Ch. 581..585: Divorced My Scum Husband, Married His Evil brother Chapter 581-585
Chapter 581
Chloe left the Doctor's office feeling satisfied and proud of herself. She kept looking down, staring at her right hand, and clenched her fist a few times to ensure everything was alright.
"I survived," Chloe murmured as she let the realization sink in. "I survived his beating, and never apologized or begged even once."
"I fought back. I really fought back against that bastard...." Chloe's lips curled up. "I'm not that weak."
She wanted to scream to let out this overwhelming joy in her heart, but she was still in the hospital, so she went out silently and entered her car.
She finished her phone and took a quick photo of her right hand, then texted Vernon with the photo attached.
-
I'm all fine now.
-
It didn't take long for Vernon to call her.
--
"All good?" Vernon asked on the phone.
"Yes, all good. I can use my right hand now. Thank you for taking care of me, Vernon.'
"Don't worry about it. It's my duty as your husband--" Vernon stopped when he suddenly realized what he was about to say. There was a slight pause before he continued, "Anyway, I'm happy that you've recovered now. Let's celebrate it tonight!"
"Yes! I can't wait to go home and cook a lot of food!" Chloe was taken by the euphoria as well.
"I'm still at work right now. But damn, I can't wait to meet you and Mackie tonight," Vernon said.
"Hihi, work hard, darling. I'll meet you at home."
"Meet you later, my love."
Beep.
--
Madam Phoenix Gray didn't put the call on loudspeaker, but the volume was maxed out. Hence, the driver had to listen to their conversation involuntarily.
He couldn't help to feel weirded out when he heard his boss getting all sweet and giddy on the call. He sounded vastly different when he was facing his subordinates.
'I guess you become a completely different person when you're in love,' the driver thought.
"Where are we going next, Madam?" the driver asked.
Chloe was thinking for a moment. But her attention was stolen when she looked out the window and saw a child running out of the hospital and crying alone in the parking lot. He was around six years old and had a bruise on his cheek.
Chloe's eyes widened when she identified the little boy outside her car.
"AARON!" Chloe opened the car door and rushed to her oldest nephew.
Aaron looked up with his red eyes, and when he saw Aunt Chloe rushing towards him, his tears flooded like a broken dam, "AUNTY!"
Chloe crouched and hugged her nephew tightly before checking his bruise, "Oh my god! What happened to you? Why are you here alone? Where's your mother?!"
Aaron cried even harder when Chloe asked about Chelsea's whereabouts.
"Oh god, calm down okay? Let's find somewhere safe first," Chloe looked around to find a spot they could rest. But it was in the middle of the parking lot, so the only choice was to bring him into her car.
"Let's go inside Aunty's car, you can rest there and tell me what's wrong."
Aaron nodded, and Chloe grabbed his hand, leading the little boy into her car.
The driver was surprised when Madam Phoenix Gray entered the car with a little boy, "Madam, this is...."
"He's my nephew. Would you mind buying drinks and snacks for him?" Chloe asked.
"Yes, Madam."
Aaron was more relaxed once the driver left them alone. He still sobbed and still tried to cover his swollen cheek. He was in no good condition to speak, so Chloe continued hugging and rubbing his head until he felt at ease.
The driver returned with drinks and snacks but only gave the bag to Madam Phoenix Gray and stood outside, guarding the car.
"Here, drink first and eat some chocolate so you can feel better," Chloe offered.
Fortunately, Aaron cooperated and started drinking water and eating chocolate. It took him at least twenty minutes until he calmed down.
Chloe patted his head, asking, "What's wrong, Aaron? Why are you here? Where's your Mommy?"
"Mommy, it's Mommy...." Aaron repeated while rubbing his swollen cheek. "She hit me..."
Chloe's eyes widened, "She hit you?"
"Um..."
"How could she--" Chloe was speechless. She knew that Chelsea often yelled at her boys for being loud or naughty. But she never hit them.
'Did Aaron do something bad? But even if he did, it's still not right to hit a child until his cheek is swollen!' Chloe protested. "Do you know why you got hit by your Mommy?"
"Un, I told Mommy that her smile is scaring other kids. That's why every other kid is crying. Then she suddenly hit me, so I ran away...." Aaron said.
Chloe frowned. She could barely catch what the little boy had said just now.
