Ch. 156..160: Divorced My Scum Husband, Married His Evil brother Chapter 156-160

Chapter 156

Vernon continued staring at the lingerie and knocked his forehead on the steering wheel a few times, "Vernon Phoenix Gray, you're a fucking disgrace to your family."

He didn't know why he had that intrusive thought, and he also didn't know why he followed it. He was literally stealing black lingerie from his sister-in-law like a creep!

He tried to calm himself and stared at the black lingerie again. He noticed that it was a very sexy one, with only a string that barely covered the pussy lips.

Vernon's mind automatically imagined his sister-in-law only wearing this while sitting on his bed, waiting for him.

"Fuck, stop it!" Vernon threw the lingerie on the passenger seat beside him. He was so distracted by the idea that he was keeping the black lingerie of his sister-in-law, but he was actually stuck right now.

"Urgh, what should I do then?" Vernon asked himself. Of course, he couldn't just return it to his sister-in-law. That was ridiculous!

"Maybe I could pick it up again and drop it somewhere in my room so she could find it?" Vernon wondered, then he quickly ditched that idea. "No, I can't. It'd be so weird if she couldn't find it the first time and it suddenly appeared out of nowhere in my bedroom. She'll get suspicious."

"Then, what should I do?"

…

Vernon had to admit that he didn't know what to do with the lingerie. So he pushed this problem aside and put the lingerie in the glove box compartment. He opened the compartment and just remembered this was a new car, so this thing— the black lingerie— would be the first item he put inside his new car.

Usually, he put his prescription glasses, spare perfume, or a bag of condoms inside his car's glove box before he reunited with his sister-in-law.

'Can't believe I'm keeping literal lingerie in my car right now. What has gotten into you, Vernon?' Vernon mocked himself before he put the lingerie inside and closed the glove compartment.

He took a deep breath to clear his head. He never thought a woman could be this distracting, but he needed to focus now because he had to focus on the project with his Big brother's company to gain his trust.

Vernon gripped the steering wheel and pressed the gas, leaving the apartment building and heading to meet his business partners.

**

"Mommy, where are we going?" Mackie asked as she put on the shoes that her Mommy had prepared for her. Tutoring had been canceled today, so she thought she could spend the day not doing anything other than playing with her dolls.

But her Mommy suddenly told her to get dressed because they were going somewhere today.

Chloe smiled and patted Mackie's head, "Dear, don't you say you want to watch the new movie? Uh… Minion, right?"

"Oh, yes! Mackie wants to watch that one!" Mackie nodded in full spirit. "My friends at school said it's so good!"

"Then we're going to watch it today," Chloe said.

Mackie's eyes glimmered with joy, "Really? We're going to the mall?"

"Yep!"

"Yayy!" Mackie jumped happily and hugged her Mommy's thighs. "Mommy, can I eat Ice cream too? It's been a while!"

"But not too much, okay?"

"Okay!"

After Mackie dressed, Chloe grabbed another scarf and covered her neck and collarbone. She didn't want anyone to see her love marks in public.

"Mommy, isn't it a little hot wearing scarf right now?" Mackie asked.

"A—Ah, not really, Dear. Mommy just wants to use it," Chloe replied.

Mackie still didn't believe her Mommy, but her attention was shifted to the movie and ice cream!

"Mommy, let's go! I want to eat Ice cream first!"

Chloe smiled and held her daughter's hand, and left the apartment.

Chloe wanted to call Diamond and asked if she was free to go to a movie with them. But then she realized that Diamond was still a young lady, so she must've had a plan with her friends perhaps— or maybe a date on the weekend.

Thus, Chloe and Mackie went to the usual mall they always visited, thinking nothing wrong would happen there.

Chloe and Mackie went to the cinema first to buy tickets and decided to watch it around seven in the evening. Thus, they still had time to eat in a Japanese restaurant that Mackie liked.

"Mommy, you should eat more!" Mackie said. "Eat like Mackie!"

Mackie demonstrated how she ate by opening her mouth wide, then stuffed a whole boiled egg in her mouth before munching very slowly.

Chloe chuckled and gently wiped the soup stain around Mackie's mouth.

"Don't eat like that in front of other people, okay? Especially your Daddy's family," Chloe warned since she'd be heavily criticized and looked down on when Mackie didn't follow the table manner like the rest of her distant cousins.

