Ch. 771..775: Divorced My Scum Husband, Married His Evil brother Chapter 771-775
Chapter 771
Chloe stared at Vincent's palm.
That palm looked so clean and smooth because Vincent never did back-breaking labor in his life. In fact, Vincent's palm was smoother than Chloe's because Chloe still had to do house chores despite being married to a literal billionaire.
Unfortunately, that smooth hand was also the same hand that beat her to a pulp.
It was the same hand that pulled her hair, and he laughed when he saw the strands of brown hair on his hand, saying that she had gotten so ugly she would go bald soon.
A bald and ugly woman that nobody wanted.
This was also the same hand that held other women's bodies when they were on their honeymoon. Vincent always had a history of cheating, but Chloe always tried to close her eyes and acted like everything was okay to lessen the burden in her heart and forget the nightmare.
But no matter what, she tried to forget the nightmare. All this came crashing down in her head when she saw his palm again.
She was a very loyal lady. Even to this point, deep down, she still wished there was a bit of love left for Vincent so maybe they wouldn't have to do this.
But there was none.
She felt nothing but fear and hatred towards Vincent, and now that Vincent asked her to forgive him for using the same hand that beat her, Chloe was disgusted.
On top of that, she already poured all of her love into Vernon, and there was no more space for Vincent in her heart.
'All that is left is bitterness…' Chloe thought.
"Chloe?" Vincent was worried because Chloe didn't react at all.
He thought he did a good job by trying to convince her. He wanted her to return, so they could be a good married couple again.
He thought it was about money and said, "D—Don't worry about money. I might be at the bottom and lose a lot of my wealth right now, but I'm still technically a millionaire, and I promise you that we will be able to maintain our current life. As long as I can get your support at home, I can function again and open a new company that will soar high."
…
Still no answer from Chloe.
She kept staring at his palm, and Vincent couldn't read her expression. He didn't know what was on her mind right now, and he had grown increasingly desperate to find a way to keep her by his side.
So he kept on piling more and more tempting offers to pull Chloe to his side once more.
"How about this. I will buy a new mansion for us. I know that you have a bad memory of our old mansion, and I know I haven't been the kindest. I don't want to evoke your trauma, so let's start anew somewhere with our daughter," Vincent offered.
…
"You don't need to cook or do anything. You just need to stand by my side. I won't tell you to do this, nor will I try to humiliate you. You can always tell me no if you don't like something."
…
"H—How about we live somewhere far instead? How about we live as a small family in Europe? I will find a way to set up a business—"
"Enough, Vincent," Chloe finally opened her mouth. "No matter what you offer, there is no way we can be together."
"Why?" Vincent asked. That was the only thing he could ask right now.
"You can't convince me with all of your sweet promises when you show me that palm," Chloe said. "That palm of yours has beaten me to a pulp many times, yanked my hair, slapped me, raped me, and many more. Everything about you traumatized me, so I can't feel anything but fear and anger when I'm with you."
"… can you forget and forgive everything I've done before?" Vincent asked. "I don't want to hurt you anymore. I don't know how to treat someone gently, so I will ask you to guide me on becoming a better father for Mackie and a better husband for you."
Chloe couldn't handle this anymore.
The more she talked with Vincent, and the more he tried to patch things up between them, the worse nightmare she got in her head. She is constantly reminded of all the crazy things Vincent has done in the name of 'love.'
And she was 100% sure that Vincent would still do that after Chloe and Mackie returned to his embrace.
"Do you want to be a good father and husband for Mackie and me?" Chloe asked.
"Yes, I want to become better. I want to fix things," Vincent admitted.
"Then stay away from us," Chloe said.
"W—What?!"
"Yes, Vincent. The only thing you can do to mend your mistake is to let us go. Mackie and I are happy, and Mackie doesn't want to see you anymore. She is happy with Vernon, who already replaced you as her father."
"So find your happiness, Vincent. I don't wish you to die, nor do I wish you to suffer for the rest of your life," Chloe said. Though she already guessed that Vincent must've been suffering from loneliness, even now. "I want to have my own peace, and that peace is unattainable as long as I can still see your face."