"What do you mean that your Mommy's smile is scaring other kids? You know that's not very kind, right?"
"But I'm not lying!" Aaron insisted. "Mommy's smile makes everyone cry! Even Mike, Nathan, and Tony said Mommy is so scary now!"
Chloe got even more confused now that Aaron dragged his younger brothers into this.
"Aaron, your Mommy will get hurt if you keep saying that her smile is scary. You know it's not nice."
Aaron got annoyed because Aunt Chloe didn't believe him. He used the melted chocolate on his lips to draw a long line from each corner of his lips until it almost reached his earlobe, "Mommy has a scar like this!"
"Huh? A chocolate scar?"
"No-No! She looks like the Joker from Batman now! She has a creepy scar and looks very scary! You might cry if you see her too!" Aaron insisted.
Chloe started to catch what her nephew was trying to say, which scared her.
"D--Did something happen to your Mommy?"
"Yes! Mom
my got hurt and has to stay in the hospital. She has a long scar on her cheek now! That's why she's scaring everyone!" Aaron stated. "Mommy is still in the hospital now, Aunty. I can bring you to her if you want to see. But don't be scared, because she might hit you too!"
Chapter 582
"Your Mommy is in the hospital?" Chloe asked. "How long has it been?"
Chloe never got any news from her side of the family for a while, so she had no idea that Chelsea had been hurt—possibly attacked by someone until she had a horrible scar.
She felt a little guilty for not contacting her family anymore. But it was mainly because Chloe knew she had to cut contact or she'd keep getting harassed by her mother and sister.
Who would've thought that things would be a mess during her absence?
"Umm, Mommy visits the hospital today to treat her scar, Aunty," Aaron informed. "She told me to go with her even though I have school…."
'So she's going for a plastic surgery or something similar…' Chloe assumed. 'But does she even have enough money to do that? I don't know what they're doing now since I've stopped giving them money.'
'Maybe it's the stress from money that makes her hit Aaron like this? Oh, that's still not a valid reason to hit a kid until his cheek is swollen badly like this.'
"This is the first time your Mommy hit you like this, right?"
"Nope!" Aaron shook his head. "Mommy hit me four times already!"
"FOUR TIMES?!" Chloe almost got a heart attack. She never expected things to go this bad while she was missing. "H—How about the others?"
"Um, they got hit once each. It's because we were noisy at night…." Aaron reported. He looked sadder as he continued reporting his Mommy's abuse. "I don't want to get hit anymore. Aunty, can you tell Mommy not to get angry all the time?"
…
Chloe was unsure how to answer that question. As much as she wanted to help and protect her nephews, she was also still in a difficult situation, and there was no way she would tell Vernon about this.
Vernon already had enough problems for himself and made a huge sacrifice by allowing Dorothea into their lives. She couldn't just ask him to do everything for her.
'Besides, Aaron and the others still have their parents. I have no way to take them in, and I'm not sure if Vernon will allow me to do so.'
"Where is your Daddy? Maybe I can talk to him first," Chloe asked.
Aaron got even sadder once his Aunt mentioned his father. He shook his head again, but he said nothing.
He stopped snacking on the chocolate and lowered his head in silence.
"Aaron?"
"He's gone," Aaron replied curtly. "Daddy is gone."
"Gone?" Chloe had a lot of bad assumptions from that one word. The image of her childhood without a father figure flashed in her mind, and she shook her head quickly to ward off that bad thought.
"Um, Daddy hasn't been home for so long. I don't know where he is right now…." Aaron said. "Mommy has gotten angrier each day, and Grandma is too old to take care of us. So I start helping her to do house chores now…."
'What is happening with them? Why is everything a mess?' Chloe wondered. 'What happened with that useless bastard anyway? Did he just walk away from his family like what my dad did back then?'
Chloe got irritated just thinking about it. She knew Tommy wasn't exactly a father who could provide for his family, but at least he didn't hurt his wife and sons. It was the least he could do.
'Talk about bare minimum,' Chloe complained.
Chloe stared at Aaron, who snacked on another chocolate bar, but he ate it slower this time. He looked sad, especially with his swollen cheek.
Chloe also accidentally discovered a bruise on his palm. Chelsea seemed to hit the little boy's palm with a metal ruler.
