Ch. 561..565: Divorced My Scum Husband, Married His Evil brother Chapter 561-565
Chapter 561
"I fucking hate this."
Vernon had already lost count of how many times he muttered that sentence.
Because the truth was… he really didn't want to admit his defeat, not in this case at least.
He could lie.
In fact, he WOULD lie if it wasn't for Diamond, who stopped him before.
She was right. If he lied to Chloe about this, he'd only delay the inevitable and also have to face Chloe's anger and disappointment, two distinct emotions that Vernon never wanted to appear on Chloe's face.
He took a deep breath to calm himself down and opened the car door.
He grabbed his briefcase and slammed the car door to express his frustration again.
Vernon felt his feet heavy as he walked to the elevator and went up.
Ding!
"Oh, fuck!" Vernon cursed spontaneously when his heart jumped upon hearing the sound of the elevator reaching the top floor. He wanted to laugh at himself for acting like a coward right now.
But truly, this shit was ten times more nerve-wracking than having to meet Vincent.
Vernon dragged his feet to the front door of his penthouse. He would usually use his fingerprint to unlock it and enter without thinking twice because it was his penthouse, after all.
But not today.
He stood in front of the door for a long time before he pressed the bell that hadn't been used for a long time.
Ding-Dong!
Vernon pressed it a few more times until he heard a footstep from the inside, followed by a click on the door.
Chloe opened the door carefully. She peeked from the gap and was relieved to see Vernon.
She opened the door and asked, "Vernon, what's wrong? Why are you pressing the bell?"
…
Vernon said nothing, but he stared at Chloe with a deep gaze full of unknown intentions.
Chloe quickly caught the sadness in his eyes, and she got worried immediately, "Oh no, did something happen?" she asked. She inserted her hand inside Vernon's arm and pulled him inside.
Vernon said nothing, but he followed Chloe to go inside his penthouse. She led him to sit on the sofa and gently wiped the cold sweat on his forehead. Vernon looked up to stare at Chloe's face.
She looked very concerned and instructed, "Stay right here, okay? I will make you tea first so you can relax. Do you want a snack?"
"… Yes," Vernon finally opened his mouth, much to Chloe's relief. It would be a disaster if Vernon didn't even want to open his mouth because that meant the problem Vernon had to face was a big one. It stressed him out so much he'd prefer not to speak rather than yell at Chloe for no reason.
Chloe had picked up most of adult Vernon's habits after living together with him for so long.
Chloe put the tea and bowl of Doritos on the coffee table in front of Vernon. She sat beside him and asked, "Can you tell me what happened? I'm worried about you."
"I don't feel like it," Vernon refused, but he kept staring at Chloe.
Chloe thought that Vernon wasn't in the mood to tell her about the problem, but she was glad that it didn't seem to be a huge problem that'd stress him out for days. Chloe was always sad to see Vernon working until he was exhausted and still had to deal with many problems outside of his working hour.
"Alright, if you don't want to talk about your problem, then I'll let you sit here for a while. Call me once you feel better. I'll be downstairs in my room, okay?" Chloe got up from the sofa, but Vernon quickly grabbed her wrist. Chloe cast her eyes down at Vernon in response, "Vernon?"
"Don't leave. I need you here," Vernon said. "And yes, there is a problem, and it involves you— it involves us."
Chloe frowned.
She returned to the sofa and waited for Vernon to speak.
Vernon wanted to grab the mug first and drink the herbal tea to calm himself down, but his finger was slippery because of the cold sweat on his palm. So he struggled just to grab it.
"I'll grab the mug for you," Chloe volunteered. She held the mug and slowly put it in front of Vernon's mouth, allowing Vernon to sip the herbal tea without using his hand.
Vernon looked at Chloe's right hand, which was still covered with a cast, yet she still wanted to help him with menial stuff like this. He was grieving whenever he saw that cast because it proved he failed to protect his beloved woman.
Vernon took another sip before nodding, signaling Chloe that he had had enough of that herbal tea.
Chloe put the tea back on top of the coaster.
She gently intertwined her fingers around Vernon and joined their palms together. She didn't care if Vernon's palm was sweaty, as she knew that Vernon had a lot on his mind, and holding his hand was the only thing she could do to calm him down when he didn't want to tell the problem.
