Ch. 221..225: Divorced My Scum Husband, Married His Evil brother Chapter 221-225
Chapter 221
"Aunty, stay with us! Mom is so scary right now!"
"Yes, please protect us!"
"Um! Tony is scared, Aunty!"
Her nephews begged at her, and Chloe's willpower started to waver. Of course, she wanted to protect her nephews. She always had a soft spot for kids around her daughter's age.
But if she gave in and shielded them from Chelsea, that would only enrage Chelsea even more. It might place a big resentment in her heart because her boys chose Chloe instead of their mother.
"Go to your mother, Aaron, Mike, Nathan, Tony. She is just angry, but she's still your mother who took care of you," Chloe said while patting the heads of the boys one by one.
"But…"
"Don't worry, Aunty will come and visit with Boss Mackie soon, okay?"
The boys were still reluctant, but under their Aunt Chloe's coax, they finally released their tight hug on her waist and legs, then walked towards their Mom, who was still glaring at Aunt Chloe.
They looked scared, afraid that their Mom would yell at them. But Chelsea said nothing other than grabbed their hands one by one and yanked them to her side.
Chelsea's eyes hadn't left Chloe, and she said, "Don't you dare to get close to my children, you whore! You're a bad influence!"
Chloe opened her lips, ready to ridicule her sister again. But if she kept arguing with her, then everything would escalate again, so she just threw a simple smile and spoke in a very soft tone, so her nephews wouldn't be scared;
"Chelsea, watch your mouth, or you will lose everything."
Chloe finally turned around with her shopping cart, ignoring all the eyes staring at her. She acted as if there was nothing wrong as she went to the cashier, and the cashier looked at her with pity.
"Ma'am, I think you should treat your wound as soon as possible. The scratch looks bad on your face…" the cashier commented out of worry while bagging the groceries. "Do you want to buy antiseptic and bandaids?"
"Ah, thank you, please bag those as well," Chloe said with a smile.
The cashier was too distracted by how calm this lady looked despite having some bad scratches on her cheeks. So she bagged the antiseptic and bandaids before giving them to Chloe.
Chloe went out of the store and entered her car. She checked her face in the rearview mirror and realized that Chelsea had dug her nails into her cheek and made five horrible long scratches from the edge of her lips to the tip of her left ear.
The blood had dried out, and Chloe decided to just wash her cheeks with the antiseptic.
She soaked cotton with the antiseptic and started wiping the wound on her cheek in careful and slow strokes. She winced a few times but didn't stop as she knew the wounds might get infected if she slowed down.
For many, a wound or scar— or even pimples on the face would ruin their days. But it wasn't all that concerning for Chloe because she was used to it.
"It's fine, Chloe, you've done this a lot, right? Vincent did this many times—"
Chloe stopped speaking when she realized she was about to open the pandora box buried deep in her heart. She shook her head and focused on cleaning her long scratch wounds. She put on a few band-aids to cover the wounds and called it done.
"Okay, it's time to pick Mackie up."
**
Chloe waited in front of the gate until the school bell rang and saw many kids coming out of the school's main gate.
Mackie looked around and saw her Mommy standing near the gate. Her face brightened, and she ran towards her.
"MOMMY!"
"Princess!"
Chloe crouched and hugged Mackie, who dashed towards her. Mackie didn't see anything wrong despite knowing that her Mommy's cheeks were covered with bandaids, something that she was trained to do since she was only four.
Chloe and Mackie entered the car, and Mackie just couldn't hide her excitement and asked, "Mommy, did you meet Daddy today?"
"Ah— I didn't, dear. He… is still busy…." Chloe replied, but she lowered her voice, hoping that her daughter would just drop it.
"Aww… then how did you get those, Mommy?" Mackie pointed at the band-aids around her Mommy's cheeks. "It's usually Daddy who gives you those band-aids, right?"
Chloe's eyes widened, and she stared at her daughter, who stared back at her with her doe eyes.
Chloe finally remembered that she had lied to her daughter many times. When Vincent… hurt her, she would cover the scars and wounds with band aids, and when her daughter asked, she said it was nothing— just a gift from her Daddy.
