Ch. 666..670: Divorced My Scum Husband, Married His Evil brother Chapter 666-670
Chapter 666
Maria was satisfied when she saw the horror on Chloe's face. Whenever she saw a stupid bitch like Chloe in fear or shock, it was like a cathartic feeling that gave Maria joy.
'Hmm, maybe I can slowly understand the feeling that Vincent has,' Maria thought. 'It's actually fun to bully a woman like Chloe. The more you see her cry, the funnier she gets. It makes you want to crush her to pieces.'
Chloe hugged her daughter tighter in her arm. She subconsciously took a step back when she realized she was screwed because there was no way these four bodyguards that Vernon prepared were enough to beat those six men that Maria brought.
Chloe started to find any way out she could find. But the morgue was a very closed space, with no window, and the door was made out of metal, so it was definitely unbreakable for Chloe.
She saw one of the burly men pocket the key, so they were definitely trapped until they could beat those six men.
Chloe darted at Maria, who had been eyeing her for a while. As their eyes met, Maria showed his malicious smirk that sent chills down Chloe's spine.
She looked at her daughter, who was terrified in her arms, so she pushed the back of Mackie's head until her face was buried in Chloe's chest. She didn't want Mackie to see any violence that was about to happen soon.
Knowing she was trapped, Chloe quickly took her phone out and called Vernon.
Maria realized that Chloe was calling for reinforcement, so she gave an order before it was too late, "Seize Mrs. Gray and her daughter, don't hurt them, but you can kill her four bodyguards."
The six men surrounded the bodyguards. They didn't waste any chance and quickly tried to break the barrier surrounding Chloe and Mackie.
The four bodyguards tried their best to protect Mrs. Phoenix Gray and her daughter, but it was six versus four, and they got overwhelmed.
Chloe's hand started trembling as she heard the bodyguards' grunts as they fought their ambushers. She kept calling Vernon until the line was connected.
The moment it was connected, she screamed on the phone, "HELP! HELP US! WE GOT AMBUSHED!!"
However, before she could speak more, one of the ambushers broke through the barrier and snatched the phone away from Chloe. He smashed the phone and stomped on it to ensure that Chloe wouldn't receive reinforcement.
The ambusher then tried to separate Mackie from Chloe. He tried to take Mackie away from her mother, and Chloe yelled, "NOT MY DAUGHTER!"
"Let her go, you bitch! Ugh, why are they so sticky anyway?" The ambusher complained as he tried pulling Mackie away from her Mommy.
"Ahh! Mommy! Mommy, it hurts!" Mackie screamed in pain when she was being pulled away forcefully by the ambusher. Chloe used all her strength to keep Mackie safe in her arms.
But realizing that she was no match in strength against a burly man, she threw her weight at the ambusher's body and elbowed his stomach until he lost his balance.
Chloe and Mackie fell right on top of the ambusher's body, and before the man could recover, Chloe quickly clawed the man's eyes until his scream of agony shocked everyone in the morgue.
They looked in horror as they saw the sweet-looking lady suddenly digging her nail into the man's eyes until it bled. She was like a vicious madwoman that would stop at nothing.
After ensuring the ambusher who dared to hurt her daughter wouldn't move for a while, she shifted her target to Maria, who was astonished by what she saw just now because she truly didn't expect Chloe to be so crazy.
She always thought Chloe would cry in the corner while protecting her daughter. She could only cry and scream like a weak little bitch.
Chloe picked up her sobbing daughter and carried her in her arm again. She glared at Maria as if she couldn't wait to claw her eyes out, just like what she did to that poor ambusher writhing in pain on the floor.
Maria flinched when Chloe suddenly walked towards her. She stepped back and hurriedly yelled at one of her men, "What are you waiting for? Get this bitch away from me—URK!"
Maria almost got a heart attack when Chloe suddenly pushed her to the wall and strangled her. The ambusher was about to help, but Chloe looked over her shoulder and yelled, "Don't move, or I will kill her!"
The ambusher who was about to reach Chloe hesitated because Maria struggled hard to breathe. The situation was suddenly reversed after Chloe strangled Maria.
Chloe's four bodyguards seized one person each, one of the ambushers was still writhing in pain on the floor, and the other didn't know what to do because he was afraid that Chloe would kill the old woman.