Her heart ached so badly. Though she didn't have a good relationship with her sister, she always saw her nephews as her sons. She wanted them to have a good childhood and be well cared for so they grew up to be good men.
Now that Tommy had already left and Chelsea had become abusive, she felt she had to step in and do something to save her nephews.
But how?
'Should I call Child Protection Service? But what will they do next? What if they don't find enough evidence, and it will only enrage Chelsea even more? What will she do to these poor boys?' Chloe started having bad thoughts as anxiety took over her mind. 'Even if they do find enough evidence, what will happen next? Will they take the boys' custody and give it to foster parents? Since I'm the only one of their relatives, and my situation is way too complicated right now.'
Chloe was torn between the boys' problem and her own. She also wondered if there was a way out for now.
Just as she tried to ask more from Aaron, there was a loud yell in the parking lot.
"AARON! COME OUT!"
Aaron and Chloe turned their heads at the same time and saw Chelsea standing not far from Chloe's car.
She tapped her heel while crossing her arms. She looked so pissed, as if she could eat a child right now.
But the most shocking thing was the scar on her cheeks. It really looked like the Joker scar from that Batman movie. It was horrifying and looked scarier because Chelsea was glaring right now.
'Oh my god, Aaron isn't lying when he said she looks like the Joker. No wonder other kids are scared of her. What happened, seriously?' Chloe had a lot of questions popping up as she kept staring at Chelsea for a while.
Aaron's face paled instantly. He looked at his Aunt Chloe and begged, "Aunty, please tell Mommy not to hurt me again. I don't want to get beaten. I will be a good boy, I promise!"
Chloe darted her eyes at Chelsea and Aaron simultaneously. She swallowed her saliva as she faced such a difficult decision.
She wished to take Aaron home, and if she could, she also wanted to take the rest of the boys. But she wasn't in the right condition to do so.
'I guess I have no choice...'
Chapter 583
Since the only thing she could do was to face Chelsea and address this problem. But before she opened the car door to face Chelsea, she told Aaron, "Aaron, you have to return to your Mommy for now, I'm sorry, but I can't bring you with me."
Aaron looked sad. He actually expected his aunt to take him in because living with his Mommy had become genuinely unbearable and scary.
"But, I will give you something," Chloe looked around until she found a note and pen near the driver's seat. She grabbed them and quickly wrote her phone number before shoving it inside Aaron's chest pocket. "This is my phone number. Don't let your Mommy know about it. Hide it somewhere in your room, and you can always call me when you're in danger."
"In danger?"
"Yes, in danger. Maybe your Mommy hits you too hard or starts using a dangerous weapon to hurt you or your siblings. Then you can always call me using your friend's phone or someone in your school, understand?" Chloe instructed. She knew the boys could not contact anyone since their mother never gave them any phone, even the child-friendly one for emergencies.
"H--How about Grandma? Can I use Grandma's phone?"
"No," Chloe quickly shook her head. "Your Grandma is... too weak. You don't want your Grandma to get hurt by your Mommy as well, right?"
"I don't want Grandma to get hurt...." Aaron muttered. Though Grandma could be cold to all of them sometimes, Grandma at least never yelled at them. So he didn't want his Grandma to get into trouble as well.
"AARON! COME OUT!"
Chloe and Aaron flinched when they heard Chelsea continue screaming in the parking lot. Chloe gave Aaron an encouraging look and wrapped his hand, "You got this. Remember, I will never leave you. If you feel like you can't bear it any longer, you should call me, okay?"
"Um, thank you, Aunty."
Chloe took a deep breath. She was also scared to face her sister. She felt that Chelsea had become unhinged these days. Just the look in her eyes already told Chloe that her sister wasn't in the right mental state.
Chloe opened the car door and gave the driver a meaningful look, "Stay right here. I have to face her."
...
The driver said nothing but gave Chloe a worried look before focusing all his attention on the crazy lady with a creepy smile in the middle of the parking lot.
Chloe held Aaron's hand tighter as she approached Chelsea.
Chelsea darted her bloodshot eyes toward Chloe, and she glared at Chloe with so much hostility that she made it impossible to call them sisters at this point.
"Good morning, Chelsea," Chloe greeted, trying to be friendly to her sister.
"..." Chelsea ignored Chloe, but she glared at Aaron instead.
