Ch. 196..200: Divorced My Scum Husband, Married His Evil brother Chapter 196-200
Chapter 196
Chloe checked the clock on the wall and bit her lower lip out of anxiety. It was already ten, and there was no sign of Vernon going home.
She didn't know what happened to him, but she was convinced that Vernon must be with Vincent now, "Where are they? Did Vincent bring Vernon to a club? Or even worse… to the sex club, they could have an orgy with five women?"
Chloe caught Vincent red-handed having an orgy with five women once when Mackie was only five months old.
Vincent called her late at night, telling her to come to a club with their five-month-old daughter because he wanted to show a surprise. Chloe was still naive back then. She thought that Vincent had finally stopped his promiscuity and wanted to give a sweet surprise to his family.
So she came with her daughter, who was already sleeping in her arms.
Once Chloe came to the club, she was led by two waitresses in scantily clad dresses to a VIP room. She got a bad feeling instantly, but it was too late to turn around.
Thus, when the waitresses opened the door, Chloe saw Vincent was surrounded by five women. They were all naked and mingled into one in a steamy session.
The smirk on Vincent's face when he looked at Chloe was forever engraved in her mind, but what he said next literally crushed her heart;
—
'Come and join them, you ugly whale. You're a woman, you're a whore just like the rest of them, including that daughter of yours.'
—
Chloe was hysterical when she witnessed this scene, she screamed over and over until the whole club heard her scream, and five-month-old Mackie woke up after she heard her mother's hysterical scream, and she also cried so loud.
But what did Vincent do once he saw his hysterical wife-daughter?
He just told the security to kick her out while he continued having fun with five women.
Chloe shuddered whenever she remembered many things that Vincent did to her. She didn't know why he needed to hurt her so badly, and when she asked him, Vincent simply said it was his right to have sex with plenty of women because he was a powerful man.
Chloe was worried that Vincent would be a bad influence on Vernon since Vernon idolized his Big brother a lot.
She knew that Vernon was an adult and should be smart enough to know right and wrong.
'But I'm still worried….'
'I don't know what Vincent said to Vernon. Vincent is very manipulative and Vernon is still too young to understand his schemes…' Chloe got even more anxious as she started imagining Vernon getting in the wrong crowd.
Maybe it was just her sense of motherhood. After all, she was the one who raised Vernon, and she knew that Vernon wasn't the brightest when it came to picking up hints.
He could be tricked once people knew his weak spot, and Vincent knew how to trick Vernon.
"I—I really need to talk to Vernon once he comes home. I don't want him to get a bad influence from Vincent," Chloe had decided. She saw Vernon as a rising CEO who should deserve all the greatness in life. She was so proud of him despite the bad treatment she received.
So it was also her duty to ensure he wouldn't be ruined.
**
One hour later, the door was finally opened. Chloe saw Vernon dragging his suit and throwing his briefcase in random directions. He looked tipsy, with two open buttons and a shirt stained with wine and beer.
"Ah—" Chloe stood from the sofa and walked towards Vernon. She picked the briefcase and suit that Vernon threw at random.
Vernon watched how Chloe picked up his suit and briefcase. He wasn't drunk now, so he could still hold the urge to kiss her.
Chloe stood in front of him and grabbed his wrist, and pulled him to the sofa, "Jeez, You came half drunk like this. What would happen if you fell asleep while you're driving? You should at least call me, so I can pick you up. Besides, you should drink responsibly when it's not the weekend, since you still have work tomorrow morning."
Chloe started chiding out of worry. She sat the big boy on the sofa and went to the kitchen to bring Vernon a glass of warm water.
Vernon stared at the glass of warm water in her hand. He clicked his tongue annoyedly, "I'm not drunk. I'm just a little tipsy."
"It's just a glass of warm water, drink it," Chloe demanded. Normally, Vernon would be offended when he got ordered by someone.
But he didn't feel like arguing with Chloe right now.
Thus, he snatched the glass of warm water and drank it in one gulp.
Gulk. Gulk. Gulk.
"Urgh…"
BUUUURPPP!!
…
…
Both of them were stunned by Vernon's long and loud burp. Vernon stared at Chloe, and his cheeks visibly reddened, "Y—YOU HEARD NOTHING!"