Each time the ambusher took a step forward, Chloe would strangle Maria harder until the old lady's face turned pale.
Maria tried to break free by trying to reach Chloe's face to claw her. But Chloe glared at her and snapped, "DON'T MOVE, YOU OLD BITCH! YOU DARE TO HURT MY DAUGHTER! THIS IS SUPPOSED TO BE HER TIME WITH HER GRANDMOTHER!"
Maria stopped struggling as her body froze in fear. She never knew that Chloe could do something as vicious as this. All she wanted to do right now was to survive because she still had to protect the Gray company.
They were stuck in this position for a while until the door was unlocked from the outside, and the door was slammed open loudly, which snapped everyone out of their daze.
Everyone's eyes widened when they saw the sight of Vernon with a red face, like a devil ready to kill anyone in front of him.
Vernon assessed the situation for a split second and then shouted with a voice that could kill anyone, "I WILL FUCKING KILL ALL OF YOU!"
Chapter 667
"I WILL FUCKING KILL ALL OF YOU!"
Vernon's voice was like thunder that struck everyone on the spot. They were all scared to move, whether they were an ally or enemies of Vernon.
Vernon charged in, and his first target was the ambusher who was about to reach Chloe. He jumped and gave that man a flying kick to the head until the ambusher was sent flying and hit the wall behind him.
He turned his head to check on Chloe, and after ensuring his beloved was safe, he asked her, "Can you hold that old woman just like that for a while?"
"Yes, I can," Chloe replied without hesitation. She had had enough of Maria's maliciousness towards her. Maria already crossed the lines so many times, but Chloe always forgave her because she never wanted to hurt others.
But now Maria dared to involve her daughter in this problem and traumatized Mackie, who was supposed to have a heart-wrenching reunion with her dead Gran.
She even dared to try kidnapping Mackie!
Chloe glared at Maria, who had stopped struggling. Maria's eyes were glued to Vernon, who suddenly showed up like a hero to save Chloe.
All of her suspicion towards Vernon was proven to be true. He was the man who had been protecting Chloe and Mackie the whole time.
He was the traitor in the Gray family!
Vernon smirked when he saw the ghastly expression that Maria had made. It looked like she had seen a ghost in front of her.
He had been itching to show his Big bro of his identity as Chloe's benefactor and also showed that he had him the whole time.
All this time, the little brother that Vincent adored turned out to be a snake who had been hiding his wife!
Just imagining the shock that Vincent would get was enough to make Vernon grin in satisfaction.
"Hold that old woman tight, love. I will handle the rest first," Vernon said as he cracked his fingers and arms to make sure his punch would hurt really bad.
"I will make sure all of you will pay for hurting my wife and daughter," Vernon said with a creepy smile as if he couldn't wait to break their necks one by one. "Don't worry, I will make this quick, but very painful."
Chloe didn't want to see even more violence, so she just glared at Maria the whole time while she heard the sound of bones cracking and men grunting in pain behind her. She also whispered to her daughter, "Bury your face on my chest, dear. Don't look, your Uncle is cleaning up bad guys."
"Um, okay, Mommy…."
It took at least fifteen minutes until Vernon finished all of the henchmen that Maria brought with her. Vernon told his men to 'clean these up, but don't let them die.'
Vernon's henchmen dragged the bloodied bodies of all the men Maria hired, and now there were only Chloe, Mackie, Maria, and Vernon inside the morgue.
Vernon approached Chloe first and whispered in a very low voice to ensure that Mackie wouldn't overhear his words.
'I don't want you to stain your hand, love. You can say all the things you want to say to this old bitch, and then let me handle the rest, okay?'
Chloe's heart sank as she knew Vernon indicated something heinous that he would do to Maria.
Usually, she would try to plead with Vernon to save Maria's life. After all, she never liked violence in the first place.
But something happened today, something inside her that snapped after realizing that Maria could've taken her daughter away from her, and Chloe would NEVER allow that to happen.
She did everything for Mackie in the first place. What was the point of all of her pain so far if Maria could've easily taken her daughter?
So she had decided upon something.
Chloe strangled Maria harder until her face turned blue, and she started flailing. She had to make sure Maria understood the danger she was in right now.