Aaron shrieked and quickly hid behind Chloe's back, only peeking occasionally as he didn't dare to face his mother right now.
"C--Chelsea, you shouldn't scare him too much. He's just a child."
"Shut up. I am not in the mood to face you right now," Chelsea said, thinking that as long as Chloe was out of the frame, Vincent would eventually forget about her and move on. So she tried to limit any kind of interaction with Chloe as much as possible. "Hand me my son," she ordered.
"I can give him to you, but you must learn to treat a child kindly...." Chloe said, trying not to brush up on the topic of abuse way too early, or Chelsea might explode.
"Oh, now you're acting like a Mother Theresa, huh?" Chelsea sneered. She advanced one step to close their gap and used her index finger to poke her shoulder a few times. "We both know that you're the dirtiest whore here. So stop lecturing me on how to treat my son, and get your filthy hands off him!"
Chloe gritted her teeth. She gathered her courage to stand still despite feeling intimidated, "I can't give Aaron to you. Not until you promise not to hit him anymore. I found him crying in the middle of the parking lot with a swollen cheek. He told me that you beat him often, too. Do you not realize that you will ruin your relationship with him in the future?"
Chelsea's eyes widened. She darted her eyes at Aaron this time and then tried to grab his shoulder to no avail.
Chloe quickly retreated a step back and continued shielding the little boy behind her.
"YOU LITTLE SHIT! COME HERE, AND I'LL BEAT THE FUCK OUT OF YOU!" Chelsea yelled. Her voice echoed in the parking lot, alerting the people around.
Chelsea was like a mad woman. She didn't care about the others who started staring at them. All she had in mind was that her son dared to go to Chloe, of all people, and report her beating, while it wasn't really a beating.
It was just one hard hit on the cheek to make the little boy behave since he dared to say that her face scared other kids in the hospital.
Aaron's body started trembling. He almost pissed himself just looking at his own mother, and Chloe noticed it instantly.
pαпdα Йᴏνê|,сòМ "Step back, Chelsea. You're scaring him!" Chloe yelled.
"Scaring him? Oh, just because I have a scar on my face, that's why he got scared?" Chelsea rolled her eyes. "He should be more scared of you, you dirty whore! What will you teach him, huh? Do you want to teach him how to run away from your good husband because you're such an ungrateful piece of shit?"
"That--"
"Oh yeah, that's right, I guess you and Aaron are the same. Both of you are ungrateful little shits!"
"CHELSEA!" Chloe finally snapped. She didn't want her nephew to listen to more of her curses. "You're making it worse! Just stop cursing and calm down, so we can talk about this!"
"I HAVE NOTHING TO TALK TO A BITCH LIKE YOU! GIVE MY SON BACK OR I WILL FUCK YOU UP!"
Chapter 584
Chloe was astonished by how uncontrollable her sister had become. She knew Chelsea hated her guts, but she had never been this erratic.
She wondered if Chelsea's craziness was because of her new scar. That kind of horrible scar must've affected her confidence and stability.
'But that's still not a reason to beat up your own son!' Chloe challenged her own theory just now. Because no matter how horrible her life got, she would never beat Mackie. So she also expected Chelsea to at least hold the same moral ground as her.
"C—Calm down, Chelsea. You'll attract people's attention," Chloe said. She checked her surroundings briefly and added, "Everyone is staring at us right now."
Chelsea glared at everyone around her. Whether it was a man, woman, or children, all of them gasped when they saw that horrible scar across her cheek, "What are you looking at? Are you scared to see my scar?"
Chelsea scoffed and suddenly pointed at Chloe, "Then you should blame this bitch! She is a two-faced bitch who sends someone to attack and carve this scar on me!"
"Chelsea! What are you talking about?!" Chloe panicked. She noticed that a few people had their phones on recording, ready to share this thing on social media, which would be a problem for Vernon soon. "Why would I send someone to attack you? I have no reason to do that!"
"No reason? Oh, you do have a reason for that, you bitch!" Chelsea said confidently. "You know that Vincent has grown tired of you. He needs someone more beautiful, more interesting than a useless crybaby like you! That's why you get jealous when you know he has moved on from you and starts to fall in love with me!"
Chloe's eyes widened. She didn't know what kind of imagination Chelsea had in her mind, but it was all wrong! She didn't even know that Chelsea and Vincent had started an affair now.