Chloe did teach Mackie about table manners since she was five, but Mackie was still too young to understand. She was naturally an active little girl who liked to eat fast. She'd also eat faster when the food was really good.

'Just like the young Vernon,' Chloe thought as she remembered how that evil young master ate when he was young. 'Oh, the adult Vernon also does the same. He will eat fast when he likes the food, then ask for a second plate….'

"Homp—ump—amp!" Mackie tried to speak with an egg inside her mouth, which made it funnier for Chloe.

After Mackie ate the egg, she repeated her sentence, "I don't want to eat with Daddy's family again! I hate them!"

"Don't say that…." Chloe tried to force a smile. "You still like Grandma, right?"

"Well, only Grandma, I don't like the rest!" Mackie insisted.

"Mackie…"

Honestly, Chloe didn't want to alienate Mackie from the family. Chloe had a long-time problem with Vincent and the Gray family, but Mackie was still the darling of her Grandma, Dorothea Gray.

Chloe planned to allow Mackie to visit the Gray family, especially Dorothea, after she finished the divorce process.

'Which would take a long time since that bastard still doesn't want to sign the paper….'

Chapter 157

Chloe planned to allow Mackie to visit the Gray family, especially Dorothea, after she finished the divorce process. 'Which would take a long time since that bastard still doesn't want to sign the paper…' Chloe sighed. She was dazed for a while, watching Mackie eat because Chloe only ate one spoon of her food. She was watching her daughter eating happily, then her eyes scanned around the restaurant. She didn't want to accidentally bump into someone dangerous. Though, she doubted Vincent would be willing to go to the mall like Mackie and her. Vincent was raised to be a master of an old money family stemmed from generations. He didn't go to the mall to buy stuff like Chloe. At first, he was angry that Chloe 'stained' his daughter by bringing her to the mall because she wasn't supposed to go with people who might be lower than her. He was also worried if Mackie got kidnapped.

But after realizing that Mackie loved going to the mall, Vincent couldn't say no to her and went to the mall with her a few times to buy her toys. Though, they never actually had this kind of full family outing. Either Chloe brought Mackie to the mall, or Vincent did it.

'He said he doesn't want some paparazzi to see him with an ugly woman in public. That's funny because that ugly woman was his own wife….' …

Chloe was relieved the restaurant was clear of anyone she knew. After all, this was supposed to be a good time for Mackie, so Chloe didn't want to start any drama and ruin Mackie's day. While Chloe was idly scanning around the half-empty restaurant, she noticed a new customer had just come in, and her heart dropped when she saw the new guest.

She saw a man in his late thirties, wearing a blue polo and jeans clasped under his belly because he couldn't hide his beer belly. He had thin hair and a beard that didn't seem properly groomed.

His hand wrapped around the waist of a much younger woman, probably in her early twenties. She didn't seem to object, though. In fact, she was the one who initiated a public display of affect by leaning closer to him as they walked in and sat at the table near the entrance. "Oh no…" Chloe murmured. She didn't expect to discover a scandal while trying to have good eating out and movie with her daughter.

"Mommy, that are you looking at—?" Mackie asked. She noticed that her Mommy was staring at one spot for a long time, and her face gradually turned pale. Mackie got curious and wanted to look at what caused her Mommy to turn pale. But before turning her head, Chloe quickly covered her eyes and forced her to look straight again, "Don't look, dear. Just focus on your food, okay?"

"Ehh… why?" Mackie asked. She was curious because her Mommy seemed so distressed about it. "Mommy looks so panicked, so Mackie wants to see too!"

"Ah— then, Mommy will eat with you, okay? Just look straight at Mommy, don't turn your head," Chloe said. Mackie was still curious, but when her Mommy said she'd eat with Mackie, the little girl was overjoyed. She instantly forgot about her curiosity and nodded happily, "Mommy eat with Mackie!" Chloe started eating with Mackie. She ate bits by bits, and her stomach was churning when she ate, but she pushed through as she didn't want Mackie to see what was happening if she turned around.

However, while eating, she kept stealing glances at the two forbidden couples at the table near the door. Because it was the scene of Thomas 'Tommy' Davis having a date with another woman even though he was married.