Vincent was shocked by Chloe's words just now. He always thought he had a chance as long as he begged hard enough because Chloe was naturally a soft and forgiving woman. But when Chloe decided to leave him despite all his efforts, Vincent felt like blood had been drained out of his body.
"No, not like this!" Vincent rose and raised his voice in front of Chloe, "Chloe Gray, you're making a huge mistake!"
Chloe was caught off guard, but she tried her best to stay calm in front of him, "The huge mistake I made was marrying you ten years ago, Vincent Gray."
Chapter 772
"The huge mistake I made was marrying you ten years ago, Vincent Gray."
That sentence shot Vincent in his heart. He was so angry and sad at the same time that he couldn't control his own emotion.
He was trying his best to look good in front of her, but why didn't she want to go back with him?
"Oh yeah? Then you should fucking know that I'm marrying you because you're a stupid peasant who wouldn't dare to fight back! I fucking detest you since the day I married you!" Vincent yelled, which he regretted immediately.
Of course, it was all a lie.
He loved Chloe so much and fell in love even harder on their wedding day. He seriously thought that nobody in this world was prettier than Chloe, and that was the start of his overbearing and controlling behavior.
But his mouth moved on its own, spouting hurtful lies to get back at Chloe, who dared to hurt his heart like this.
He gritted his teeth, trying to endure the horrible aching in his heart.
Chloe stared at Vincent in silence.
Just like what she expected.
Vincent would always return to his old method of cursing, yelling, and humiliating her whenever he got angry. He tried to make himself look presentable as if he regretted everything he had done.
But when there was just a bit of argument between them, Vincent would scream at the top of his lungs, calling her names and even going as far as beating her because she was a disobedient woman.
He never changed because violence and dominance were part of his innate personality.
Maybe the young Vincent could be changed by good teaching from his parents, but this old Vincent was far gone. There was no more chance for him to walk in a better path.
"I think we're done here," Chloe said. "I just want to talk to you, checking if you're stable enough so I can grant you visitation rights. But you're still the same monster I married ten years ago. Nothing can change you."
Vincent snapped out of his rage, realizing that his anger had again taken control of him.
He panicked and tried to stop Chloe, "W—Wait, don't leave me! I know I'm wrong. Sometimes I can't control myself. That's why I snapped. Besides, it's also your fault because you're trying to provoke me!"
"Provoking you?" Chloe's eyes widened. "You think everything I said before was to provoke you?"
"What else?" Vincent insisted. "You keep telling me that I beat you up and then tell me there is no forgiveness. You also told me there is no way I can meet with you and Mackie again! Of course, I would snap! Any sane man would snap!"
Chloe got up from her seat, facing Vincent head-on. She used her index finger to poke Vincent's chest, "And no sane man would beat his wife for no reason. No sane man would humiliate his wife, calling him an ugly whale bitch because she got fat after giving birth. No sane man would fuck another woman in front of his pregnant wife!"
"Get a grip, Vincent. You're not sane at all! You're by far the worst man I've ever encountered in my life!" Chloe couldn't hold her rage. She tried her best to be civil, but Vincent's ignorance was truly grating. "I can't believe you are still blaming me for all your faults! My God, Vincent Gray, you're truly a monster!"
Vincent was caught off guard by Chloe, who snapped back at him.
Chloe finally had enough. She grabbed her small bag and documents on the table and was about to leave.
"We're not done yet, Chloe Gray!" Vincent insisted.
Chloe looked over her shoulder, "Yes, we are. I have nothing to say to you, and I don't want to cater to your childish tantrum. Don't worry about the divorce, you won't lose anything except your status as my husband, and you will never see Mackenzie again. Goodbye, Vincent."
Vincent stared at the back of the beautiful but arrogant woman.
He remembered how obedient Chloe was when they first got married. She was sweet, meek, and wouldn't dare to argue back at him.
It was because she got freedom and thus recovered her confidence, and now she became a disobedient woman that needed to be taught a lesson again.
Vincent tried to hold himself, but he couldn't handle the idea that Chloe would be independent of him, living her best life with Vernon while he would be suffering for the rest of his life.
