Ch. 81..85: Divorced My Scum Husband, Married His Evil brother Chapter 81-85

Chapter 81

"W—Welcome back, Vernon. I've prepared dinner for you, but it went cold already. I'm going to reheat it," Chloe said. She took the bowls of food covered with aluminum foil to the dinner table.

She had to reheat it first, maybe recooked some because it wouldn't look appetizing even after reheating with the microwave.

"No need, I'm not hungry," Vernon said.

"Huh?" Chloe stopped on her track, looking confused at Vernon. "You… are not hungry?"

"I've had dinner with my business partner. We went to my favorite restaurant," Vernon replied ruthlessly. He smirked when he saw the lost expression in Chloe's eyes.

Honestly, Vernon also noticed the sadness in her eyes. It seemed that she had been crying so much. But he reckoned that she must've been crying because she didn't get all the lavish lifestyle she expected from marrying Vincent.

Now she had to work as a maid every day. A spoiled woman like her would've cried daily because of that, right?

'See? It's your fault in the first place, and this is what you did to yourself,' Vernon sneered in his mind. He always hated that sad expression coming from her.

"But… I've cooked many things for dinner…." Chloe said weakly. She looked down at the cold braised beef stew she made for Vernon.

"Then you can eat it yourself. I'm just gonna grab a bottle of wine from the wine fridge," Vernon said.

"B—But…" Chloe protested weakly. She thought that at least Vernon would appreciate her dinner. She made a mistake yesterday because she forgot to cook for dinner, and Vernon blasted at her.

She cooked a lot of food for dinner, hoping that Vernon would forgive him for her mistake.

But she got a cold shoulder instead, and he acted as if it wasn't important, even though he was the one who blasted Chloe for not cooking dinner yesterday.

She wasn't important at all.

'Well, it's not wrong, but…' Chloe's heart ached when Vernon just ignored her like this.

"Y—You could at least try a little. I can cook more if you want…."

"Huh? How often do I have to tell you I'm not hungry? When I say I'm not hungry, I do not intend to eat! Stop being such a fuss. It's just food anyway."

"You act like your whole life only revolves about cooking food. You're not even a chef," Vernon sneered, mocking her for what she thought was important.

He ignored her and grabbed a bottle of wine from the wine fridge.

Meanwhile, Chloe's heartache got worse, especially when Vernon said those sentences, downplaying her effort and making it as if she didn't have any worth.

It reminded her of Vincent and all the things that Vincent did to make her feel so worthless.

'They are brothers, after all. What did I expect?' Chloe thought that she was being ridiculous here.

Vernon was about to leave the kitchen when he noticed Chloe, who started sobbing. Her body trembled, tears started flowing down from her eyes and cheek, then dropped to the bowl of braised beef.

"Really? Stop crying and wash those dishes. It'd smell bad if you don't wash it," Vernon said.

Chloe continued sobbing, but she said nothing to Vernon. As she had no power nor any right to scold him.

Vernon sat on the chair not far from the kitchen. He popped open the wine bottle and started drinking straight from the bottle.

He sat in a daze, trying to distract himself from listening to her sister-in-law sobbing.

He was annoyed at her. He returned home to relax after such a tiring day, and now he had to listen to a woman crying just because he refused to eat her cooking.

Vernon continued drinking from the bottle. He drank without care. So his eyes started to get blurry.

He wasn't a heavy drinker in the first place, but he could manage if he didn't drink too much in a short time.

But Chloe's sobs made him want to drink more and more, hoping it would silence the sobs.

Yet, what he experienced was different.

The sobs actually echoed inside his head. Whenever Chloe sobbed, it was as if his whole head was filled with her voice, and her sadness also started to affect his mood.

He clicked his tongue annoyedly and got up from the chair.

He saw Chloe washing a few dishes, but there were still a few plates of food on the dinner table left untouched.

"Will you shut up? Why are you crying over food anyway?"