"Listen to me, you old bitch," Chloe said ruthlessly. "I'm usually not the type to hurt someone. I don't like hurting others. But you've crossed the line because you want to snatch my daughter."
"You ruined her life because she had to see this bloody scene on top of her grief after losing her Gran. You ruined everything for us just because of your stupid obsession with that bastard," Chloe said. "Whatever happens next, you deserve it, and I hope you rot in hell, you filth."
"URK!"
Chloe finally released her grip around Maria's neck, and the old lady slumped on the floor like a puppet whose string had been cut.
Chloe took a step back and turned around to look at Vernon.
She was so ruthless just now, but once she saw her man again, Chloe couldn't help to expose some of her fragile nature.
Her eyes started glazing with tears, and her body trembled as she hugged her daughter tighter in her arms, "Why are you so late? What if they took our daughter away?" Chloe asked with a shaky voice.
Vernon felt that question had crushed his heart. He had been on guard the whole time, and everything seemed according to his expectation. But he didn't expect that Maria would do something as crazy as ambushing Chloe and Mackie inside the morgue with six men.
After getting the call from Chloe, Vernon shouted like a madman to the front desk, so she would give him a spare key to open the morgue, knowing that Maria must've locked themselves in the morgue to ensure that Chloe couldn't escape.
He was glad that he made it on time before something bad happened to Chloe and Mackie, but seeing the man writhing in pain on the floor and Chloe who was strangling Maria at the corner of the room while carrying Mackie with one arm, Maria must've triggered Chloe's protective nature and made Chloe went wild for a while.
Vernon truly regretted that his beloved had to dirty her hand to fight against this trash.
Vernon gently caressed Chloe's hair and kissed her on the forehead, "I'm so sorry, love. You should leave now. Those four bodyguards will protect you back to the car, and I will handle the rest. okay?"
Vernon glanced at Mackie, who was trembling while burying her face in her mother's chest. He also patted Mackie's back and murmured, "You did a great job holding yourself, little wolf. You two can go now."
Chloe nodded and finally left with Mackie in her arms. The four bodyguards were wounded, but they stood their ground and escorted Mrs. Phoenix Gray and her daughter back to the car while their boss handled the old lady all by himself.
Vernon closed the door and locked it from the inside. He also put the spare key into his pocket, ensuring Maria couldn't escape.
Though, with her current condition, he doubted that Maria could even stand up.
Chloe was really ruthless to this old woman. Her face was really pale, and Maria's neck was bruised after being strangled for too long. She was breathing weakly, but her life was still hanging in there.
Vernon crouched in front of Maria and grabbed a handful of her hair. She pulled her like a ragdoll and saw that Maria still had some will to live in her eyes.
Maria glared at her with eyes that could kill, which was funny for Vernon, because she should've pleaded for her life at this point.
"I thought that I would never be able to catch you so easily, because you have the entire Gray family's connection in your hand," Vernon said. "But who would've thought that I would catch you in here, in this morgue where you just made a terrible mistake by trying to kidnap my wife and daughter."
"You really screwed up, Maria," Vernon said. "You thought that Chloe wouldn't fight back, right? Well, she usually wouldn't do anything, but you've triggered her motherly instinct. Of course she will go crazy when her daughter's life is in danger."
Maria knew that she screwed up. She also knew that her life wouldn't be long because there was no way Vernon would let her live after she discovered the truth.
Vernon smirked maliciously, "You're right, I won't let you live, Maria. You've known too much, and my plan is only 70% on the way. I need to topple Vincent first before I can reveal the truth that I'm the one who has been hiding his wife for so long."
Maria gritted her teeth. She tried her best to let out some words to curse this son of a bitch in front of her, "You… fucking… bastard…" she cursed in her weak voice. "Vincent… will… kill… you…"
"Kill me? HAHAHAHAH!" Vernon laughed mockinglya because he thought it was so ridiculous. He shook his head helplessly. "Vincent can't do anything like that to me anymore. He can't even save his company at this point, how'd an incompetent ass like him kill me?"
Chapter 668
Maria could only grit her teeth even harder. She knew that Vernon was right. Vincent was very incompetent right now. He could barely manage to keep his sanity without Chloe around. He couldn't even run his own company, let alone fight a monster like Vernon.