"I will tell the media that Vernon stole you away from me! He will be seen as a homewrecker!" Vincent said, thinking it should deter Chloe because Chloe must've cared so much about Vernon's career.
Chloe shrugged and didn't even care about looking back at him, "He is far more powerful than you, Vincent. You're going to lose everything if you dare to go against him. You should thank me because I told him I don't need your gruesome death as revenge. He is more than willing to end your life."
Vincent gritted his teeth. He was so angry at Chloe, who dared to talk back to him. Thus, in a fit of anger, he raised his hand and was about to hit Chloe on the head from behind. He guessed it should be enough to knock her out.
He knew it would only complicate things, but he didn't care anymore.
All he wanted to do was to release his frustration towards Chloe, who dared to hurt him like this!
Chloe didn't know what was about to happen to her, but she suddenly saw Vernon, who slammed the door open and dashed past her.
Chloe turned her head immediately and saw Vincent getting handled by Vernon. His face was shoved to the ground, and Vernon pulled Vincent's arm to lock him, ensuring he couldn't struggle.
He stepped on Vincent's back and pressed him deeper into the ground, "ARRGHHH!"
Vincent's cry echoed in this small room, and Chloe still tried to process what happened.
"W—What are you doing, Vernon?" She asked.
Vernon looked at his beloved and replied, "He was about to attack you from behind. I see it all, and you should see the CCTV recording."
Chapter 773
[Song Recommendation: Michael Kiwanuka - Love & Hate.]
[This is the final song of this novel.]
Chloe stared at her lover, who swiftly disarmed Vincent before he could do anything to hurt her.
She then looked down to see Vincent growling like a madman, trying to break free from Vernon's bear-strength restraint. He glared at Chloe as if she were the most wretched thing he couldn't wait to kill.
That stare was quite familiar to Chloe.
Sometimes when Vincent was so angry, whenever she tried to fight back, he would give her that deathly stare until she was scared out of her wits and beat her up mercilessly.
Now this was the Vincent Gray that Chloe knew. This was the monster who filled her nightmare and the monster she had always wanted to escape from.
It was crazy how Vincent could switch up so fast.
A few moments ago, he was begging Chloe to accept him back. He even cried to make himself more convincing. But once he was faced with rejection, he suddenly turned violent.
"YOU BITCH! I WILL FUCKING KILL YOU FOR REBELLING AGAINST ME!" Vincent yelled like a wild dog. "I WILL SMASH YOUR HEAD UNTIL YOU UNDERSTAND YOU'RE NOTHING WITHOUT ME!"
Chloe's body shook greatly.
Her mind flashed with the awful memories of when she lived with Vincent.
Those words were like a bunch of trigger words that made her body shut down instantly.
"Damn it, MEYER! PROTECT MY WIFE!" Vernon yelled, and Meyer dashed into the room and stood in front of Chloe.
"You need to leave first, Mrs. Gray. This place is not safe," Meyer said coldly while being a barrier between Chloe and Vincent.
Chloe snapped out of her fear when she realized that Meyer and Vernon were actively trying to protect her.
She knew she wasn't a powerful lady who could punch Vincent until he died.
But was not the same Chloe from a year ago.
She had broken free from Vincent's chain, and thus, she should not fear him when he tried to scare her.
Thus, Chloe took a deep breath and said, "Step aside, Meyer. I want to see my ex-husband's face."
"What in the—leave now, honey! Don't let him scare you!" Vernon yelled, trying to tell Chloe to leave before she got a panic attack.
"Don't worry, I am not the same woman from a year ago," Chloe said. "I will face him."
Meyer was initially worried, but when he turned around and saw the determination in Mrs. Phoenix Gray's face, he was assured.
He stepped to the side, allowing Chloe to face Vincent again.
Vincent was still trying to break free. His face was so red, like a demon, and he gritted his teeth to the point that saliva dropped from the corner of his mouth.
"Vincent Gray, you can't touch me anymore now," Chloe said coldly. "I am not alone. I have my soon-to-be husband and friends who will help me. You locked me in your mansion and isolated me until I had nobody by my side. But you forget one thing."