Chloe paused for a moment and sighed, "Okay, okay, I heard nothing."
Chloe walked to the back of the sofa and started massaging Vernon's shoulder and rubbing his back. Vernon automatically burped again and again, which was something that often happened when he was a kid.
Cute little Vernon would often feel nauseous and ill after eating something that upset his stomach. Chloe would give him a glass of warm water and then rub his back until he burped many times, and he'd feel better after that.
'I didn't know that he still has this habit even when he's an adult now,' Chloe thought.
Meanwhile, Vernon felt ashamed that Chloe was rubbing his back like she did when he was a kid. But it felt really good and comforting that he allowed her to do it until he felt better.
"Are you feeling better now? Still feeling bloated?" Chloe asked.
"Not anymore, I'm fine now," Vernon said. There was a long pause until he opened his mouth again. "Thank you…"
Chapter 197
"Not anymore. I'm fine now," Vernon said. There was a long pause until he opened his mouth again. "Thank you…"
Chloe smiled and rubbed Vernon's hair, "Don't drink too much next time, okay?"
"Mm…"
After she was done, Chloe sat on the opposite chair, directly facing Vernon. She was relieved that the atmosphere was much more relaxed after she rubbed Vernon's back.
'This should be the right time. I don't want him to mingle with Vincent, but I need to tell him slowly, or he will explode at me again,' Chloe thought. She took a deep breath to gather her courage and opened her mouth;
"Vernon, do you have a business project with Vincent?"
…
"Did Diamond tell you about it?" Vernon asked back, and Chloe answered with a nod.
Vernon scoffed in response, "I thought she could be professional about it. I never like to get snitched like this."
"D—Don't blame Diamond—" Chloe quickly interrupted, not wanting to drag her best friend into this.
"And what if I say yes?" Vernon said. He leaned on the sofa and crossed his arms, waiting for Chloe's response.
"That's—" Chloe gulped, trying to swallow her fear. "—Y—You shouldn't get too close to him."
"And why not? Vincent is my Big brother," Vernon claimed. He noticed that Chloe was uncomfortable whenever he mentioned Vincent's name, and he got the brilliant idea to continue talking about him until Chloe finally broke down and confessed everything Vincent had done to her.
'So I won't need to act so kind and gentle just to get the answer I've been looking for,' Vernon thought. 'I… I don't want to show weakness in front of her.'
"I—I know he's your Big brother, but he is also my husband…." Chloe said. "I know him better…."
"Just cut to the chase and tell me what you think about my Big brother," Vernon said. "Why can't I get too close to my Big brother? So far, he has treated me so well."
"H—He…" Chloe started getting nervous whenever she talked about Vincent. Her heart felt heavy— so heavy that she couldn't utter more words without feeling pain in her chest.
Usually, Chloe would retreat quickly once she felt nervous and scared. But she wanted to warn Vernon because she didn't want Vernon to get hurt by that monster.
"H—He—"
"What? Speak now, I'm all ears," Vernon ordered.
Not only was he listening, but he was also observing Chloe's body gestures and expressions.
Gradually, he noticed that Chloe's nervousness turned into anxiety and panic. Her eyes were unfocused as if she was staring at an empty wall in front of her.
Her face turned pale— so pale that Vernon thought she was ill.
She started saying 'umm and hmm' many times, as if she was holding herself not to say it even though Vernon had already said that he was all ears.
She started fiddling with her fingers and fidgeted unnaturally, accompanied by cold sweat drenching her forehead and palm.
"Why don't you speak? I'm all ears, if you want me to know something, then do it," Vernon said as he continued pressing Chloe about the matter.
Despite the itching in his heart, he was being so reasonable right now. If he could be true to himself, he just wanted to cut to the chase and force Chloe to tell everything.
But he didn't want to scare Chloe and make her cry…
"I—I'm trying…." Chloe said weakly. She was pushing herself to her utmost limit. She wanted to tell Vernon about every insult and abuse that Vincent had done to her for the past ten years, so Vernon would know how horrible his Big brother was and that he should be distancing himself from Vincent.
But, there was this hesitation in her heart, a hesitation because she couldn't fully trust Vernon.
Even if Vernon wasn't like his Big brother, he was still blood-related with Vincent. She feared his reaction would be the same as Dorothea Gray's.