"My palms are sweaty, let go," Vernon said.
"It's just sweat. I'm here so you can feel better," Chloe insisted. Instead of letting go, she twined their fingers tighter, so Vernon couldn't push her away.
She felt it was her duty to be there for Vernon, especially after all he had done for her.
…
…
They held hands together for a long time until Vernon started regulating his breaths. His body felt warmer as their hands were joined, and he slowly leaned towards his beloved and rested his head on her shoulder.
He was staring emptily at the TV in front of him and wondered if things would be better if he had just lied to Chloe.
After all, Chloe would always believe him. Then, he could find that old bitch Dorothea somewhere and kill her, so she wouldn't be able to say a thing to Chloe anymore, and they would happily live in a lie he created.
Because the happy family he envisioned didn't have Dorothea in it.
"Chloe, this is about Dorothea," Vernon murmured.
Chloe jolted lightly, her fingers twining with Vernon's fingers tensed in an instant, and Vernon noticed it all, "I—Is that so? Did you find out if she actually helped us or not?"
"I did," Vernon replied.
"So, did she help us or not?" Chloe asked.
…
There was a long silence from Vernon. His mind told him to lie now, and with that, Dorothea would never be able to disturb them again.
But his heart said a different thing.
His heart told him not to lie and face his defeat like a real man. Which he found ridiculous because he was probably the most callous man on earth.
But even to his beloved, he could even utter a single lie anymore.
Because if he lied now, he'd feel immense guilt that'd continue to hunt him until he told the truth.
But he still wanted to test Chloe's loyalty to him before he told the truth.
"Chloe, do you really want to make a good family with me?"
"Huh? W—what's with that question?" Chloe's cheeks reddened instantly. She stuttered as she got flustered, "Y—Your question shocked me…."
"Just answer it," Vernon insisted. "Just tell me that you want to make a good family with me. You, me, and Mackie."
'And two more children to be Mackie's little brothers or sisters,' Vernon added in his heart.
Chloe still found the question to be so out of the blue, but she nodded shyly, "I—I do. I want to have a man that can protect me and… uhm… a good father for Mackie. I want a normal family."
"Just the three of us, right?" Vernon asked. "Nobody should come into our perfect little family."
Chloe found the question to get weirder. She didn't know what Vernon truly wanted to hear from these questions.
"Why do you keep asking about this, Vernon? What's wrong?"
"I just need your assurance," Vernon said. "I don't want someone else to be in our small family, there is no more room in my heart."
Chloe gulped. She wanted to mention Dorothea, but she was unsure if it was the right time to say so.
"Um, how about Dorothea? If she's proven to be innocent and actively tries to help us, will you accept her too?"
"No," Vernon refused decisively.
…
Chloe went silent.
She wasn't surprised by the answer, though. It was obvious that Vernon's heart was closed off for Dorothea. She knew he was entitled to it, knowing how horribly Dorothea abused Vernon back then.
Vernon scoffed after hearing nothing from Chloe.
So Chloe still had that idea of putting Dorothea inside their small family in her mind, "You're naive, Chloe. You should know that I won't yield just because you want me to. The emotional scars that she made in my heart are just too horrible. Nothing can change that."
Chapter 562
"I know..." Chloe lowered her head. She stared at their joined hands and continued, "I know that you're hurting, Vernon. That's why I want to help you heal from your wounds."
"And you're doing it by trying to get Dorothea inside our family? That's ridiculous!" Vernon snapped. "The way for me to heal from my wounds is by kicking that woman out of our life! She needs to leave us alone or die!"
"Besides, do you want Mackie to be around with an abuser? What if Dorothea got annoyed by the tantrum of a child and started hurting her? Dorothea abused me when I was around Mackie's age back then!"
"I seriously don't understand your way of thinking, Chloe. So please, please enlighten me because I don't think anyone understands your logic right now."
There was a hint of sarcasm in his voice. To say that he was pissed would be an understatement.
He was always enraged whenever Chloe tried to defend Dorothea. She could do that simply because she didn't experience the pain that Vernon got.
She was just a bystander listening to his side of the story. But she didn't feel pity for him.