Chloe took another deep breath and stated, "You can't cage a canary and expect her not to sing once she breaks free. I fear you no more, and I will tell the whole world about everything you did to me, starting from the judge for our divorce trial."
"This is the end, Vincent Gray."
Chloe turned around and left Vincent in shock as Chloe had just sealed his fate with her words.
She would tell everyone about what he did to her.
And he knew that the public wouldn't take it nicely. Only his family would accept Vincent's kind of discipline for his wife. The public would call him an abuser and a monster.
"No! No!" Vincent tried to break free even harder. He wanted to reach Chloe, who finally walked away from the room. "Chloe! Don't leave! Don't tell anyone about us! I don't want everyone to hate me!"
Unfortunately, no matter how loud he tried to call Chloe, his soon-to-be ex-wife didn't budge. Chloe simply left her and proceeded to wait for the trial somewhere else.
"You should stop struggling, Vincent. It's getting tiring," Vernon complained as he tried to keep Vincent in place.
Vincent was dazed as he was in shock, but the rage in his heart hadn't been appeased. Since he couldn't do anything to Chloe right now, then the other choice was to scream and curse at his little brother.
"YOU BASTARD! YOU STOLE MY WIFE FROM ME! I WILL FUCKING KILL YOU, VERNON!" Vincent yelled.
Vernon rolled his eyes, "You know there is CCTV in this room, right? I will recover it immediately and put it as proof of your attempt at assault. You're seriously not making this any better for yourself, but that's good. Because that would be Chloe's bullet for the upcoming trial."
Vernon darted his eyes at Meyer and ordered, "Hold this guy in place. I'm going to call the security. We have hard proof of his attempted assault in the CCTV."
"Yes, Sir."
Meyer switched with his boss, and it was even easier for Meyer to reprimand Vincent because he was trained to do so.
Vernon stared at his Big brother, who was in such a sorry state, and said, "See you in court, big bro. I will make sure you have no right to visit Mackie anymore. She is my daughter and doesn't need a second father."
Vincent knew that Mackie was his only chance to get Chloe back. So he yelled in his last attempt to save his marriage, "SHE IS MY DAUGHTER! SHE WILL ALWAYS BE MY DAUGHTER! DON'T YOU FUCKING DARE STEAL HER AWAY FROM ME!"
"Your daughter? You're not even trying to take care of her when they are still living with you," Vernon sneered. "Just admit it, big bro. You just want to use Mackie as your ticket to get Chloe's sympathy again."
"Unlike you, I truly love Mackie as my daughter. I see myself in her and will do everything to protect her from a monster like you."
Chapter 774
Vernon had enough talk with Vincent as he knew it was going nowhere anyway. Vincent would continuously curse him for being the homewrecker, even though it was Vincent himself who ruined his family.
Chloe was a very tolerant person who forgave a lot.
At the start of his reunion with Chloe, Vernon admitted he was such an asshole. They had many unneeded confrontations and misunderstandings because Vernon thought that Chloe hated him, so he wanted them to burn together in pain.
But Chloe showed him nothing but gentleness. She was patient and loving, just like before they got separated, and his wrath slowly died down, leaving a bittersweet feeling as he wanted to repair his relationship with Chloe.
Now that he was at his best time with Chloe, he would not allow anyone to ruin it.
Vernon left the room and reported everything to the police officers outside. The officers quickly reprimanded Vincent and put him in a handcuff. He struggled like a madman to no avail.
He knew that his love life with Chloe would be done for, and this crushing feeling in his heart made him uncontrollable.
Chloe was sitting in another room, it was only thirty minutes before the divorce trial started, and Chloe felt the pressure already.
Vernon entered the room with an assuring smile, "Love, I've successfully retrieved the CCTV recording just now. I told my lawyer to play it during the trial to make sure that the judge knows what kind of character Vincent has."
Vernon hugged Chloe, who looked worried. He then checked her body, ensuring that she didn't get hurt anywhere.
Chloe smiled and patted his chest, "I'm fine. Thanks to you, who swiftly protected me before Vincent could do anything."