Chloe shook her head slightly as she tried to dispel the bad memories in her head, "This is not from Daddy, dear. I fell and hurt my cheek. But I'm okay now."
"AH?! Mommy, you should be careful!" Mackie said. She stretched her hand and caressed Mommy's wounded cheek, "Does it hurt, Mommy?"
"N—Not at all, dear. You know that I got this a lot from your Daddy, right?"
"Un! Daddy has a lot of bandaid gifts for Mommy!" Mackie said, still with her doe eyes staring at her mother innocently.
Chloe's heart was crushed once she realized she had to lie again. She wasn't sure if it was the right choice to lie.
But what should she say? Mackie was so used to seeing her with bandaids or regular bandages. At her worst, Chloe was too desperate to keep her daughter's innocence, even if it would cost her sanity.
So she lied— a lot. Told her that Mommy was a strong woman who couldn't feel pain, so it never hurt, and the band aids were her Daddy's gifts.
'It hurts, my dear, a lot,' Chloe said in her heart since nobody would hear her woe, and she didn't want to tell anyone about this either.
'It hurts a lot, but I don't want you to know it.'
'Because I don't want to ruin your innocence….'
Chapter 222
Vernon finished the meeting near dusk and returned to his office on the top floor, followed by Diamond, who was busy scolding her boss in her head.
In her head, Diamond was calling this man an idiot-- or even worse, dumber than a donkey.
Because he didn't seem to realize that he was ruining his chance with Chloe, and Diamond wanted to smack his head to make him think!
Vernon walked out of the elevator and asked Diamond, who was still tailing him, "Have you made the reservation for tomorrow?"
"Yes, Sir," Diamond confirmed.
"Good, I really need to meet her."
"Sir, may I know what kind of woman you're going to meet tomorrow?" Diamond asked as she couldn't contain her curiosity. "Don't tell me that you talked with a random woman on your phone and decided to have a one night hook up with her."
Vernon stopped on his track and looked over her shoulder. He looked at Diamond with disgust and asked, "What kind of stupid shit you have in your mind, Diamond? I said I'm just meeting my female acquaintances from years ago!"
"Sir, you call every woman you met as your female acquitance and proceed to fuck them for a night before ditching them the next morning," Diamond stated ruthlessly. She had no tolerance for him when it involved her homegirl Chloe.
"Ugh, it's literally just a female acquaintance this time! I fucking swear!" Vernon yelled as he got a little annoyed by Diamond.
"Then what do you mean that your female 'acquaintance' will teach you how to understand a woman better? Sir, you're basically hinting that you're going to have sex with this woman!"
"WHAT?!"
Vernon's eyes widened instantly. He finally turned around and gave Diamond a confused look, "The fuck is in your mind?! Do you think I will fuck anyone outside when I have my woma-- I mean, when I'm very busy with work, huh?"
"This female acquaintance of mine is a psychologist. She studied in the same university as mine, and she specialized in trauma and marital problems. '' Vernon was thinking about holding back the information as he found it unnecessary.
But Diamond's accusation actually triggered him, forcing him to spill out his plan, "I want to meet him because-- well-- Chloe--"
Diamond gasped when she got the answer that put ease in her heart. She covered her mouth with her palm and gawked at her boss.
"Sir, you-- did Chloe already tell you about the whole thing?"
Vernon's eyes darkened, and he shook his head. He got pissed whenever he was reminded that he still had a way to reach Chloe's heart.
"Not yet, she still hides everything from me," Vernon replied. "Even if I act so kind to her, she still distances herself from me, damn it!"
'Well, that's obvious. You don't even have a tact with a woman, especially for a sensitive one like my homegirl,' Diamond said in her heart.
"But I already know a thing or two just by looking at her action and reaction," Vernon stated. "I know that she suffers from bulimia, because she was so shocked when I pointed it out."
"And she retreated immediately?" Diamond guessed.
"Yes."
'Ok, he is definitely confronting and forcing her to speak. He can't fool me,' Diamond thought. But she said nothing because it would only lead to an argument, knowing how defensive Mr. Phoenix Gray could be.
"So... you're going to meet your psychologist friend for advice?"
"Yeah, after all, she knows about the kind of problem that Chloe faces right now," Vernon replied.