Vernon naturally knew that he was right. Vincent was unstable and incompetent without Chloe around. He needed Chloe to be able to function properly, just like Vernon. But that bitch Chloe actually dared to run away, and without her presence, Vincent began to act erratic in front of everyone instead of unleashing it all on Chloe. He began to show his degeneracy, and that affected his decision-making. Thus, making him very prone to make stupid mistakes.
Chloe was like the cogs in their machine. Once lost, the machine would malfunction or turn useless until the cogs were put back in place.
"You know what, my big brother and I aren't so different, really, the difference between us is just how we treat our beloved woman," Vernon said. "We have both been obsessed with Chloe since we were young. I've been obsessed with her since I was only seven years old, and that feeling never changed for years, even after she married Vincent."
"Of course, I, a man who has been in love with Chloe for years, will not waste the chance to make her mine once I saw her running away from her abusive husband," Vernon said, revealing everything that he had planned so far. "I forced her into a contract as long as she can be by my side. But who would've expected that she would melt my cold heart, and reciprocate my feelings as well? It's like a dream come true."
"And I will never allow anyone to ruin my dream, even if that means I have to kill everyone in my family," Vernon showed his true nature in front of Maria. He never showed his ruthless and cruel side in front of Chloe because he didn't want to scare his beloved.
But this old bitch was a different case. She deserved every bit of cruelty she'd get. It was a payment for all the wrongdoings she had so far.
Maria could only glare at Vernon with hatred because she was too weak even to open her mouth, let alone struggle.
Vernon chuckled, "How does it feel to be beaten by the woman you looked down upon the most? I know you see Chloe as a weakling that can't do anything, right? Now you see how much you've miscalculated by touching her daughter."
Vernon looked around the morgue, and his eyes darted at the body bag with Judith's corpse inside. He smirked as he already got the idea of how to get rid of this old bitch without leaving any trace.
"You know, I can just leave you here for a night or two, and you will die naturally, because your old body can't hold on for much longer," Vernon said. "However, if I do that, that means you will die because of my beloved's hand, and I don't want to dirty her hand with filthy blood like you."
"I also have no intention to kill you. I don't want to touch my beloved with a bloodstained hand, so I have a plan for you," Vernon said. He pointed at Judith's corpse inside the body bag. "You know the identity of that body, right? Last night, Chloe already agreed to give Judith a cremation so she could keep the ash of her mother. Because holding a funeral might be too dangerous right now, at least we can bury her ashes later after I can topple Vincent."
"But how about you? Do you think I will give you a proper burial? Pfft—HAHAHAHA!" Vernon laughed maniacally for a good minute before he suddenly stopped laughing and glared back at Maria. "I will cremate your body, and dump your ashes in the toilet. That's where you belong."
Maria's eyes widened. She lost all her fierceness when Vernon said she'd be cremated and dumped into the toilet. Though she didn't believe in God, she still wanted to be buried in the Gray family cemetery, where she truly belonged with all the powerful men and women.
She opened her mouth as if she wanted to beg for forgiveness. But no voice came out. It seemed that Chloe strangled her too hard to the point that she had lost her voice.
Vernon was satisfied seeing the horror and fear in Maria's eyes. She was a ruthless old lady who never spared any of her targets, and Vernon would do the same.
He would spare her no pity. She didn't deserve it.
Vernon finally released Maria's head, and she slumped to the floor without any strength left.
"I don't want to dirty my beloved's hand, and I don't want to dirty mine as well. I will send one of my men to kill you here, and stuff you inside a body bag. You will be cremated with Judith."
Maria's body started to tremble once she knew this was her demise. She didn't want to die like this, not when she knew that Vincent and Vernon would eventually ruin the company that Mr. Vaughn Gray had worked so hard to expand.
'No! Not like this! I need to save Vaughn's company!' Maria said in her heart. She tried to muster some of the strength left in her. But when she was about to raise her head, Vernon suddenly pressed her head to the floor and said;
"Stay down, I don't want to listen to your begging. Just wait for your execution, you old bitch."
Maria could only lament as she realized her death was near. The only thing in her mind was Mr. Vaughn Gray, the man who changed her life and saved her from a life of poverty and the common people and made her a powerful woman of her own.
Maria, who didn't believe in God, took Vaughn Gray as the highest man to deserve honor, so she saw him as her God instead.