And he was married to Chloe's big sister, Chelsea Davis. She always thought that Tommy was a good man because he was willing to take care of the kids when Chelsea was busy working or simply too exhausted to take care of their four sons. So Chloe envied her big sister a little, knowing that Vincent was nothing but a bastard who didn't even care about her wellbeing.

'Who would've expected… he is actually cheating with a younger woman…' Chloe assumed. She wanted to stay positive and thought that woman might have been a work colleague. But her positive idea crumbled a minute later because that woman kissed the edge of Tommy's lips, and they were giggling and chatting while reading the menu. 'Why in hell would he cheat?! That woman must've been a call girl,' Chloe assumed. Tommy wasn't an attractive man— at least not attractive enough to hook an early twenties girl solely using his charm. So Chloe assumed that woman must've been a call girl of some sort. 'But, does he even have the money for that? Since he is— barely employed….'

Chloe knew that her big sister was actually the breadwinner of that family. Tommy worked odd jobs in New York, and it could barely cover the expenses. That was also why they still lived in their mother's house and asked Vincent for some money every month. This was also something that Vincent often brought up to corner her, saying that Chloe should be grateful because Vincent was still willing to help her poor family. 'Should I… tell Chelsea about this?' Chloe wondered. She didn't have a good relationship with her big sister. But she was still a family despite everything that happened to them.'

Soon, Chloe found herself in a dilemma between telling her big sister about this or hiding Tommy's adultery. 'I want to tell Chelsea about this. But is it a good idea to do? She has so much burden as a breadwinner. She also has four sons…' Chloe thought, trying to justify her own decision of covering up for Tommy.

'If I tell her about this, her marriage will turn to shambles… and what about her four sons? Their sons see their dad as a good father, right?'

Chapter 158'If I tell her about this, her marriage will turn to shambles… and what about her four sons? Their sons see their dad as a good father, right?'

Chloe looked at Mackie, who was busy eating. She was already feeling so guilty about separating from Vincent and potentially ruining Mackie's childhood because Mackie wouldn't have a perfect family anymore.

So if Chloe told her big sister about this, she'd probably ruin the lives of her four nephews.

Besides, Chelsea's life was already difficult as it was. By telling her this, it'd destroy her life.

'I… I'm not sure what to do. Should I tell her or… should I not?' Chloe wondered. She needed more time to decide whether to tell her big sister about Tommy's affair or not.

She just didn't want to make a rash decision that'd led to an already bad relationship between them turning worse.

'Besides, Mom already called me a whore and completely sides with Vincent. I know Chelsea resents me, but if I made a wrong decision and completely ruined our sibling relationship….'

Thus, Chloe decided to collect the evidence first. She fished out her phone from the bag. Chloe made sure she had silent her phone and opened the camera app.

She aimed the camera toward the two forbidden lovebirds showing an unnecessary public display of affection and capturing the moment.

She checked the picture and was relieved that she took a good pic because, in the pic, Tommy was shown kissing the cheek of that woman without shame, even though there were kids in the restaurant right now.

'Okay, I can use this as evidence later in case I want to tell Chelsea about Tommy's affair,' Chloe thought as she saved the picture. She didn't really have anything against Tommy. In fact, he was one of the in-laws that treated her fairly.

'But Chelsea is my sister. She is my priority….'

Mackie saw that her Mommy was busy with her phone and also aimed her camera at the same spot where she forbade Mackie to see. So, Mackie asked, "Mommy, why are you taking pictures? Can I see?'

"It's nothing, dear. Just focus on your food—"

"I already finished it!" Mackie said happily as she pushed the empty plate towards her Mommy.

"Ah—" Chloe forgot that her daughter was a big and fast eater, so it was easy for her to consume a full bowl.

"Let's go now, Mommy!" Mackie said. "I want to eat Ice cream!"

Mackie gulped. She glanced at Tommy and that girl who was still at the same table. So if she decided to get up and get out, she had to pass them as their table was near the entrance.

'There's a big chance he'll notice us if we leave now,' Chloe thought.

Thus, she thought of a reason to hold them for a while here, at least until Tommy left.

She noticed that her food was still barely touched. Thus, she said to her daughter;

"Would you mind waiting for Mommy, dear? I still haven't finished my food," Chloe said.

"Oh! Okay!" Mackie nodded happily. She wanted her ice cream, but her Mommy's need was more important! It was also fun seeing her Mommy eat!