Diamond nodded. Though, if her boss listened to her advice, Diamond already gave him the solution he needed to make Chloe open up slowly.
But she had to give him credit for trying to understand Chloe in his own way.
She grinned and raised one brow, "Sir, you seem to care a lot for her."
"Huh? What do you mean?"
"I mean, this is the first time you ever worked your way to get close to a woman. Usually you would smash and dash, hump and dump, ejaculate and evacuate," Diamond's grin got wider, and she asked, "May I know your motivation behind this?"
"B--Because--"
"Because?"
Vernon turned around instantly, and he took a long step to his office door, "Y--You're so fucking pesky! Stop thinking about useless stuff and do your job!"
SLAM!
Vernon walked in and slammed the door behind him, leaving Diamond giggling because she knew what was in her boss' mind, even if he didn't confirm it.
Of course, she wanted Chloe and Vernon to get close as soon as possible. But they needed time, especially her homegirl-- Chloe. She needed so much therapy before she could finally accept Vernon.
Thus, she decided to text something to Chloe instead.
**
Chloe had just finished cooking a separate dinner for Vernon when she heard a notification on her phone. She took off her apron and checked the notification.
"Hm? Diamond?"
She clicked on the new message and read it;
--
From: Diamond.
Gurl, don't you think I will be a perfect bridesmaid? I should probably start searching for a new dress for the special occasion.
Should I go for a pink or turquoise one? Do you have any color codes?
Oh, should I go for a long or short dress? Probably the shorter one, right? I need to be agile and nimble when catching that damn flower bouquet!
Gurl, I am exciteeeeeddd!
--
Chloe frowned after she read the random text from Diamond. It was so random. There was only one explanation that popped into Chloe's head;
"Did she become a bridesmaid for one of her friends?" Chloe asked herself. Obviously, it wasn't her because Chloe didn't have any plan to remarry.
"I guess she is asking for my opinion...." Chloe thought. She had a few friends before she married Vincent, and they became Chloe's bridesmaids.
She tried to remember the bridesmaids' dress code back then and finally replied with a text;
--
To: Diamond
I think you should go for a bright-- but soft color, like baby pink or lilac. You're tall and have a great body. You should be awesome in any dress, really.
--
Chapter 223
To: Diamond
I think you should go for a bright— but soft color, like baby pink or lilac. You're tall and have a great body. You should be awesome in any dress, really.
—
Diamond got the text from Chloe, and she was over the moon. She knew it was stupid to be THIS happy thinking about another person's wedding.
But she was serious about supporting her homegirl. Even since the first time they met, Diamond already knew that she and Chloe would be a bestie.
Just the air around Chloe gave off a simple woman who didn't really have anything insidious in her mind. Diamond had an amazing intuition to read someone's personality.
"Okay, I have to ensure that bullhead Vernon can finally work himself up to obtain Chloe's heart. He needs to work hard," Diamond murmured as she made an oath for her best friend's wellbeing.
**
Chloe finished preparing a separate dinner for Vernon. She checked the food on the dining table and nodded assuringly, "Okay, he should like this dinner."
"Mommy, let's eat! I'm so hungryyy!" Chloe heard her daughter's voice downstairs. "I won't eat without you, Mommy!"
"Ah, yes, I'll be done in a minute, dear!" Chloe replied.
Chloe was about to go downstairs and have dinner with her daughter, but she halted after realizing that she had forgotten about something.
Chloe fished something out of her pocket and sighed in relief, "Phew, good thing I remember this. I don't know how to give it to him if not now…."
Chloe put two packs of condoms on the dining table, right beside the plate, and she wrote a small note for Vernon.
"Okay, all set," Chloe nodded, and she finally went downstairs to join her daughter for dinner.
She wasn't in the mood to eat anything, honestly. Because she ate way too much with Vernon for lunch. Thus, she only ate fruits while watching her daughter eat happily.
Mackie stared at her Mommy while munching her dinner. She swallowed the food and called her Mommy;
"Mommy…"
"Yes, dear?"
"Why don't we eat with Uncle Vernon? Why do we have to eat here?" Mackie asked. She had already gotten used to eating with her Big bad Uncle upstairs, so the sudden change irked her.