'I'm sorry, Master Vaughn. I tried my best to help. I tried my best to serve your son, but Vincent is too incompetent. He cannot do anything against Vernon,' Maria lamented. 'I'm sorry that I cannot fulfill my promise to keep the company afloat, but at least, you should be happy because your second son, Vernon Phoenix Gray, is more competent than Vincent would ever be, and he is an even bigger monster than his big brother.'
'Yes, your second son is a scary monster, Master Vaughn, he has your blood after all. It doesn't matter how much he loved Chloe right now. Vernon will soon turn into the second Vincent who will abuse her. So I consider this as an honor to die under the hand of your son's order,' Maria thought. She had a thin smile before she closed her eyes, 'This is better than dying a natural death. Thank you so much for giving me life, and ending my life like this, Master Vaughn.'
**
Vernon finally left the morgue. He called one of his henchmen, and once the man walked to him, Vernon ordered, "Kill that old woman inside, stuff her inside one body bag, and report back to me."
"Yes, Sir," the henchman nodded without hesitation. He was a mercenary, a paid killer, to be exact. It wasn't difficult for him to carry out such a heartless task.
"Good, my secretary will help you cover up for this woman. But this shouldn't be difficult, that old woman has no family of her own. So nobody will search for her."
The executor entered the morgue and closed the door. Vernon leaned on the morgue door while waiting for the execution. He called Diamond.
—
"Good morning, Sir," Diamond greeted as she picked up the call. "This is still early in the morning, do you want me to do something?"
"Yes," Vernon replied. "That old bitch is done for. But I need you to handle a few things for me."
Diamond took a deep breath as she prepared herself, "Are you still in that hospital, Sir?"
"Yes," Vernon confirmed. "Come here as soon as possible, and clean the mess. Cremate the body of Judith Carlson and Maria. Don't forget to send the urns to the penthouse."
"Certainly, Sir. I'll be there soon."
Beep.
—
Right after Vernon finished the call, the executor exited the morgue and reported, "It's all done, Sir, that woman has been stuffed inside a body bag."
"Good, you should wait here, my secretary will help you handle the rest," Vernon said. "She will also do the payment."
"Thank you, Sir. I'm sorry that we failed to protect your wife and daughter," the executor said.
Vernon was still pissed with the fact that the bodyguards he hired weren't able to protect his woman. But at the same time, he also had himself to blame because he only sent four bodyguards for Chloe instead of at least ten or even fifteen.
"You should be thankful that my wife and daughter are unharmed. If something happens to them, you guys will be next," Vernon said coldly. "I'll leave now, wait for my secretary to come here."
Chapter 669
Chloe and Mackie were escorted back to Vernon's car. They sat in the back seat, and Mackie hugged her Mommy tight and buried her face in Mommy's chest.
Chloe slowly released her arm around Mackie and said, "We're safe now in your Uncle's car. You can release me now, dear."
"Don't want to…" Mackie said. "I'm sorry, Mommy. I thought I was brave enough to protect you. But I was so scared when that scary old lady looked at us. I'm also scared when those big men come out, they are like zombies…."
Chloe sighed.
She gently patted the back of her daughter's head, lamenting the trauma Mackie must've felt.
First, she had to face the death of her Gran, and then she got ambushed by Maria and her henchmen. She had to see and hear so many gruesome things this morning, and Chloe could only blame herself for being incompetent.
'I'm so sorry, Dear. It's all my fault,' Chloe said with a shaky voice. 'I shouldn't have brought you here.'
"It's not Mommy's fault!" Mackie finally lifted her head, staring at her Mommy while pouting. "Don't blame yourself, Mommy! Those people just hurt us for no reason!"
"Besides, Mommy was very cool when you fought against those scary men too! I want to be strong like you in the future, Mommy, then I will protect you! I promise!"
Chloe was relieved that Mackie didn't seem too traumatized by this whole thing. She didn't know if it was a good thing because that might be a sign of mental fortitude or because Mackie had been exposed to violence too many times at such a young age, so she was unfazed.
'Maybe I should bring her to the child psychologist alongside Aaron. They endured too much at such a young age."
**
Vernon should've waited for Diamond to come and take control of the situation. But he couldn't wait anymore.
He just texted Diamond to come to the morgue, and then he hurriedly returned to the parking lot where his beloved woman and daughter were staying.