She felt pity for that old bitch instead, just because she looked old and brittle, while Vernon looked strong.
"Vernon, take a deep breath, relax...." Chloe tried to calm him down because she knew it was a sensitive topic. She allowed Vernon to let his anger burst and stayed silent the whole time because she knew that all Vernon needed was to let go of his frustration so he would listen to her.
"As much as I want to put Dorothea inside our small family, I still believe that you have more right to decide than I do," Chloe said. "Your anger is valid, everything you feel about her is valid, and I'm not going to question or challenge that."
"But, if I win our bet, I just want you to give her just one chance--"
"--To stay with us? Fuck no!" Vernon interrupted. His face was so bitter that Chloe dared not to stare at his face for too long.
Chloe shook her head, "Not that. I just want you to give her one chance to talk with you. You don't need to accept her, you don't even need to meet her after this. Just one chance, and we will never see her anymore, okay?"
...
Vernon peered suspiciously at Chloe, "Just once? Are you sure?"
"Yes, just talk with her once, and listen to what she is saying," Chloe said. "You don't even need to think twice about kicking her away after she finished talking. Okay?"
"And you will be okay with it?" Vernon asked. "You know that I will kick her away immediately, right?"
"Yes, I know," Chloe felt pain in her heart. If she could be honest, she'd be happy if Vernon really gave Dorothea a chance to make amends. Maybe they could start fixing their relationship somehow.
But she didn't want to force Vernon to do something against his will. She just wanted Vernon to start healing from his past trauma, and in her mind, facing his trauma was the right way to go.
"Just let her talk to you, you don't even need to say a thing."
...
"Alright, if you say so," Vernon finally agreed. "As long as you already know the result. Because it won't be what you're hoping, Chloe."
"I know, I just want the best for you," Chloe said. She said it in a very soft, almost inaudible voice. But Vernon still heard it because he was leaning on her shoulder.
Vernon could sense her concern. He still didn't understand why Chloe cared so much for that abuser.
Shouldn't she be the one who took the biggest stance against Dorothea? After all, Chloe was abused by Dorothea's son, Vincent. And she should hate that old woman more after getting Vernon's story about Dorothea's abuse as well.
'I don't understand you, Chloe,' Vernon thought. 'Why couldn't you just take my side without question asked? It would be easier if you could just agree to what I say and ask, it's not that hard.'
Vernon still felt betrayed in his heart. Still, in his heart, he wanted Chloe to never think about Dorothea anymore. They had so much to do in the present and future without Dorothea in the picture.
'But a deal is a deal. I lost the bet, and I don't want to lie to her,' Vernon thought.
Thus, he opened his briefcase and fished Chloe's phone out. He separated their joined hands, which made Chloe nervous.
She thought Vernon was pissed out because she brought up the topic of Dorothea again.
"Your hand, open it," Vernon commanded.
Chloe opened her hand nervously. She was afraid that Vernon would do something unpleasant to her because she pissed him off. After all, Vincent also started very sweet towards her before he devolved into a degenerate monster.
Afraid of punishment, Chloe quickly apologized, "Ah, Vernon, I'm sorry for--" her sentence was interrupted when Vernon suddenly put her phone that he had confiscated for the whole month into her palm.
Chloe stared at the phone for a while and asked, "What is this?"
"You won," Vernon replied. He sighed, feeling a little regret for telling the truth. But there was no turning around now, so he explained, "Dorothea hasn't told Vincent about us, and she has been actively helping us. She restricted the Gray foundation's scholarship for all of the awardees for three months straight, so none of those awardees will be getting their money."
"Vincent is on a hot seat right now. He got a lot of calls from investors and business partners, asking about the current stability of the company, because those scholarship awardees have been blowing social media with their tweets, so the topic of Gray foundation's sudden halt of income has been trending these days."
"Dorothea successfully turned the whole company upside down, and her deed is not reversible, so Vincent simply has to deal with this problem for the next three months, giving me a lot of options to start taking over."
"I can snatch more of his business partners and continue shaking his position. I can create even more problem to make it difficult for Maria too, so she won't be able to investigate about all of my current works," Vernon admitted. "Dorothea really helps us, surprisingly."