"I hope this can be a wake-up call for you," Vernon said. "Vincent is not stable. He will never be. We shouldn't let him get close to Mackie, or our daughter might get influenced by his terrible behavior."
Chloe smiled bitterly, "It's so sad to see, but you're right. I don't want Mackie to get hurt. I won't allow visitation when he can be so dangerous with his anger issue. I will also file a restraining order later."
"She will be able to meet Vincent again once she's eighteen, and I hope by that time, our daughter can see the true color of her biological father," Chloe said.
Vernon still disagreed with that.
He didn't want Mackie to see Vincent for the rest of her life, but once she was eighteen, none of them could stop her anymore if she wanted to visit Vincent.
So all he could do was ensure Mackie was safe before she reached adulthood.
Vincent rubbed Chloe's baby bump, hidden neatly under her blazer.
They hid Chloe's pregnancy because Vincent might use this as a bullet to attack them in court. Besides, it would be too scandalous and would be a media highlight.
Just like he said before, he wanted Chloe to be remembered by the media as a strong woman who went through a lot. He didn't want any slander to his beloved wife.
"I will protect you and our children, Chloe. I promise."
"And I trust you'd do that for me and our children," Chloe smiled. "I will get my divorce today, and I can't wait to marry you, husband."
Vernon was so happy when Chloe called him 'husband.' He wanted to hug her so tight and marry her right here, but he knew he had to prepare a good proposal for her.
They got called by their lawyer thirty minutes later, stating that the trial would start soon, and Chloe had to come with him.
Vernon was at a loss when he saw Chloe enter the area for the ones involved in the divorce trial, while he could only sit as a public member or audience.
Chloe walked with a sure step as she entered the court. She sat on the left and saw Vincent standing on the other side. Two police officers guarded him, and his hand was tied in a handcuff.
She stared at him for a while, and he darted his eyes until their eyes accidentally met.
Chloe's heart jumped as she saw the hatred in Vincent's eyes. She swallowed her saliva hard, trying her best to stay calm.
'You can do this, Chloe. This will be the end of your suffering. You can't mess this up,' Chloe warned herself, as she didn't want to look weak in front of Vincent.
The bailiff announced the judge's arrival, and the judge first noticed the eye contact between Chloe and Vincent. She was able to catch the dynamic between this pair of soon-to-be ex-husband and wife, especially after she saw the handcuff and officers guarding Vincent Gray.
She sighed.
She had been a judge for more than a decade, and domestic abuse never seemed to stop. No matter how many laws were made to protect women from domestic abuse, it didn't deter many abusive men.
'So this is another domestic abuse case,' the judge thought. 'I've never expected Vincent Gray to be an abuser. He always showed himself as a family man in the media. I guess we can't trust that kind of public image.'
"Please be seated," the bailiff said before they started the trial.
Judge read the document on her table and then cleared her throat to start the trial;
"Good morning, everyone. My name is Judge Melinda Parr. We're here to proceed with the divorce between Mrs. Chloe Gray and Mr. Vincent Gray. For the attorney of Mrs. Chloe Gray's side as the plaintiff of the divorce, please introduce yourself and your opening statement."
Chloe's divorce attorney stood up and began to introduce himself. He opened his statement as the plaintiff.
The judge listened to the opening statement and nodded slightly.
She kept staring at Chloe, who seemed to have much to say, so she said, "Thank you for your statement, Mr. Morris. Now I want Mrs. Chloe Gray to come and elaborate on all her statements regarding her divorce plea."
Chapter 775
Chloe jolted.
She didn't expect to speak up about this because, based on the briefing with the lawyer yesterday, she had to sit and let him speak about the whole thing.
She hadn't prepared any statement yet, and she subconsciously looked at Vincent first to see him glaring at her with hatred.
She then shifted her gaze towards Vernon, who gave her a thin smile and light nod, indirectly telling her to stand on her ground and tell the judge about everything that had happened to her for the past ten years.
'This is my one and only chance. I will never be able to be free if I let my fear control me at this point,' Chloe told herself.
Thus, she mustered her courage and stood up. She walked to the podium, facing the judge, who eyed her intensely as if she was judging Chloe's true character and intention.