Chloe continued crying while she continued washing the dishes. But she was facing away from Vernon, so Vernon didn't have to see her ugly crying face.

Chloe knew that she had overreacted. After all, it was just food, and Vincent had done this to her constantly for the past ten years.

But what made her cry was the accumulation of everything that happened today, from her mother and sister, who cut her off from their life to Vincent, who taunted her.

She cooked a lot of food for Mackie and Vernon because she thought… looking at them eating and smiling would give her the strength to continue despite all the pain she experienced alone. Since the only thing she could do right now was take care of both of them.

Mackie ate her dinner, but Vernon only came to mocked on her like her effort was nothing.

'I know I'm being dramatic. Why do I have to cry over dinner?' Chloe asked herself. 'Vernon is a busy man. He has a lot to do, just like Vincent.'

'Why do I have to cry myself over food I cooked? It's worthless.'

Vernon was peeved since Chloe didn't answer his question, but he just couldn't hear the voice of her crying anymore. It somehow made his heart aching for whatever reason—

And the weird heartache made him annoyed, very annoyed.

"Urgh, fine!" Vernon sat at the dinner table and opened all the aluminum foil covering the plates and bowls, "I'll eat your dinner, so stop crying and reheat some of this first!"

 

Chapter 82

"I'll eat your dinner, so stop crying and reheat some of this first!" Vernon said.

Chloe stopped what she was doing and looked at Vernon, who checked the food that she made at the dinner table.

Unfortunately, she had already washed away half of the food she made tonight…

She quickly dried her hands and wiped her tears. She approached Vernon and grabbed the plates, "I'll reheat it first. Please wait."

Vernon watched Chloe, who was busy reheating the food by microwave or stir-frying some on the pan. She seemed happier when cooking, and Chloe returned to the dining table and put the food in front of Vernon.

She also served him a plate and a glass of warm water, "You should drink the warm water first before eating. I can smell the alcohol from your mouth."

"Heh, so what if I drink alcohol? You're going to reprimand me? I'm not a teenager anymore, sister-in-law," Vernon replied. But he still obediently drank the warm water before adding a variety of food to his plate.

Chloe sat on the opposite seat, staring at Vernon, who was eating. He said he wasn't hungry because he had already had dinner outside. But he was still eating like a hungry hippo.

Vernon noticed that his sister-in-law was smiling while staring at him. He frowned and asked, "What now? Why are you smiling like that?"

"Ah, I was happy you ate my cooking," Chloe replied. "It might not be much since you must've been used to seeing many powerful women working on the same ground with you, but taking care of my family is what I see as my duty. I want to make sure that everyone is well taken care of."

Chloe knew it might sound pathetic in this age of empowered women where women could be everything they wanted, but her drive was to be a stay-at-home mom and take care of her daughter.

If she

"But your relationship with my brother has turned south," Vernon said ruthlessly. "That means you're not doing well at caring for your family."

"Ah… that's…." Chloe's smile faded as Vernon rubbed her wound. "I—I just think that I can at least take care of my family here—"

Vernon stopped eating and peered at Chloe with displeasure.

"Don't call me your family. That's repulsive. I gave you a contract to work with me, and I paid you salary," Vernon stated. "Just because I still called you sister-in-law doesn't mean that you can outright say we're family. I called you sister-in-law to honor my big brother, who still sees you as his wife."

"S—Sorry…" Chloe lowered her head. She felt disheartened as she always thought of Vernon as her family member. Since he was just a kid, Chloe never saw him as a stranger. He was always her cute little Vernon.

,m But now, the cute little Vernon had grown up and resented her for no reason…

Vernon clicked his tongue annoyedly. Again, she had that sad expression that made him uncomfortable again.

"Damn it, stop making that sad expression. You're annoying me!" Vernon yelled.

"I—I'm not making a sad expression… at least I don't remember making one…." Chloe replied.