She told Dorothea about Vincent's behavior but pardoned her son's promiscuous behavior. She also gave a ridiculous alibi that Chloe was just being a crazy bitch, because what Vincent did was normal behavior of a man with power. Chloe should just follow in her footsteps by wasting all the money to forget about the pain of being cheated on.
'W—What if he doesn't see anything wrong with Vincent? What if he starts calling me a crazy bitch because I'm the one who's overreacting?'
'Or maybe he will get offended once I talk shit about his Big brother and also his dysfunctional Gray family.'
Chloe swallowed her saliva hard. The fear started eating her up, making her unable to say anything about Vincent.
"Why aren't you speaking?" Vernon finally asked after he had waited for a while. Chloe had turned completely mute when they talked about his Big brother, Vincent Gray.
Unable to answer Vernon's question, Chloe suddenly got up from the couch and said, "I—I just want you to know that you should be careful with him. He… He is not as good as you think…."
"How am I supposed to know when you keep being vague like this? What's so hard about telling me everything?"
"I—I can't— I'm sorry…."
Chloe wanted to run away, just like she always did when someone confronted her. She didn't care whether they would call her meek or stupid. As long as she didn't get hurt, then she would be alright.
Chloe turned around, ready to leave.
But Vernon swiftly got up from the sofa and stood behind her. He opened his arm and hugged Chloe from behind.
He hugged her tight, but not too tight because she was so thin and fragile, that he didn't want to accidentally break her.
Chloe's body stiffened instantly as she didn't know how to respond to the sudden hug.
"V—Vernon—?"
Vernon said nothing, but he gently tightened his hug, afraid that Chloe would disappear had he released his embrace.
"Why don't you tell me about your worries? Am I not good enough for you?"
Chapter 198
[Warning: Trauma content.]
Vernon said nothing, but he gently tightened his hug, afraid that Chloe would disappear had he released his embrace.
"Why don't you tell me about your worries? Am I not good enough for you?" Vernon said with an unusually soft voice, something that was almost impossible coming from Vernon's mouth.
He was exceptionally tender for an unknown reason, and that scared Chloe. Because the warmth emanating from his body started seeping inside her cold, bony body.
She was scared she would get addicted to his embrace, so he struggled a bit, "V--Vernon, release me first...."
"I don't want to," Vernon refused. "I know you will run away again if I release my hug."
The way Vernon became so warm towards her actually terrified her. She was used to being treated harshly. Thus, when a man treated her this tenderly, she couldn't help but think that he secretly had malicious intent toward her.
Chloe started struggling to no avail. She was too weak compared to Vernon. No matter how hard she tried to break free, she was still at his mercy.
Vernon's heart was hurting when he saw Chloe trembling in his embrace, 'Did I scare her? But I'm being as gentle as possible....'
Vernon had never been this gentle to anyone, and he would never think about doing so if the woman he embraced wasn't Chloe.
She was just special. She was the source that fueled Vernon's rage for ten years. Yet, as much as Vernon hated admitting it, she was also the woman that filled his heart and his head.
Chloe started to get desperate to break free. She was scared of getting hurt, especially by a man who was related to Vincent.
"V--Vernon, please release me! I did nothing wrong!" Chloe started yelling excessively, even though Vernon didn't hurt her.
It was her terrible fear that ate her up. No matter how much she tried to claim herself to be a strong woman, she couldn't erase ten years of abuse from Vincent imprinted in her mind.
"Relax, I will not hurt you, Chloe...." Vernon said, but he tightened his hug on her bony body. He didn't know what to do in this situation. He wasn't well-equipped to deal with a woman with trauma.
Chloe got even more terrified once Vernon hugged her tighter than before. She started to get flashes of memories from the past.
The way Vincent hugged her so tight from behind and whispered;
--
'Relax, I will not hurt you, Chloe. I'm just exploring my wife's body.'
'You should be happy that I'm willing to touch a fat whale like you, I could've throw you to get fucked by a few homeless man if I want to.'
'So stay still or I will snap your neck,' Vincent said as his hand crawled up to her neck, choking her until her eyes rolled up and she could hardly breathe.
--
It was one of the core memories of the abuse she experienced from Vincent. She buried it deep in her mind, hoping she would never remember.
But being embraced by Vernon triggered her old memories, and she couldn't think straight.