"Ah— Uncle Vernon is too busy with work, so he can be a little irritable. It's better to avoid him for now, okay?"
"Un, okay…"
There were many things in Mackie's head. Mostly she wanted to ask why Daddy hadn't called yet.
But she was already quite happy with the fairy letter and wanted to get more from her Daddy later.
After all, Daddy was her superhero! Despite rarely coming home, he always noticed all the good things Mackie did at home, or at school, by writing many fairy letters for her. Thus, Mackie fully believed that her Daddy was just busy with work— and the 'problem' that Mommy mentioned was just a work problem…
"Mommy, do you think Daddy will take us home? I miss him…."
"Dear, Daddy has a problem that he needs to solve first. Just don't disturb him for now, okay?"
"But… he doesn't forget about us, right?" Mackie asked again, unable to contain her insecurity. "Daddy… won't forget about Mackie, right, Mommy?"
Chloe's hand that was holding a fork trembled instantly. She bit her lower lip, trying not to speak the truth to her daughter.
She wanted her daughter to know that her father was a cheating bastard who abused her mother so severely that she couldn't even raise her head whenever Vincent was around.
She also wanted to tell her daughter that she was the one who wrote those fairy letters. She was the one who noticed all of Mackie's achievements and good deeds.
As time passed, her daughter became desensitized to her presence and praise. Chloe could praise Mackie to the moon and back, and she would only say thank you and hug her Mommy tightly as always.
But once Mackie got anything from her Daddy, she would explode in joy and show how happy she was for the rest of the day, no matter how small the gifts were.
"H—He gave you a fairy letter as well, so he knows about what you're doing at school, don't worry," Chloe said.
Mackie was pacified when her Mommy said not to worry because the sentence, 'don't worry,' was Mommy's favorite thing to say.
No matter what happened at their mansion, Mommy would always say that she was okay and not to worry about anything because she was a strong woman. Mackie was inspired to be a strong woman like Mommy!
"Okay then, I believe in you, Mommy," Mackie said as she fully believed her Mommy's words. After all, Mackie was taught that her Mommy would never lie to her.
Mackie finished her food and jumped off the chair, "I'm going to do homework, Mommy! You should eat too, okay?"
Chloe smiled at her daughter, who had slowly grown to be a strong, yet sensible girl. But she felt the sense of guilt in her heart start eating her inside out.
She knew that lying about Vincent was wrong from the very start. But she didn't want to ruin the image of a father figure in Mackie's mind.
She wanted her daughter to have a normal childhood and father figure, even if that meant she had to lie.
But now, the lie seemed to have caught up with her because her heart started to feel an excruciating pain whenever she lied to Mackie.
She watched her daughter's back as her little feet ran on the corridor and entered her room.
Mackie closed the door, leaving Chloe alone in the dining room. She stopped eating after she knew her daughter wasn't looking and cleaned the dinner instead.
She tried to busy herself with chores, but she couldn't help but think about her daughter and all the lies stacked against her odds.
"It's my fault," Chloe murmured. "I shouldn't have lied since the beginning…."
"But what can I do to make it right? And what would happen if I told Mackie about the truth?"
Chapter 224
"But what can I do to make it right? And what would happen if I told Mackie about the truth?" Chloe asked herself.
She went silent after that and realized that she didn't even want to see the disappointment in her daughter's face, let alone anger, because she had been lied to-- and betrayed the whole time.
Chloe bit her lower lip as she got nervous, scared that Mackie might call her a liar and hate her when the cat was out of the bag.
"No, I don't want my daughter to hate me...." Chloe said. "J--Just a little more, please wait until the divorce goes through, and she is a little bit older, so she's old enough to understand the problem with her father...."
**
Vernon finally finished work at 10. Diamond already went home three hours ago. He was exhausted, of course, and his stomach was rumbling as he hadn't eaten anything for dinner.
"Wonder what she made for me for dinner," Vernon murmured as he took the elevator to the basement.
"I hope there's meat. I'm seriously starving," Vernon said as he started the engine. He started imagining the dinner he'd get once he went home and Chloe, who would sit on the couch, waiting for him to come home like usual.
Vernon felt something in his heart, like a tingling that he couldn't describe. But it was a very sweet-- even addicting feeling that Vernon couldn't get enough of.