Chelsea grinned scarily when she saw the astonishment on Chloe's face. She thought she had caught Chloe red-handed, so she looked around, grinned, satisfied with each camera aiming at them, "All of you, see this bitch who cheated, and then attacked me because her ex-husband chose me over her!"
"What the—" Chloe tried to keep her cool the whole time. But she wouldn't stand still while getting slandered by Chelsea's nonsensical accusation. So she yelled back, "Watch your mouth, Chelsea! If you keep slandering me like this, then don't blame me if I take this to the court! Let's see how much you can pay for your bullshit!"
Chelsea didn't expect her sister to dare to fight back. Her rage exploded, and she shouted, "I AM THE FUTURE WIFE OF VINCENT GRAY! DO YOU THINK I CAN'T PAY YOU? I CAN FUCKING BUY YOUR LIFE, YOU UNGRATEFUL PIECE OF SHIT!"
Chelsea raised her hand. She couldn't wait to slap the fuck out of this ungrateful bitch. But when Chelsea swung her hand, a strong hand suddenly caught her wrist and gripped it hard.
Chelsea glared at the man who suddenly stopped her from slapping Chloe. The man was handsome, young, and looked rich, and Chelsea had an assumption ready, "Are you one of her victims? You should know that your woman is a whore who spread her legs to all men she found as long as she could stay alive! You're being tricked!"
"THAT'S ENOUGH!" The driver, who had been watching the whole time, couldn't hold himself any longer. He was tasked to protect Madam Phoenix Gray, so he had to step in despite Chloe's disapproval.
The driver looked at Chloe and warned her, "Madam, this is enough. You should go back to the car."
"B—But my nephew—"
"Madam, you can't," the driver warned. "It's too dangerous. We'll get in trouble."
Chloe tightened her grip on Aaron's wrist. She was so reluctant to leave him alone with her mentally unstable sister.
But the driver was right. She couldn't do anything right now.
So she patted Aaron's head and said, "I'm sorry, I can't bring you with me. But you already know what to do later, right?"
Aaron stared at his Aunty's sweet smile and gentle eyes, and he gained courage and comfort from her. He nodded, "Um, I know, Aunty."
"Good, now you should return to your Mommy. Don't make her angry, understand?" Chloe said before she released Aaron's wrist.
"Yes…" Aaron reluctantly walked towards his mother's side. Chelsea glared at the little boy before she pulled her hand. "Let go!"
The driver quickly released Chelsea's hand and stepped in to stop Chelsea from assaulting Madam Phoenix Gray. He acted like a wall and looked over his shoulder to signal his Boss' wife to enter the car first.
Chelsea clicked her tongue annoyedly. She didn't understand how Chloe could have so many men trying to protect her. What kind of black magic did she use to charm these men until they became so stupid?
'Hah, whatever. I will be Madam Gray in the end. All of those men will never be better than my perfect Vincent Gray!' Chelsea said in her heart. She started imagining herself standing side by side with Vincent. People would worship her as the most successful woman because she married the right man. It would be the best reward for all the pain she experienced when she married Tommy before.,
The driver kept his stance until he was assured Madam Phoenix Gray had entered the car. He gave Chelsea the last warning look and said in a low voice, "You're lucky we're in a public area."
"Oh yeah? What do you want to do to me? Do you not hear what I said just now? I AM VINCENT GRAY'S FUTURE WIFE! YOU WILL DIE IF YOU DARE TO HURT ME!"
The driver zipped his mouth, knowing this woman was beyond saving. He simply turned around and entered the car.
"We're leaving now, Madam. That woman is crazy."
Chloe stared at Chelsea and Aaron from the window and sighed pitifully, "Let's go. I don't want to bring trouble to Vernon."
Chapter 585
There was an uneasy atmosphere in the car after the incident in the parking lot. The driver kept checking on his Boss' wife because she had been quiet this whole ride.
Madam Phoenix Gray was staring emptily at the window. She looked heartbroken. She clutched the plastic wrappers of snacks that the little boy had eaten before as if those plastic wrappers were something precious.
Normally, the driver would stay silent and do his job to drive her around and protect her when there was any danger nearby.
But it was excruciating to see a good woman in pain.