Chloe was dazed while listening to Vernon's explanation the whole time. She truly believed that Dorothea had changed and would never intend to harm her family, especially Vernon because she seemed to have regretted her past abuse towards Vernon.
She also believed that Dorothea truly wanted to turn her life to find happiness for herself.
But Chloe never expected Dorothea to actually do the crazy shit. She actually went against Vincent and turned Vincent's life upside down for the next three months.
It was a genuine surprise, but now that it had happened, Chloe was unsure if she'd want this.
Because she didn't want Dorothea's life to be in danger.
"Where is she now? Did she get caught by Vincent?"
"No, she's laying low somewhere. She won't answer any of Vincent's calls, and the staff in the Gray mansion doesn't know where she is. She said she's staying in Greece on a vacation, but she's currently untraceable," Vernon replied. He glanced down at the phone in Chloe's hand and muttered, "I think the only way to find her is through you. I bet you're the only one who can communicate with her right now."
"So go on, call her," Vernon commanded.
Chloe looked at her phone and then at Vernon simultaneously. She started hesitating, seeing how displeased she looked, "A--Are you sure?"
"Huh? What do you mean? It's in our deal, right?"
"I--I know. But I don't want to displease you even more. I don't want you to get angrier," Chloe muttered.
Vernon crossed his arms and looked away, "Go make a call for her before I change my mind. You earned it, and you have the right to call her."
Chloe hesitated. She stared at her phone for a while before gripping it and finally turning it on.
Then, she scrolled through her contact and found Dorothea's name.
She gave Vernon the last glance, and after realizing that he was gripping his arm tightly to hold himself off, she realized that it was her only chance to call Dorothea.
So, she pressed the green button.
It only took a few beeps until Dorothea picked up the call. This surprised Vernon because he thought Dorothea might've been dead somewhere, drowning in alcohol or overdosing on heroin.
Chloe glanced at Vernon again and decided to turn the phone on loudspeaker, so Vernon could hear what Dorothea was saying and to show that she didn't try to do something against him behind his back.
--Loudspeaker--
"Dorothea, it's me, Chloe," Chloe mentioned her name, afraid that Dorothea might be too drunk to remember.
"Yes..." Dorothea's voice was rough as sandpaper. She also sounded very weak, "I never expect you to call. I thought... you've forgotten about me."
"How could I?!" Chloe snapped out of distress. "I've been worrying about you the whole time!"
"About me? Why?" Dorothea sounded genuinely confused. "You're better without me, Chloe. I just hope that you're doing well with Vernon, and uh... please tell Mackie that I love her. Granny really wants to meet her, but I'm so busy right now."
"Good bye, Chloe."
Dorothea was about to hang up the call when Chloe suddenly yelled, "VERNON WANTS TO MEET YOU!"
Chapter 563
—Loudspeaker—
"VERNON WANTS TO MEET YOU!"
…
…
There was a long silence on the other side of the call. But at least Dorothea didn't hang up the phone, much to Chloe's relief.
Chloe knew that Dorothea was trying to process the whole thing, and she was glad she could at least say that to the old woman. It must be something that she had been waiting for so long.
"Chloe… you don't need to lie to make me happy," Dorothea said. "Don't worry, I will manage to live without my sons. I hope I can."
"No—No! Dorothea, Vernon and I made a deal. He confiscated my phone for an entire month, and we will wait until there is a move from you to attack Vincent. He bet that you won't do anything, but I believe that you will!" Chloe kept on speaking while glancing at Vernon next to her. "Vernon found out that you haven't told Vincent about us, and you also helped by stopping the Gray foundation scholarship money for all of the awardees!"
"Ah, I—I didn't expect everything to go so smoothly," Dorothea murmured. "I thought Nigel wouldn't obey my words, and I had failed you. That's why I dare not to call anymore…."
"But you did! Everything went well, and Vernon said that he now had a lot of windows to start attacking Vincent left and right. He is doing even better because of you!" Chloe began to get excited as she imagined Vernon could triumph over Vincent because of his family support.
He always said that he wanted a family of his own.
The real family that he would love and love him back.
"Tsk, you're speaking too much. I will do well even without her help," Vernon finally opened his mouth, and the first thing he said was to belittle Dorothea's aid.