Chloe gulped, and she started eating very slowly to prolong their stay here. Mackie was satisfied with her Mommy eating, so she sat relaxedly and sipped the strawberry juice she ordered.

Chloe glanced from time to time to see whether Tommy had left. But those two ordered so many foods that it would take a while until they left, much to her grievance.

After she finished the food, Tommy and his girl were still in their seat, even though Chloe tried to eat as slowly as she could.

"Mommy is done eating! Let's go now, Mommy. I want to eat ice cream first before watching Minion!" Mackie said.

"D—Dear, why don't we sit here for a while? Mommy feels a little full…."

"Ehhh… but we will be late for Ice cream and movie, Mommy!" Mackie finally protested. They had been in the restaurant for a while. They would miss the movie and ice cream!

"Mommy, let's go and eat ice cream! You can sit there with Mackie!" Mackie insisted as she got impatient.

"M—Mackie, Mommy feels a little full. Let's wait, okay?"

"No, let's go now, Mommy!" Mackie insisted even more, and she tried to jump from the tall chair because her feet didn't touch the floor.

But when she jumped from the chair, she accidentally stepped on the soup stain on the floor and slipped alongside the chair, which made a loud banging noise.

"MACKIE!"

Chloe panicked and got up from her chair. She checked on Mackie, who slumped on the floor.

The sound alerted everyone in the restaurant, including Tommy and his girl. He turned his head and saw Chelsea's little sister, Chloe Gray.

His eyes darkened, and his mood was ruined instantly when he saw her because he knew it would be a disaster if Chloe told Chelsea about his affair.

"What? What are you looking at, Tommy?" the girl asked. She followed his line of sight and noticed a woman caring for her child who fell from the chair.

That woman looked so beautiful despite being so thin, which triggered her competitive nature as a woman, "Ugh, look at that woman. She's so sloppy taking care of her daughter. If that was me, I'd ensure my daughter won't slip and fall like that."

"Look at her dress too. She's wearing a scarf even though it's still summer, so weird. Right, Tommy?" the girl asked for support from her sweetheart.

"Yeah…" Tommy nodded slowly. He clenched the spoon in his hand, trying to contain his anger so Dahlia— his date wouldn't suspect a thing.

Tommy dropped his spoon on the plate, making a loud clanking sound in the quiet environment, alerting Chloe instantly.

CLANK!

Chloe turned her head when she heard the sound of dropped spoon coming from Tommy's table, and their eyes met.

Chapter 159

Chloe turned her head when she heard the sound of dropped spoon coming from Tommy's table, and their eyes met.

Chloe's heartbeat skipped for a second once she saw how angry Tommy looked as he glared at her. She gulped nervously and then tried to act normal by giving her attention to Mackie.

"Dear, are you okay?"

"Yes, Mommy…" Mackie got up from the floor, and Chloe checked Mackie's body in case she got a bruise or something. After making sure Mackie wasn't hurt, Chloe stood up and held her daughter's hand.

"Mommy will pay first, then we can get your ice cream, okay?"

"Okay!" Mackie nodded happily, not realizing that her Mommy had cold sweat all over her forehead and palm. Chloe called for the waiter and paid with Vernon's black card.

After she was done paying and tipping, she quickly picked up her bag and picked her daughter up.

Chloe intentionally carried Mackie even if she struggled with her daughter's weight. She didn't want Mackie to notice her Uncle Tommy sitting with another woman, or all hell would break loose.

"Dear, don't look around and rest your head on my shoulder, okay? If you're obedient, Mommy will give you an extra scoop of ice cream later."

"Okay!" Mackie didn't really understand her Mommy's strange behavior. But an extra scoop of ice cream was always great!

Chloe walked past Tommy and tried to check on him by giving him a side glance.

From the edge of her sight, she saw Tommy's head following her movement with no smile at all. His look was fierce as if he was ready to kill Chloe the next second.

Chloe hastened her step and left the restaurant. She was relieved when she was finally out of his sight. She put Mackie on the floor and grabbed her hand, "Let's have an ice cream before the movie, dear."

"Okay, Mommy!" Mackie nodded. She noticed that her Mommy was much more relaxed after leaving the restaurant. "Mommy, why are you so strange in the restaurant?"

"S—Strange?" Chloe knew that her daughter was an observant kid. But she just didn't expect her to confront Chloe like this. "Mommy is fine, dear…."