"RELEASE ME!" Chloe yelled as she struggled wildly. She even tried to bite Vernon's arm.
"C--Chloe-- Calm down--" Vernon was surprised by Chloe's sudden outburst. She was like a wild animal that was scared out of her life.
"LET ME GO! PLEASE DON'T TOUCH ME, VINCENT!!"
"Vincent?" Vernon was even more shocked when Chloe suddenly called him by his Big brother's name. He was dazed for a few seconds, as he didn't understand why Chloe referred to him as his Big brother.
'Did I do something that my Big brother did to her? But I'm being very careful right now....'
However, Vernon snapped out of his daze when he felt a sharp pain in his wrist.
"ARGH!"
Chloe bit Vernon's wrist, and Vernon finally released her.
Chloe dashed away from Vernon and accidentally tripped until her face hit the floor.
"Ah!"
"CHLOE!"
Vernon tried to reach Chloe and check on her, but when Chloe turned around to face him, Vernon halted his step.
Because Chloe was crying, but it was a silent cry.
She didn't sob or wail out loud. But the tears streamed freely from her eyes down to her cheeks, and her forehead was bruised because of the fall.
She looked so terrified, and it worried Vernon so much.
He tried to approach her carefully, but in Chloe's eyes-- she saw Vincent with a bigger body and more intimidating eyes. She was utterly terrified that she started to get hysterical.
"GET AWAY! I SAID GET AWAY, VINCENT!"
Again, Vernon stopped on his track. He could only stare at Chloe helplessly. He didn't know what to do or even what to say.
He felt that everything he did only scared her.
Thus, he stood still and watched Chloe get up from the floor and run downstairs. Then he heard the sound of a door being slammed shut. He assumed that Chloe was hiding in her room right now.
...
...
This was the first time Vernon felt so helpless in his life. He always thought that he had full control over everything;
This wasn't the method that he intended when he wanted to extract information from Chloe. He wanted her to be comfortable with him, so she could open up.
"Yet, I can't even soothe a terrified woman. Everything I do will only scare her...."
Vernon clenched his fist. There was growing frustration in his heart, mostly because he still hadn't gotten clear information about what his Big brother did to Chloe for the past ten years.
Though Chloe didn't say a thing about the abuse, Vernon already got a rough picture of the pain that she had experienced. He was 100% sure that Vincent had abused her so severely that she mistook him as his Big brother.
He also blamed himself. Had he been more gentle since the first time they reunited, Chloe might be more open to telling everything.
"But you're so blinded with your hatred, Vernon. The only thing you did was triggering her trauma...."
"Vernon Phoenix Gray, you're a fucking idiot."
Chapter 199
[Music Recommendation - Dealova Guitar Cover.]
"But you're so blinded with your hatred, Vernon. The only thing you did was trigger her trauma…."
"Vernon Phoenix Gray, you're a fucking idiot."
Vernon sat weakly on the sofa. He stared blankly at the couch opposite of him, the spot where Chloe sat just now.
The image of Chloe, who got nervous when he asked about Vincent, was imprinted in his mind. Because that version of Chloe was vastly different from the Big sister Chloe, he knew growing up.
Big sister Chloe was very smart, bright, bubbly, and firm when needed. She was like a gentle light that became a guiding light for Vernon amidst his life in a dysfunctional family.
"I always thought… as long as Big sister Chloe is by my side, then I'll be doing just fine…." Vernon murmured. "I've always wanted her to be by my side. But when she's with me right now, all I did was hurt her ...."
Vernon was already 100% convinced that Chloe had been abused by his Big brother. Her reaction was too real and extreme to be faked, and she didn't even wail when her forehead was bruised after hitting the floor.
She cried silently, and in Vernon's eyes— Chloe had been enduring so much that she cried on the spot whenever she remembered Vincent.
…
Vernon lowered his head and stared at the bite mark made by Chloe on his wrist just now.
"Even this bite mark… she was so desperate just to escape me…."
Vernon lifted his arm to have a better look at the vicious bite mark.
Chloe bit his wrist so hard that the bitten area had turned purple. It was painful, of course. But Vernon wasn't all that bothered when he got physically hurt, so he didn't really care about the throbbing pain.
What he cared about the most was the pain in his heart. Because the more he stared at the bite mark, the more he despaired.