'She is a very kind woman, obviously. It's probably the main reason why Mr. Phoenix Gray loves her so much. But why does she have such a messy family?' the driver wondered. After working for her long enough, the driver gathered enough evidence to support his opinion that Madam Phoenix Gray was a kind woman with so many problems following her.
Unable to maintain his calm longer, the driver finally opened his mouth.
"Madam, you've done your best for that little boy."
Chloe glanced at the seat before her and sighed deeply, "I hope I can do more. He is my nephew. He's a good boy, and he's very close to Mackie." Chloe clutched the chocolate wrapper in her hand as if it was her own heart. "I can't bear seeing him getting beaten by his mentally ill mother."
"Has she always been this crazy?"
"No, I don't know what happened to her. I know she hates me, but she's never been this erratic and uncontrollable before," Chloe replied. "I think this has something to do with Vincent, maybe he said something that led her to have that kind of stupid idea. But there is no way Vincent will marry Chelsea. She is not exactly his type…."
Chloe glanced at the front seat again and said, "I'm sorry that you have to watch that."
"No, it's fine, Madam," the driver said. "Mr. Phoenix Gray dispatch me to be your driver and guard because you have plenty of problematic people trying to get you."
Chloe nodded. Vernon must've expected something like this to happen eventually.
Chloe sighed, "I hope things won't get worse than this. There are so many people recording, the last thing I want to do is to create more problems for Vernon."
"You have a good intention, Madam. If this becomes a problem later, Mr. Phoenix Gray will still forgive you," the driver comforted. He was 100% sure his boss would never be mad at Chloe, especially since Vernon was so whipped for her.
"I know he won't be mad at me, but that makes me feel guiltier than before," Chloe said. She stared at the front seat for a while and then asked, "You should tell me your name by now. I don't know how to call you."
The driver went quiet instantly. He clenched the steering wheel and stared straight at the road. He tried to ignore the question by now because he didn't want to go all personal with Madam Phoenix Gray.
He was too scared that his boss might do something if he dared to be friendly to her.
"Still not going to tell?" Chloe looked bitter. "I feel like an idiot for oversharing about my problem to you. Please forget about what I said just now."
"Miller."
"Excuse me?"please visit
"You can call me Miller, Madam," the driver said. He didn't want to give his first name because he thought it might be too personal. But Miller was his surname, which sounded more formal and appropriate for this occasion.
"Miller, okay then, you can always call me Chloe—but I know you'll still call me Madam anyway."
Chloe was in a better mood after getting his name. She didn't have many friends these days, only Diamond and now Dorothea. So she always treasured a new friend or colleague she gained along the way.
Thus, she started a conversation with her new friend, "So, what does Vernon tell you about me, Miller?"
"…" Miller still had the nervousness whenever Madam Phoenix Gray stroked a conversation with him. Even though Madam was very friendly, he still had to make sure not to get too personal. "He told me to protect you from any harm, Madam. He is very protective of you, and will always inquire about what you're doing daily to make sure that you're always safe."
"Does that mean you'll also report him about what happened today?"
Miller nodded, "I'm sorry, Madam. But it's my job."
"Understandable…" Chloe said. "I just hope things won't get messier after this, I don't want to make him angry."
"You will be okay, Madam. Mr. Phoenix Gray truly loved you," Miller assured. "He never showed so much devotion for a woman. So I think you're the one for him."
Chloe smiled, "I hope so. I wish I could do more for him though. He's been doing everything for me, and all I did is to be a burden for him."
"Your presence is enough for him, Madam," Miller said. He remembered when he was hired by Mr. Phoenix Gray two years ago.
That man was younger than him, but he had such a terrifying aura around him, which signaled that Mr. Phoenix Gray went through a lot.
Chloe kept on getting the same answers from everyone around her. Vernon, Diamond, Dorothea, and now Miller.
All of them said the same thing.
Her presence was enough for Vernon; he didn't need anything else.
But Chloe thought she ought to do more because she didn't want to keep feeling like a burden.
Miller noticed Madam's dwindling mood, so he asked, "Where do you want to go next, Madam? I assume you want to go grocery shopping because your hand has been healed."
"Oh yeah," Chloe finally had something to shift the topic. "Go to Citarella now, I want to do some grocery shopping. Cooking my family a good dinner is the least I could do to make them happy."
"Yes, Madam."