Chloe heard an audible gasp from Dorothea. There was another long silence before she asked, "I—Is that Vernon? He is by your side?"
"Ah, yes. He is by my side right now," Chloe replied truthfully. "Don't worry, he gives me permission to call you. He wants to meet you."
"I DON'T WANT TO MEET HER, WHAT THE HELL, CHLOE!" Vernon shouted and got up from the sofa. "I DON'T EVEN WANT TO SEE HER FACE! STOP MAKING UP STUFF TO MAKE HER HAPPY!"
Chloe's heart jumped when Vernon suddenly yelled at her. She looked up and saw the pooling tears in Vernon's eyes. She gulped as she realized that she might've said too much.
So she put the phone on the coffee table and then got up. She took a step toward Vernon and wiped the tears at the corner of his eyes while whispering, "I'm sorry, I said too much. I know that you don't want to meet her."
Vernon stared at Chloe for a while, and his tears kept on pooling, which he found to be shameful. He was a man, after all. He shouldn't be crying just because his childhood memories began to flood his mind.
"Just finish the call," Vernon said. He turned around and walked to his room.
He slammed his bedroom door and stayed inside until Chloe finished her call.
Chloe sighed. She grabbed the phone again, "Dorothea, are you there?"
"I am," Dorothea replied. "Chloe, you don't need to lie. I know that Vernon hates me."
"I'm sorry. I was just too excited…." Chloe admitted her mistake. "I just can't wait to have you two meet each other…."
"Us? Meeting each other? Why?"
"To make amends, of course."
"That…" Dorothea paused and then sighed. "I don't think that's possible, Chloe. He hates me, and I deserve the hate. Nothing can change that."
"But you have to try, Dorothea! Convince him that you're a changed woman! Tell him that you want to apologize for all the things you did back then!" Chloe insisted. "You should know that Vernon still doesn't allow me to call or contact you in any way until I won this bet before. This is my—I mean, OUR only chance to make things right!"
"Come on, Dorothea. I don't want you to miss it. Just please, try to have a talk with Vernon. This is your only chance to make him listen, so if you want to apologize, then you should!"
…
"Why are you doing this, Chloe?" Dorothea asked.
"Huh?"
"Why do you insist on making things right between Vernon and I. It's my fault that I abused him when he was young, and it's also my fault for ignoring your plea about Vincent's behavior before," Dorothea admitted. She thought that she was past the point of no return anyway. "Why do you keep trying to fix things when nothing that can be done?"
"Because I want to give him a good family!" Chloe stated boldly. She raised her voice as it was her goal the whole time, and she wanted Dorothea and Vernon to hear her. "I want him to know that he is well loved. He didn't have that privilege when he was young, so I want to give him a good family that he can rely on. And I think, there has to be you in it, because you're also part of his trauma that can be healed."
"Dorothea, while I want you to be healed, you should know that my real goal is to make Vernon happy. He gave me so much and I gave him nothing in return for so long. This is my way to make her happy!" Chloe said. "So please, Dorothea, for his sake, please come and talk to him. Tell all the things you want to tell him, say any kind of apology that has been brewing in your heart, I want him to be happy."
"Chloe…" Dorothea was speechless after realizing that Chloe had grown up a lot after so long. She was a scared woman who didn't know what to do when she was with Vincent. She always looked down and barely said anything, especially when Vincent was around.
Chapter 564
--Loudspeaker--
But now, she stood up for herself and worked on what she wanted to achieve.
But the most important thing was she did this for Vernon, the son that Dorothea abused and abandoned when he was young.
And Dorothea knew Vernon deserved to have a good mother, or at least the one who actively tried to make amends with him.
'You really struck gold, Vernon,' Dorothea thought. 'You found a woman who cares for you so much, that she's still trying to reach out to me even though everyone else has discarded me, just to make sure that you can let go of your horrible past.'
'I don't know if this will work, but I will try to apologize. Just like how Chloe tries her hardest to fix our lives.'
"I can't believe I'll be doing this, but alright," Dorothea said. "I will meet him and say all the things I want to say. But I can't guarantee that he will forgive me. My sins are too much for most people to forgive...."