Vernon gently rubbed the teeth printed on his wrist and murmured, "I should've noticed sooner. Now I'm not sure how to make you trust me."
Originally, Vernon reunited with Chloe to torture her, so she would understand the pain he experienced. But he felt so stupid now since what he had done was just ruining the bits of trust from Chloe.
Just because he was a petty bastard.
"Am I too late?" Vernon asked himself. "I want to ask for her forgiveness. I want her to know that—"
"—That I will protect her," Vernon murmured. He had wanted to say this sentence the moment he entered the penthouse.
"I want to be the one who sees your smile every morning. I want to be a good dream for you. I… I want you to trust me, Big sis—no— Chloe."
"This little Vernon is a full-grown man now. I can protect you, even if that will kill me…."
Vernon closed his eyes, and his mouth continued spouting all the things he had been holding for so long.
He was talking to the air like an idiot, even though he could say everything right in front of Chloe a moment ago.
"You're my nightmare, and also my daydream, Chloe. I don't know if I should let my guard down or not."
Vernon went silent for a while, trying to retrieve a piece of love he buried deep in his heart.
"Chloe, I want you to know that you are my first love, and that feeling never disappears."
…
…
…
There was no answer because the woman who was supposed to hear about his confession had run away because she was terrified and traumatized.
Vernon scoffed, feeling like an idiot.
"Ah, I don't know if I can say that again. I will probably let it be buried deep in my heart…."
**
Chloe slammed the door shut and locked it after successfully escaping her abuser. Her whole body was trembling, even after she had locked the door.
She was afraid that Vincent would suddenly break in and hit her.
She ran to the bathroom to find a safer space and locked the bathroom door.
She stood at the corner of the bathroom while staring at the door, ready to scream if Vincent suddenly appeared.
But after a while, she realized there was no sign of Vincent everywhere, and her mind gradually recovered.
"I— What am I doing?" Chloe asked herself.
She opened the bathroom door and checked on the empty bedroom.
There was no sign of struggle and no broken mirror or scattered items on the floor. Because she remembered clearly that she threw everything toward Vincent just so he would back off.
Chloe sat on the bed and stared emptily at the door. She turned her head to look in the mirror and saw that her forehead had been bruised, and tears were still streaming down her cheeks without her knowing.
Gradually, she remembered that she had mistakenly seen Vernon as Vincent.
Maybe Vernon didn't realize it, but the way he spoke, the way he hugged her from behind, and the way he tried to persuade her— all of them were almost an exact copy of what Vincent did.
Vincent was like a viper who coiled your body and spouted venom from his lips. He would destroy Chloe's self-confidence and ensure she could only look down and obey him no matter what.
She felt guilty for acting crazy in front of Vernon because she basically had confirmed the abuse that she had experienced for the past ten years.
"I… I've promised myself not to tell him because I don't want him to think about my abuse…." Chloe murmured. "He also didn't deserve to know— nobody deserves to know about what I experienced. They will see me as a crazy bitch…."
Chloe told everything to that psychologist and also the psychiatrist that Vincent brought, and they called her a crazy bitch. She shouldn't make up stuff because Mr. Vincent Gray wasn't an evil man.
"He will not believe me, right?" Chloe asked herself. "Vernon will see me as a crazy bitch, just like the rest of them."
Chapter 200
"He will not believe me, right?" Chloe asked herself. "Vernon will see me as a crazy bitch, just like the rest of them."
Chloe barely tolerated it when someone called her a doormat, a burden, and even a useless bitch.
But she couldn't bear it when someone called her a crazy bitch and invalidated all her traumatic experiences with Vincent.
She knew nobody believed her. Even her mother sided with Vincent because he just couldn't do wrong.
So she preferred to keep it bottled up in her heart, and tried to forget all the traumatic experiences, so nobody would call her a crazy bitch anymore.
"But it's too late now. He will call me a crazy bitch, and would probably be disgusted with me," Chloe assumed. "Will he kick me out of his apartment because he didn't want to live with a crazy lady?"
Chloe bit her lower lip, even though Vernon didn't do anything to her, but she was just so consumed with fear that she instantly thought of the worst scenario possible.
"What should I do so he'd let me stay?" Chloe wondered. "Should I... use my body again?"