He clenched his hands so hard that his fists turned blue. He couldn't imagine the pain that Chloe had to go through today, and it was all his fault.
It was always his fault because he failed to protect his beloved again.
'You're a fucking idiot, Vernon Phoenix Gray,' Vernon cursed himself. 'You're too weak. Your weakness is what caused Chloe and Mackie to get hurt, you should know how much of a fucking embarrassment you are.'
Vernon saw the bodyguards surrounding his car. They were also battered, and most had their faces either bloodied, bruised, or both. Vernon knew that it was mostly his fault for being underprepared, so he couldn't blame anyone except himself right now.
Vernon entered his car and saw his wife and daughter sitting in the backseat. They stared at each other for a long time before Vernon silently turned on the engine and drove the car out of the hospital.
Mackie saw that her Uncle was so tense as if he was holding a lot of rage. She was scared Uncle would be angry at Mommy for fighting back against those scary men and making a mess.
So she took the initiative to ask, "Uncle, please don't get angry at Mommy. She is just trying to protect me. You can punish me instead if you want."
Vernon clenched the steering wheel even tighter than before. He was fighting the excruciating pain in his heart as he drove faster through the snowfall. His veins almost burst out, and Vernon's red face scared Mackie enough that she would bury her face in her Mommy's chest again.
Chloe was also tense.
Though she knew Vernon would never beat her, she was afraid he would snap and yell at him for being stubborn. Had they followed his initial plan of escorting Chloe with at least dozens of guards, things like this wouldn't happen.
Vernon drove back to the Phoenix Tower. He parked his car in the basement and opened the door for Chloe and Mackie.
"Let's go up," Vernon said, but his stern tone made it sound more like an order.
Chloe carefully put herself down and helped Mackie since the little girl still needed to feel secure around her Mommy.
"Let me carry Mackie," Vernon offered.
Chloe looked at her daughter, who hugged her even tighter than before. It was clear that Mackie didn't want to get touched by her Uncle, probably because her Uncle looked so scary right now.
"You don't need to, Vernon. I think Mackie is still too shaken up by the whole thing," Chloe refused.
Vernon's lips thinned. He just stood still while eyeing Mackie and Chloe standing beside him.
When they entered the penthouse, Vernon suddenly locked the door behind him and said, "Let her down, Chloe. It must be tiring having to carry Mackie for so long."
Chloe gulped.
She patted Mackie's back and whispered, "You can go back to your room, dear. Let me talk with Uncle first."
Thus, Chloe slowly put Mackie down and then gently nudged her to go downstairs.
However, instead of running away, Mackie gathered her courage to stand between her Mommy and Uncle and yelled loudly, "Uncle! Don't hurt Mommy! She's doing her best to protect me!"
"Ah—!" Chloe panicked. She feared that Mackie might see her Uncle shout and yell at her like a madman, and that might give Mackie an even worse trauma. "D—Dear, you need to go down. This is adult talk only!"
"It's not adult talk only! And I don't want to go until Uncle promises not to hurt or shout at Mommy!" Mackie insisted despite her fear. "Mommy has done so much to protect me! I want to protect you too!"
Vernon, who kept his straight face the whole time, slowly broke down in tears as he saw the mother-daughter bond.
His tears began to fall, and his body shook greatly until his knees gave up.
He fell on his knees right in front of his wife and daughter and muttered, "I'm a failed man."
Chapter 670
Chloe and Mackie were shocked when they heard Vernon muttering that word. Never in their life had they ever seen him as a failed man.
Vernon was a powerful man that always protected them at all costs. He always prioritized Chloe and Mackie over his safety and did everything he could to keep them safe.
Mackie wondered why Uncle suddenly cried because he hadn't done anything wrong.
She looked up to ask for an explanation from Mommy.
But Mackie was even more surprised when she saw her Mommy, who also cried.
"Mommy?" Mackie asked. "What's wrong? Why are you crying too?"
Chloe tried to wipe her tears as she stared at Vernon, who looked so disheartened. This scene greatly affected her because she thought this whole mess was her fault.
If only she listened to Vernon bring at least a dozen bodyguards.
If only she had told him it was too early to visit Judith's body in the morgue because Maria and Vincent were still hunting her.
It was all her fault.