"I... I also can't guarantee that he will forgive you. But I just want him to know that his real mother is sorry for all of the things she did, and she's still actively trying to get an apology," Chloe said. "But it's worth the try."
"Okay, then set up the time for us to meet somewhere. I will be there," Dorothea said.
"R--Really? You'll go?"
"Yes, I'm doing this also to thank you for giving me a chance, Chloe."
"Oh, yes--yes! I should be the one who thank you!" Chloe said. She was so happy that she could explode right now. "Thank you for helping Vernon, I know that you took a huge risk by facing Vincent!"
"Hahaha, it doesn't matter, really," Dorothea chuckled as if she found it funny. "I just realized that I've been raising a monster this whole time. So it's also my responsibility to help take him down, so he won't hurt more people in the future."
"Anyway, I will try to sober up when I meet him. I've been a mess these days," Dorothea said. Her voice didn't sound sad anymore. She had regained some of her 'Madam Gray' vitality, and this was the first time Chloe felt happy to hear that arrogant tone in her voice.
That arrogant tone of Madam Gray sounded nice when she was on your side.
"Great! I'll tell you later about the time and location! You should lay low for now, I bet Vincent is searching for you right now."
"Of course, I got that information from my good friend," Dorothea claimed. "But it's fine. I can keep myself safe. I wont allow him to catch me, not before I can meet my family, right?"
"Anyway, I'll see you later. Bye, Chloe," Dorothea said. Before she hung up the call, she added, "And thank you, for everything."
Beep.
--Call ended--
Chloe put her phone on the coffee table and stood still like an idiot for a while. She didn't expect Vernon actually give in and allow her to call Dorothea.
She also didn't expect Dorothea to pick up the call, and in the end, agreed to meet and talk with Vernon.
Everything was so smooth, it made her wonder if she was dreaming right now.
She didn't mind if this was all a dream, though. After all, living with Vincent was like living in hell with Satan, and she'd prefer to never wake up if she wouldn't be able to find Vernon by her side.
"Right, Vernon."
Chloe turned around and dashed to Vernon's bedroom. She opened the door and saw the man she loved standing tall in front of her. He had a complicated mood which was reflected on his face.
But Chloe didn't care. All she wanted was to embrace him to share her happiness.
She threw her weight towards Vernon, and the man quickly caught her in his warm embrace and wrapped his arm around her waist.
"Vernon, thank you so much!" Chloe said while resting her head on Vernon's strong pecs. "Thank you for allowing me to call Dorothea. Thank you for giving in and allowing Dorothea to talk to you. Thank you for everything!"
Vernon stayed silent, but his heart felt so warm that he didn't even know what to say now.
Of course, he overheard Chloe's call with Dorothea. He didn't even need to eavesdrop because Chloe had been shouting the whole time as she couldn't contain her excitement. She also put the phone speaker on full volume.
Thus, he heard when Chloe said that her goal was to make Vernon happy and give him a happy family that he could rely on.
She said that he had been doing so much for her while she did nothing in return, and this was the way for her to make things even for them.
Vernon thought it was ridiculous, Chloe did so many things for him when he was young, and she did even more now by simply staying by his side.
She was his anchor, so her presence would keep him sane and happy, and seeing her face every day was enough for him to be content for the rest of his life.
'She doesn't even need to do anything, and I don't need Dorothea in my life. All I want is her, and Mackie. I just want a small family that I can love and trust. The one that will love me back as well,' Vernon thought. 'But... if this is your way to repay me, then I'm not mad. At least I know that my love is not one sided.'
'At least now I realize that you're always thinking about me. Just the thought of me living in your head is enough to make me forgive you about this whole Dorothea--thing.'
'I don't even care if I have to meet Dorothea now. As long as you're doing this for the sake of my happiness, then I'll be willing to do anything for you, including facing my own trauma.'
Chapter 565
"I will start planning the meeting between you two. Maybe I'll call her a cab and set it up in a cafe? Do you have any cafes that you like?" Chloe asked.
But Vernon quickly shot her down, "We can't set up the meeting outside," Vernon said. "She is a wanted woman, and Vincent has a lot of his agents around. If we have a meeting in an open space, he will find out and everything will be ruined. So we need a more private space."