...
...
Chloe liked Vernon's touch because it was passionate and gentle towards her. But she felt degraded if she had to offer her body just so he'd let her stay.
"But what choice do I have?"
**
Chloe woke up early in the morning to cook as always. Despite all the crazy stuff that happened last night, she felt it was her duty to take care of him.
She checked the clock and was relieved, "Still five-thirty. I can cook a quick breakfast before Vernon wakes up."
Chloe didn't dare to cook upstairs because she might accidentally wake Vernon up with the sound of the utensils. So she started cooking in her apartment instead.
She washed her face before cooking to wash out all the tears and bruises from last night. Her forehead had turned purple, but she didn't have time to treat it for now.
The first thing she needed to do was cook.
Chloe made a quick breakfast and put Vernon's portion on a big plate.
She went upstairs and carefully tiptoed into the kitchen. She checked the living room from afar and was relieved when she saw no sign of Vernon, so she didn't need to worry that she might accidentally meet with Vernon.
She wasn't ready to meet him because she couldn't handle the contempt look that he'd given her.
Chloe put the breakfast and glass of banana-apple juice on the dining table, and she had also prepared Vernon's juice last night and stored it in the fridge.
Chloe stared at Vernon's bedroom door for a while before she turned around and went downstairs.
She knocked on Mackie's bedroom until her little daughter opened the door.
Mackie rubbed her eyes and murmured, "Mommy, Mackie is still sleepy...."
"Ah, dear, you need to go to school earlier. You should prepare yourself now, and grab your breakfast on the table," Chloe said.
"Umm? It's still early, Mommy...."
"I know, but you really need to go to school early," Chloe implored.
Mackie was a little annoyed, but she obeyed her Mommy and prepared to go to school.
Chloe also prepared herself for the day, even though it was very early.
She wanted to avoid Vernon at all cost, at least for a few days, until Vernon would (hopefully) get too busy and forget about what happened last night.
Chloe concealed her purple bruise with concealer to ensure that her daughter didn't notice it and then came out of the bedroom.
Mackie and Chloe came out of their bedroom at the same time. They were ready to go, although it was still six-forty in the morning.
"Let's have breakfast, dear," Chloe said.
"Un! I will wake Uncle Vernon up!"
"N--No!" Chloe grabbed Mackie's hand to prevent her from dashing into the penthouse. "W--We will have breakfast here, on our floor, okay?"
"Ehh, why?" Mackie tilted her head. "It's more fun eating with Uncle."
"U--Uncle is very tired. He didn't sleep for the whole night, so we shouldn't disturb his sleep, okay?"
"Ah, okay then!"
Mackie ate her breakfast quickly, while Chloe ate an apple with her because Mackie said she refused to eat unless Mommy ate as well.
After they were done with breakfast, Chloe and Mackie hurried to the elevator. They left the apartment, avoiding Vernon, who was still asleep.
***
"No--DON'T--CHLOE!" Vernon yelled as he opened his eyes out of shock.
...
He stared at the ceiling in a daze and soon realized he had a nightmare.
In that nightmare, he saw himself trapped in a cage while his Big brother dragged Chloe by her hair. She struggled as hard as she could to no avail, and Vernon could only watch as Chloe screamed and called his name while she was being dragged into a room by Vincent.
The nightmare was so realistic that Vernon thought he had lost Chloe forever.
Thankfully, it was just a dream...
Vernon raised his hand to the air and saw the bite mark from Chloe last night.
Vernon smiled bitterly, "I wish this bite mark is also a nightmare, so I won't feel guilty for accidentally triggering her trauma."
Vernon got up from the bed and checked the clock on the small table. He frowned when he saw the time, "Already eight-thirty? Why didn't she wake me up? Did something happen while I was asleep?"
Vernon worried that Chloe might harm herself last night, so he quickly opened the bedroom door and rushed to the kitchen. He wanted to check downstairs.
But his step stopped when he saw a plate full of breakfast and a glass of banana-apple juice on the dining table.
There was also a small note, so he picked it up and read it;
--
Vernon, if this breakfast is getting cold, you can reheat it. I've also prepared another banana-apple juice in the fridge just in case this one on the table is too lukewarm for you.
I've prepared your suit, it's on the sofa, good luck with work.
-- Chloe.