"I—It's not your fault, Vernon," Chloe muttered weakly, trying to lift some burden off his shoulder. "It's me who's at fault. It's me who insisted on going even though it's dangerous. It's also me who insisted on bringing as few bodyguards as possible."
The more Chloe tried to lift the burden off his shoulder, the sadder he got. Vernon couldn't stop his tears anymore. He began to sob like a child, "I failed to protect my wife and daughter twice. I don't know how can I look at you and Mackie with pride anymore."
Chloe didn't expect this whole thing to affect Vernon greatly, "Vernon, it's okay. Look, we left unscathed."
Vernon looked up, and he couldn't believe that Chloe still had the audacity to say she was unscathed when her face had been scratched somehow, and there was a bruise on her wrist, probably from one of those bastards who dared to catch her.
"Do you not understand, Chloe?" Vernon asked. "The more you try to hide everything from me, the more pain I get. Please stop trying to look strong and let me put all of your blame on me instead. I deserve it all."
Mackie looked at her Mommy and then her Uncle consecutively. She didn't know why they were crying when they weren't even arguing or fighting.
So she stepped forward and stood right in front of her Uncle and asked, "Uncle, you're not mad at us, right?"
Vernon hurriedly opened his arms and hugged his daughter tight. So tight that he basically buried Mackie inside his chest.
"My Little Wolf, it's you who needs to get mad at me," Vernon said with a trembling voice. "I failed you. I'm sorry that I failed you."
Mackie didn't know why Uncle was so sad. She might have been in danger with Mommy before, but at least she was still alive and well!
She struggled a bit, trying to break free from Uncle's bear hug, but before she could break free, Chloe suddenly opened her arm and joined in.
Vernon and Chloe buried Mackie in their arms as they embraced each other. The little girl felt stuffy as Uncle and Mommy hugged her, but she soon enjoyed it because of one thing.
She never had both her parents embracing her like this. It was usually only Mommy who hugged her, so this was a new experience for the little girl, and she loved being hugged like this!
She was also relieved to see Mommy truly happy with Uncle Vernon, unlike when she was with Daddy.
'Um… Mommy should've stayed with Uncle. I want her to be happy, just like how she wants me to be happy…' Mackie thought.
…
Chloe and Vernon released their embrace after a while. Vernon gently wiped the tears from Chloe's eyes and muttered, "I'm sorry, my love. I've failed you twice. I don't know how to face you after this."
"Mm, it's not your fault," Chloe said as she also did the same by wiping Vernon's tears with her hand. "I'm sorry for not listening to you. You are right, I was too rash, and impatient. If only… if only we can turn back time."
Chloe regretted every decision she made leading to the ambush today. But she was more worried about Mackie as she had to experience a traumatizing day.
Mackie was squeezed between her Mommy and Uncle. She waved her hand as he was trying to take some breath, "Mommy! Uncle! I can't breathe!"
"Ah, sorry, dear!" Chloe stepped back, and Vernon released his arms that hugged his beloved daughter.
Mackie panted as she finally got some air and then yelled, "How could Mommy and Uncle forget about me? I'm buried between your bodies!"
Vernon chuckled, patted Mackie's head, and said, "Well, that hug is an apology from Uncle, because Uncle failed to protect you."
"Uncle doesn't need to apologize!" Mackie insisted. "It's not your fault, so you should stop crying because my Uncle is a Big Bad Wolf! The Wolf is very strong and not a crybaby!"
Mackie looked at her right after that, "And it's also not your fault, Mommy! You're just trying to make me happy by bringing me to Gran! You also protected me when we were in danger! You are the best!"
Chloe and Vernon stared at each other and nodded in unison. They smiled and then kissed Mackie on the cheek.
Chloe and Vernon occupied each side of Mackie's cheek. Mackie was dazed. Again, this was a new experience for her to be kissed by her Mommy and Uncle, something that would never happen when they were with Daddy.
Mackie looked at her Mommy and Uncle after she got kissed, "Umm, why did you two kiss me just now?"
"It's a kiss of gratitude from Mommy. I'm so grateful that you've become such a strong little girl," Chloe said.
"Well, I just don't want to let your other cheek dry while your Mommy kisses you," Vernon teased. But he patted Mackie's head and said, "I'm so proud of you, Little Wolf."