"Thank you for the permission, your honor," Chloe opened her statement. "I am here as a woman who filed for divorce against her own husband, but with solid reasons."
Chloe looked at Vincent, who zipped his mouth, but she could see that he was still trying to control himself not to lunge at Chloe and punch her in the face.
"My husband, Vincent Gray, has abused me for ten years. He subjected me to various torture, physically and mentally. He hit me many times until the bruises became part of my skin," Chloe's voice began to tremble because of her emotional stimulation.
She remembered all the pain Vincent inflicted on her body, but the physical pain could heal as always, just like how she looked beautiful now. Nobody except her family knew how bad it was for her before.
She had gone through so many transformations just to look good in front of Vincent, only for him to laugh at all of her attempts.
But it didn't matter now.
Nothing mattered between Chloe and Vincent anymore because they would be separated soon.
"He has been mentally abusive as well. He has cheated on me since I was seven months pregnant, and it continues until I decide to leave him," Chloe said. She looked back towards the public member seat, mostly filled with women. "In fact, I've brought many of the women he had an affair with. They are ready to give testimony regarding Vincent Gray's infidelity."
The judge couldn't hide her surprise. She darted her eyes towards the public members and saw at least ten women who stood up without fear in their eyes.
Vincent was also surprised by this statement. He looked over his shoulder, and his heartbeat skipped for a second the moment he saw many familiar faces.
Chloe actually brought ten of Vincent's mistresses. There were many more, but ten was enough to shock the entire court.
"These women… are they Mr. Vincent Gray's affairs?" The judge asked Chloe.
"Yes, Your Honor. You can ask them one by one, and they will admit it. They can even specify what is
Chloe should thank Priscilla for wanting to work with her on this.
They had a talk a few days ago regarding Vincent, and Priscilla first asked Chloe's forgiveness.
Second, she realized she couldn't make up for all the damage she had done to Chloe. So she tried to compensate by gathering at least ten of Vincent's mistresses before her. So they could be present during the court to show what kind of man Vincent truly was.
And it worked.
-
'This is the least I could do to you, Chloe. I know we're not supposed to be friends, and even now, I don't think we can be friends knowing how bad our relationship is,' Priscilla said. 'But this is my compensation, so you can't say that I don't try to make up for it.'
'One more thing. Please don't let Mr. Phoenix Gray to fire me, I will always be loyal and put Vincent under control, I promise!'
-
'I should thank her for this,' Chloe thought. She already knew about the Khloe thing, and though she found it weird, Vernon said putting Priscilla with Vincent to keep him in check was necessary.
The judge stared at the women individually, then told them to sit down.
She returned her focus to Chloe and ordered, "You may continue, Mrs. Chloe Gray."
"Thank you, Your Honor."
"Physical abuse, mental abuse, and affair might be enough for many women to leave, but I stayed for ten years because I thought we could fix this broken marriage," Chloe clenched her fist as she remembered her beloved daughter.
Mackenzie was her source of strength.
She was the real reason why Chloe decided to leave, and the judge had to know this no matter what.
"But I finally decide to end everything after realizing that Vincent Gray will inflict the same thing on my daughter just like what he inflicted on me," Chloe said.
"… please explain that further, Mrs. Gray."
"Yes, Your Honor," Chloe took a deep breath and continued, "I decided to leave on my daughter's seventh birthday because Vincent dares to ignore my daughter's birthday to sleep with one of his mistresses."
"I realize the pattern right away. Just like how he ignores me to sleep with other women. He will start beating my daughter once she is old enough, and I—as a mother—will not let that happen."
"It took me a while to finally get my life together. But I want my divorce as the justice I deserve," Chloe said. "I do not need his money, nor do I need him to pay for child support. All I ask for is for him not to demand visitation right. I don't want him to get near and hurt my daughter while I'm not with them."
The judge nodded. She understood the situation, and would grant the divorce without hesitation.
But the judge had to be fair, and the father should still be granted visitation right under a heavy watch to ensure the child's safety.
But before she could say that, Chloe added, 'I have proof that Vincent Gray was about to hurt me about thirty minutes ago, Your Honor.'