Vernon stepped on the gas and drove through the night to his apartment. He couldn't wait to see her greeting him as he opened his penthouse door.
Vernon rushed to go up to his penthouse and opened the door, "Chloe, I'm home--"
...
...
Vernon's eyes darkened instantly. His mood was ruined because he didn't see the figure of Chloe sitting on the couch wearing pajamas while waiting for him.
"Urgh-- this is annoying, fuck...." Vernon cursed in a low voice and threw his briefcase in a random direction. He kicked his shoes until it was flung and hit the wall, as if he was throwing a tantrum like a kid.
He didn't know why Chloe still had to avoid him.
"Is it because of what happened last night?" Vernon wondered as he remembered how Chloe reacted when Vernon hugged her from behind.
Her overreaction and calling him 'Vincent' were two very obvious signs of abuse, even if he didn't know the details.
"But we are fine after having lunch together, proper?" Vernon asked himself. "Then why did she avoid me? Did I do something wrong again?"
Unable to get the answer he needed, Vernon ruffled his hair and groaned, "Argh, this is so frustrating!"
Vernon went to the kitchen to grab a glass of water and a bottle of wine to calm himself down. He still had a long way to go to understand Chloe's feelings. He didn't even know where to start. That was why he called Shailene, so she could guide him on how to treat Chloe better and gain her trust.
Vernon walked past the dining table, and his step halted immediately.
Because he noticed plates full of food at the edge of his eyes. The food was arranged beautifully on the dining table. The food looked so tempting even though it wasn't warm anymore.
He turned around instantly and rushed to the dining table. He sat at the dining table, checking all the food that Chloe had made for him.
He wiped the drool that almost escaped his lips and read a note that was left by Chloe.
--
I don't know when you will come home, so if the food is getting cold, you should reheat it in the microwave, okay?
I cooked more than usual because I ate half of your lunch, so you must've been starving.
--
...
Vernon felt the same tingling in his heart again, his lips slowly perked up, and the surge of warmth gradually traveled around his body.
He knew that Chloe was a very good homemaker. She had always been great at many traditional woman roles and didn't seem to be bothered.
Honestly, Vernon always thought that Chloe would make a great wife, so much so that he would compare all women he met before with his Big sis Chloe...
"If she didn't say that I'm disgusting and worthless, and waited for me to grow a little older until I'm of legal age, then I would have propose--"
...
Vernon shook his head. He didn't want to think about something dangerous such as marriage.
Because it would never happen.
Chloe-- his Big sister-- his sister-in-law, she had decided to marry Vincent Gray, not him. Even after they were separated, Vernon had no intention of marrying her-- or so he thought.
"I don't want to be her rebound, and she doesn't see me as worthy anyway...."
Vernon's mood sobered again. He just couldn't forget that day when his Big sis Chloe called him 'worthless-compared-to-Vincent' and disgusting in front of his late father.
His Big brother took him to eavesdrop on the conversation between Chloe and their father. When he heard those words spout out of her mouth, his heart sunk into the deepest pit.
- Vernon is not as good as Vincent. Being with him would be disgusting. -
'Why did you say that to me, Big sis... you're the only one I have...' Vernon thought, repeating the same painful memory in his head like a broken cassette.
He sat, staring emptily at the food in front of him until his stomach rumbled again, demanding to be filled.
"Okay, okay, let's just eat for now," Vernon said.
He grabbed the spoon and fork. He was about to dig in when he noticed something hidden behind one of the bowls on the table.
He pushed the bowl to the side and found two packs of condoms in his size and a note that was definitely written by Chloe.
--
I bought two packs of condoms for you. This should be the correct size for you, right?
Don't forget to do it safely.
-- Chloe.
Chapter 225
I bought two packs of condoms for you. This should be the correct size for you, right?
Don't forget to do it safely.
-- Chloe.
--
"Hold on-- wait-- did I read it right?" Vernon asked himself.
Vernon paused for a while. He thought he must've read it wrong. He reread the note twice, three times, four times until he lost count of how many times he read the note.
It was a simple note showing Chloe's concern for him and his high sex drive.