"Besides, you can't just call her a cab. That's way too risky. I will send one of my people to fetch her and we can talk here, in this apartment," Vernon said firmly, not giving Chloe any chance to refuse his decision.
Chloe paused momentarily before nodding, "Okay, I'm fine with that. Do you want me to make something for you two? I can, um… I guess I will prepare a snack."
"No, we're just going to talk. We won't have some sweet mother-son dinner whatsoever," Vernon refused. "Don't go overboard with this whole thing, Chloe. I'm doing this because I don't want you to be sad. Also because I don't want to break my own promise to you."
"Okay," Chloe was a little disappointed that Vernon still didn't want to open up to Dorothea. But she knew that it must be hard for him to come to this point of tolerating his own abuser.
So all Chloe could hope for was for the whole meeting to go on smoothly and for Vernon would give Dorothea a chance in the end.
Chloe released her hug and took a step back from Vernon, "Thank you for everything, Vernon. Thank you for being the bigger guy. I know it's very hard for you."
"If you know that it's very hard for me to do this, then you shouldn't be asking too much about my response to Dorothea later. You know it won't end well," Vernon said.
Chloe's smile faltered a bit, but she tried to maintain her smile and nodded, "I will accept and respect your decision. In the end, it's you who has the right to reject her or not."
"Good, now give me a kiss. I deserve at least that from you, since I have to do the things I don't like," Vernon demanded a compensation.
Chloe's smile bloomed again, and she stepped forward to give him a peck on the lips before taking two steps back before he could hug her back, "I can only do that much too. I don't want you to get too addicted. Good night."
Chloe opened the door and closed it, leaving Vernon alone.
Vernon was stunned as he tried to process the peck. Again it was way too quick for him to be satisfied. He'd kiss her deeper and strip their clothes until their bodies had no gap if he could.
But this was all he could have right now because everything was too complicated. After all, he never thought that he'd actually reconcile and rekindle his relationship with Chloe, even going as far as building a new family together.
Everything just happened naturally, and he didn't want to fuck this up.
Vernon sighed as he stared at the door, "I guess I have no choice other than meeting with Dorothea right now. Even though I really don't want to."
**
Dorothea kept tapping the dusty motel room floor for at least thirty minutes. Chloe called her this morning, saying that Vernon's agent would pick her up and he'd drive her into Phoenix Tower so they could have a talk without the worry of Vincent finding out about the whole thing.
Though, truthfully, Dorothea didn't really give a crap if his first son found her. She had no more willpower to live. She was a broken woman who had nothing to look up to in the future.
But she didn't want Vernon and his new little family to get involved. It was her fight. She helped them because she also wanted to fight for the right thing, and that was to take her first son down with her.
Dorothea unlocked her phone and opened her front camera. She checked whether she looked presentable enough in front of Vernon and Chloe.
She had been in such a mess this month. She drank so many times until she passed it was surprising that she didn't start using heroin again.
She knew that she looked like a crazy lady every day for the whole month, and if she wanted to convince Vernon and Chloe to accept her, then she had to look normal, at least.
"Why do I keep wanting to convince them to take me in? It's already obvious that Vernon won't take me back," Dorothea wondered. She had accepted that her second son had a permanent hatred against her. She even thought it was justifiable since she had been a horrible mother to him.
But she still had hopes that Vernon would at least tolerate her presence. Maybe she could visit them once or twice yearly, especially during holidays. It was much better than not having any family during Christmas and New Year.
Dorothea had forgotten the last time she enjoyed Christmas and New Year. Ever since she married Vaughn, she'd always dressed up glamorously. She'd attended so many events for one day with Vaughn, keeping up with the same fake smile to show her happiness with him, even though her heart was screaming inside.
Vaughn would bring Vincent along for many of those events because he would be the next Master of the Gray family, while always leaving Vernon behind, drowned by gifts that Vernon probably never liked.
'Ah, whenever I remember about all the things I did to Vernon, I can't help but feel so guilty. I was so caught up with the idea of hating Vaughn and raising Vincent, that I have completely abandoned my second son,' Dorothea lamented over her past sins that she couldn't erase.