before she leaked out our relationship before I could even manage to defeat my Big brother."
"I can't make a mess, Diamond. So does she, she cannot make a mess as well, it's a teamwork if we want to defeat Vincent," Vernon said.
"That is true, Sir," Diamond nodded in full agreement. Sometimes she forgot how emotional her homegirl could be. Diamond remembered how Chloe said she wanted to run away because she didn't want to hurt Vernon and was convinced by it.
As if that was the smartest idea ever.
But Chloe wasn't someone who wouldn't listen unless…
"Sir, you've been so tense and in a terrible mood today. Let me guess, the discussion between you two about Dorothea was NOT going well, was it?"
"It went terrible," Vernon sighed. "I was so angry and betrayed that I came off too strong when I told her to block that badly aging bitch's number."
"She tried to argue with me, but all I heard was weakness and vulnerability. Chloe was being foolish, and I got so angry that I… terrified her…."
"You did not hit her, right?"
"No, oh fuck no! I'd rather kill myself than do that," Vernon denied vehemently. Just the thought of hurting Chloe was enough to make his stomach drop.
Diamond sighed as she crossed her arms in front of her chest, "Sir, sometimes, I feel like you don't know how intimidating you can be. Don't you remember how you made the whole room full of orphan kids cry when we visited an orphanage? That's how scary you are."
"Now, imagine if you're in Chloe's position, you've been abused by Vincent for ten years, and now she had to argue with you," Diamond shrugged at her boss. "Sir, you're like— the scarier and bigger version of Vincent. You don't even need to raise your voice to scare other people, let alone the woman who had been abused by your Big brother."
Chapter 460
"Now, imagine if you're in Chloe's position, and you see someone who has scarier face than your abuser standing in front of you, yelling at you with his thundering voice?" Diamond tried to make Vernon realize her point about why Chloe was scared shitless of him.
Vernon clicked his tongue as he didn't find her judgment helpful, " Do you think I'm an idiot or what? Of course, I know that! Stop judging me for something I can't help, Diamond. If you don't want to give me good advice, just get the hell out!"
Diamond wasn't scared at all, though his thundering voice put psychological pressure on her, "Do you not see what I meant? You're yelling at me with your thundering voice, even if you don't really mean to scare me, but I still naturally got scared," Diamond said. "This is what Chloe experienced, but much worse."
Diamond wobbled and grabbed the edge of the sofa so she wouldn't fall. Vernon's voice was so powerful and scary simultaneously. It was the perfect intimidation tool for anyone who dared to argue with him.
Vernon watched how Chloe tried hard to stand up. He frowned, "You're overexaggerating, my voice might be loud, but it's not enough to make people fall to their knees."
Diamond almost scoffed out loud in response. But she held it and stayed professional, "That is what you think, Sir. I am literally the secretary who has been working with you for almost two years. Trust me, you are THAT scary."
...
Vernon went silent, waiting for Diamond to finish whatever point she wanted to make.
"Don't get me wrong, Sir. As much as I love my best friend, she is still the one in the wrong here," Diamond made her point to ensure that Vernon understood they were at the same time. "She should not have contacted Dorothea, no matter the situation. I also believed that nothing good comes from Dorothea-- else, she would've helped Chloe way before."
Vernon nodded. He was relieved that Diamond could see his point. He really thought that she'd take Chloe's illogical side just because they were best friends, "Yes, I just don't want her to make any stupid decision just because she got fooled by Dorothea. So I told her to block that old bitch's number."
"But you got too emotional and scared her, right?"
...
Vernon nodded again. This time, his gaze lowered as he felt a big shame weighing his shoulder.
Diamond sighed, "Sir, I am on your side, but the way you try to solve this is not right. You see-- Chloe is like a very timid turtle, you don't even need to touch her and she'll retreat back into her shell. Now, what you did is not only touching her, but you're shaking her shell until she got too scared."
"Tch, I know I did wrong, but I can't control my emotion when the topic is about Dorothea!" Vernon tried to defend himself. "Why don't you just tell her about this and tell her to stop being an idiot, or else she might get hurt again, and I--" Vernon paused. He clenched his fist as his heart started aching when he remembered how Chloe was beaten to a pulp by Vincent. "--I don't know if I can hold myself for the second time...."
Diamond saw the grief on his face. He must've remembered that moment when Chloe returned to the office with swollen hands after she tried to defend herself against Vincent.
She smashed the new phone that had been given by Vernon a few months prior, the one that had the automatic setting to block non-registered numbers.
'She should've smashed her old phone as well. She might make another contact with toxic people like Dorothea or her family,' Diamond thought. Though she couldn't tell Chloe what to do, despite her meek exterior, she was very stubborn.
Chloe often said she would do something obediently but never did it because it didn't align with what she thought. So it was difficult to work with Chloe unless you were on the same page.
"Sir, I cannot say anything to her about this. This is about you, your family, and her. You should try to make her open up," Diamond said. "While I still don't think any reason is good enough to let Chloe communicate with Dorothea, it will help you to understand her personality better."
"Once you return home and meet her, ask Chloe about her reason why she talked with Dorothea on the phone, and do it calmly," Diamond advised. "I don't care if your heart feels like a storm about to flip the whole apartment around, you HAVE to be patient, or else this will go on forever, and she might actually do something stupid while you're not by her side."
"Ugh, why do I have to do the job? It's her fault! Why can't she understand that I'm going to be mad whenever we talk about Dorothea!" Vernon complained. "What she did actually hurts me, Diamond. I feel fucking betrayed!"
Diamond sighed. Of course, she pitied her boss and understood his position really well. But she also believed that Chloe never tried to harm Vernon. If she wanted to harm Vernon, she could just give up and tell Vincent everything. Vernon's office would be destroyed in a matter of months.
'It makes me wonder what the hell was she thinking? Why would she allow herself to be manipulated? I know Chloe is a very emotional person, but I don't think she's a total idiot,' Diamond wondered as she was also trying to find an answer.
"Sir, remember that I am on your side for this, so you don't have to feel alone," Diamond assured. "But I want the best for you two, so...."
...
"Thanks, Diamond."
"Anytime, Sir. You two went through a lot, so I believe you guys can talk this out," Diamond said. "I won't let the bridesmaid dress I bought a month ago go to waste," Diamond rolled her eyes. "Ugh, can you believe that I have to spend three grand for that? Well, it's hella cute, but it's still expensive!"