But he didn't expect Chloe-- his Big sis Chloe-- whom he thought was a modest and somewhat conservative woman, to be the one who put two packs of condoms on the table as if she wanted to make sure they would be doing it safely.
"And the note...."
Obviously, if it was another woman who wrote this note for him, Vernon would've thought that she was just looking out for him, making sure that he could have sex safely outside, as there were many risks of STDs.
But it was Chloe-- and Vernon had already made it clear that he wouldn't have sex with anyone outside as long as Chloe lived with him.
"Well, I never said that I won't have sex with anyone outside. But I always come home even if it's late at night, and I've never flirted with any woman-- nor brought anyone to our penthouse," Vernon murmured as he was pulling a conclusion. "So, Chloe must've known that I'm not going to have sex outside, right? She is the only one right now...."
...
...
"Is this an invitation?" Vernon asked himself. He checked the condom again, and it was the ultra-thin one, so it felt almost like raw sex.
Vernon actually used the same condom before he reunited with Chloe. He didn't want to lose the feeling of going raw without the risk of knocking a woman with a baby.
So he used this condom most of the time.
Now, he hadn't been having sex with anyone for a while. He mostly finished it by jacking off on his own, so a little seduction like this already messed up his brain.
"The type, and also the size. She got me the correct condom...." Vernon murmured. "If it's not an invitation, then I don't know what else."
"Does she want me to use two packs of condoms all for herself? Fuck, I didn't know she could be so fucking wild!" Vernon could not think straight as he started imagining Chloe trying to remember his size while picking the correct condom for them.
Slowly, he felt his trousers were getting tighter and uncomfortable because he found that the image of Chloe trying to remember his size and shape was so exciting for him.
"Fuck, why's that so hot?"
He had lost all his appetite. He didn't even feel hungry anymore because there was something more urgent than just hunger.
Vernon couldn't help but place his big palm on top of his crotch and started rubbing unconsciously as he kept imagining Chloe.
"Fuuuckkk..." Vernon groaned as he hopelessly drowned in his desire.
Vernon tried to shake his head to clear his thoughts. He suddenly remembered what happened last night when he tried to pacify Chloe, and she reacted violently.
He held his breath for a second, and the unfamiliar feeling of anxiety started crawling inside his mind;
"Wait, what if this is all just a misunderstanding?" Vernon thought. "Maybe she is just looking out for me. After all, she doesn't seem to care when I told her that I'm spending my night in that club before."
Vernon remembered how he tried to make Chloe jealous by saying that he would fuck a woman outside, but Chloe only told him to stay safe and wear protection.
Her answer infuriated him so much that he had lost all his lust to fuck another woman.
How could she be so nonchalant about it? They had been living together for-- a few months! That was the longest Vernon had ever lived with someone else, as he never liked to get close to anyone after he went to Europe.
"That should be enough for her to feel something, at least!" Vernon demanded.
Although that was what Vernon wanted, the reality was-- Chloe didn't see him as a romantic-- or even a sexual partner. It was all crystal clear when Chloe looked terrified at noon, thinking that Vernon wanted to fuck her as a sign of her apology.
...
"So, it's more believable that she thought I'm going to fuck another woman outside and is just looking out for me by buying me condoms...."
Thus, after finding out that everything might be a misunderstanding, Vernon's lust started to dissipate. Though his bulge was still pretty obvious down there.
"Maybe it's all just in my mind, and I was just getting excited about nothing...." Vernon murmured. The realization hit him hard and gave him a somber mood.
He was so excited before and couldn't think straight as he kept imagining Chloe in various positions. He was a man with a high sex drive, and to hold himself for so long, he should be called a monk or priest at this point.
"Ah, this sucks...." Vernon complained.
He reread the note again and realized Chloe's tone was very formal. She was like a big sister looking out for her little brother, which only worsened Vernon's mood.
"Tch, I don't need her to do this kind of crap. Do you think I will use this condom on random women?"
"Well, since I'm not in the mood to fuck anyone, might as well threw these things out," Vernon said. He picked up the two condoms, and the moment he picked them up, he saw another note hidden beneath the condoms the whole time.
It was a smaller note, but he could read it clearly under the light.
--
Don't be too rough, okay?
No woman wants to be treated roughly without consent. Especially with your size, any woman would scream if you do it too rough.