"Mommy is not fine!" Mackie insisted. "Mommy forbade Mackie to turn around, and Mommy actually ate your food! That's very strange!"

Chloe tried to ignore Mackie's hard evidence and pointed at the ice cream shop beside the restaurant, "Let's get ice cream now. Mommy will give you an extra scoop for being obedient."

"Yay!"

Fortunately, Mackie had a short attention span, making it easy to deviate her attention towards something she liked so she'd stop questioning.

**

Tommy and Dahlia continued eating in the Japanese restaurant. Dahlia relished it because she rarely ate outside in a restaurant. After all, she was just a university student.

Dahlia noticed that Tommy's mood worsened after he saw that beautiful but thin woman with her daughter. She frowned and asked, "Tommy, is everything alright?"

"Hmm… yeah," Tommy replied, but he suddenly got up from the chair and added, "I'll go to the restroom first."

"Mhm, sure," Dahlia said. She was suspicious of Tommy's strange behavior.

'Should I follow him?' Dahlia considered. She was scared that Tommy might be interested in that woman. After all, Dahlia knew that Tommy had a wife and planned to divorce her for Dahlia after he got enough money. So she was scared that he might be tempted by another beauty.

But from his expression, Tommy didn't seem fond of that woman, so Dahlia could relax a little.

Tommy walked out of the restaurant and headed to the empty corridor leading to the restroom.

He stood in silence for a while and then texted Chloe.

**

Chloe was eating ice cream with her daughter when her phone vibrated.

She checked the text, thinking it came from Vernon or Diamond. However, much to her surprise, it was Tommy.

Chloe gulped nervously. She didn't know if opening the text would be the right thing to do. But curiosity got the better of her, so she clicked the message;

—

Tommy Davis:

Meet me in the corridor leading to the restroom right beside the restaurant.

—

Chloe curled her lips out of anxiety. She wanted to ignore this text and acted as if nothing was wrong and didn't see anything in the restaurant.

But the next text from Tommy basically cemented her fate;

—

Tommy Davis:

I will make you regret it if you dare to avoid this text.

—

Chloe didn't know what he'd do, but she didn't want to make the situation even worse than before. She was scared right now. Even her legs were trembling.

'But I have to face him….'

Chloe checked on her daughter, who was happily eating her ice cream. She checked the corridor that Tommy referred to. It was a corridor placed right in-between the Japanese restaurant and the ice cream shop. So she wouldn't have to leave Mackie for too long, and Tommy wouldn't be able to do anything because she could just scream if it was necessary.

Chloe got up and patted Mackie's head, "Dear, Mommy's going to the restroom beside the shop. You should eat here for a while, ignore anyone who wants to talk to you, and if there's anyone wanting to touch you, just scream, okay?"

"Okay, Mommy! Stranger danger, Mackie knows!" Mackie said and continued enjoying her sweet dessert.

Chloe got up and walked out of the shop, heading to the corridor beside the shop.

She saw Tommy leaning at the end of the empty corridor leading to the restroom. There was nobody around, which heightened Chloe's anxiety.

She clenched her fist and summoned courage, 'It's okay, Chloe. He won't be able to do anything here. Just face him, and let's see what will happen.'

Chloe approached Tommy, who glared at her, an expression that Tommy never had shown anyone when there was a family gathering.

Chloe stood quite far from Tommy, or so she assumed, just in case Tommy wanted to attack him, "W—What do you want to talk about?"

Chapter 160

"W—What do you want to talk about?" Chloe asked carefully.

Tommy said nothing for a while but kept glaring until he suddenly took a swift step forward, stretched his hand, and gripped Chloe's arm tightly.

The move was too sudden for Chloe to react, so she could only struggle a bit, which triggered Tommy to squeeze her arm even harder until Chloe grimaced in pain.

"Aw— ouch! L--Let me go!"

Tommy had zero kindness towards Chloe, unlike the usual Tommy, who looked so kind and amiable in front of his wife and in-laws. He slammed her to the wall until she almost screamed. But Tommy threatened her before she could even open her mouth.

"Listen, you scrawny bitch. Don't act so innocent. I know you saw my girlfriend and me in the restaurant," Tommy snarled at her. "And I will not let you go until you tell me the truth."

Chloe averted her gaze, not wanting to stare at Tommy, who looked so unfamiliar. She thought Tommy was a good man for her big sister. But everything seemed to be a facade.

The real Thomas 'Tommy' Davis was the one standing in front of Chloe right now, a man who seemed to forget that he had a hardworking wife and four sons at home.

"W—What truth?" Chloe asked. "I just accidentally saw you with your… uh… girlfriend. Of course, I'd be shocked!"

"Tell me, have you taken a picture of us?" Tommy asked.

"W—Why would I do that?" Chloe lied. Of course, she took a picture. It'd be an idiot for her not to collect evidence of Tommy's infidelity in case she wanted to tell Chelsea about it.

Tommy peered at Chloe suspiciously, and Chloe averted her gaze as always. Normally, when someone averted their gaze, they tried to cover their nervousness.

Chloe was doing the exact thing now, but Tommy couldn't judge her behavior like a normal person.

Because Chloe always did this, even if relaxed, she'd always try to dodge whenever someone was staring at her. She was very meek and couldn't hold a conversation for long.

Or so he thought…

Because the woman in front of him seemed to have something different in her after she cheated and ran away from Vincent's mansion.

Chelsea told him that Chloe ran away because she was an ungrateful whore. She wasted Vincent Gray— a very loyal husband to her.

Since Tommy couldn't determine whether Chloe was lying or not, he decided to threaten her instead;

"Listen to me, I don't want this relationship between my girlfriend and me to be known, especially by Chelsea," Tommy said. "So, if you dare to tell her about this, I will make sure you will regret it."

Tommy was thinking quickly about something that'd scare this meek lady, and he smirked once he found one, "If you dare to tell Chelsea, I will tell Judith that the one I'm cheating with is you."

Chloe's eyes widened instantly. She had a few scenarios of what Tommy would do in her head. But she never expected him to want to drag her down to hell.

"Y—You can't do that. We barely know each other. They will not believe you!" Chloe denied. "I've never even talked to you in private. That's not possible for us to cheat!"

But Tommy only sneered maliciously, "Who will your big sister and your mom believe more? A loyal husband and good father of four kids, or a whore who cheated on her rich and loving husband?"

"But I'm not—"

"Oh, come on, I don't care whether it's true. I also don't believe Vincent is THAT good. But Chelsea and Judith believe him completely," Tommy said. "Do you know what your mother does these days?"

…

"She keeps trying to call Vincent daily, and when he picks up the call, Judith would apologize and call you a whore. She also tells Vincent that she'll not accept you into her house unless you return to Vincent."

Chloe turned stiff instantly. She knew her mother had already despised her for 'cheating.'

Chloe also knew that her mother completely sided with Vincent because he always gave money to her and Chelsea. Vincent was basically her retirement saving.

But when she was reminded of Tommy, she couldn't help but feel awful about herself. Because she couldn't even gain her mother's trust.

'Maybe it's my fault because I can't stand up against Vincent…' Chloe thought. 'But what could I do against him? He has everything on his side!'

Slowly, her sight turned blurry, and tears started streaming down her cheeks.

Tommy frowned when he saw her crying, "Why are you crying? Obviously, you're the one who cheated, right? Do you think I will believe if you say that you work for yourself after running away from Vincent?"

"I bet you're an old man's mistress now!" Tommy accused.

But Chloe couldn't hear anything anymore. She was too sad to even focus, let alone listen to him.

Tommy got uncomfortable seeing her crying, so she shoved her to the wall before releasing his grip.

Chloe slumped on the floor, still unreactive even after she got hurt. Tommy distanced himself from her and added one more threat, "If Chelsea knows about my affair, then I will make sure to drag you down to hell. Think about that, Chloe."

Tommy knew that Chloe was a meek woman, so he was convinced that Chloe wouldn't tell Chelsea about his affair. After all, Chloe was an idiot with no courage.

Tommy turned around and walked away, leaving Chloe, who was still trying to collect herself.

It took Chloe at least five minutes until she got up and walked to the restroom to wash her face. After all, she didn't want her daughter to see her crying.

She stared at the mirror and bit her lower lip to ensure she didn't cry again.

"It's okay, Chloe. Your mom and sister don't believe in you because you can't give them money. Maybe after I saved enough from Vernon, I can give them a little, so they'd see me as their family once more…."