Vernon snorted. Whenever Chloe made that sad expression, his heart would be mixed with rage and an unknown feeling of sadness.

He was angry because she still had the gut of making that sad expression after picking her choice.

But at the same time, the ache in his heart got more painful the more Chloe got sadder.

'But we're not family,' Vernon thought in his heart. 'I will never be your family, not anymore. I fucking hate you, sister-in-law.'

Chloe knew that they weren't going anywhere with this. She didn't want to dwell in her sadness, not in front of Vernon.

Because she knew Vernon already disliked her for some reason, maybe he already disliked all women.

So the only thing she could do was not to push his button and make him snap.

Chloe noticed the bandaged fist and realized, "Ah, I need to change your bandage!"

"What?"

Chloe pointed at the bandaged hand, "It's not good to keep one bandage over a period of time. I'll put a new bandage, but you should finish dinner first, okay?"

…

Vernon looked at his bandaged hand and remembered the million-dollar question that haunted him for the whole day.

Did Chloe hear him talking about something? Or maybe that whole dream was not actually a dream?

"Sister-in-law…"

"Yes?"

"When did you bandage my hand?"

"Ah, at night, I checked your condition because I heard loud banging on the wall plenty of times, so I thought it must've been pretty bad…." Chloe said, telling the truth that happened the previous night.

"And you treated my hand while I was sleeping?"

"Yeah."

"… Did you hear anything?" Vernon asked.

"Heard anything?"

"Yeah, maybe me mumbling about something."

Of course, Chloe knew what he meant because Vernon didn't even mumble at that point. He outright talked about his love life with this woman that hurt his heart so much that he wanted to destroy both of them with his passionate fire.

It was tragic and sad, but Chloe had no right to tell Vernon about this, knowing it would only embarrass him.

Though, she was curious about the woman's identity that could have such a special spot in Vernon's heart.

"I heard you mumbling about something, maybe a name? But it's mostly inaudible," Chloe replied. "Is it a girl's name? Like… your loved one or something…."

Vernon's gaze sharpened towards Chloe, "She's dead."

"D—Dead?!"

"Yeah, she is dead in my heart, and I hate her. You don't need to know about her identity, sister-in-law," Vernon replied. "She's long gone."

Chloe was a little lost from his extreme reaction. It seemed that he truly hated this woman. But if he really hated him, why would she come to his dream frequently?

However, she didn't want to press further and shifted the topic, "Well, you should finish your dinner first. I'm going downstairs to grab the first aid kit."

 

Chapter 83

"Well, you should finish your dinner first. I'm going downstairs to grab the first aid kit," Chloe said. She got up and went downstairs.

Vernon's eyes followed Chloe until she went downstairs.

Vernon then looked at his hand and the dinner that Chloe had made. His heartache worsened, so he clenched his fist, "Don't be weak, Vernon. You should use her. You're the one who told her that she is nothing but a maid and a woman you'll use for sex. Don't fall into her honey trap."

Vernon clenched his fist to shift the pain from his heart to his hand. His fist started bleeding, but he didn't care. It was far better than feeling this strange feeling in his heart again.

"Vernon, are you done with dinner?" Chloe asked as she climbed back to Vernon's penthouse.

She saw that Vernon had already eaten his fill and had already moved to the sofa.

"I'm done with dinner. You can return to your room now, sister-in-law," Vernon said.

"I will, but I need to take care of your hand first," Chloe said. She walked to the living room towards Vernon.

Chloe sat right beside Vernon on the long sofa, but Vernon quickly slid his butt away from Chloe.

"No need, all is good. You can go downstairs now," Vernon said.

"All is good after I treated your hand, show me your hand now," Chloe said.

Vernon gritted his teeth, "Damn, why are you so nosy? I told you to go back to your room!"

Chloe was startled, but she had a feeling that something was wrong. So she asked again, still gently, "Vernon, I need to see your hand. I need to treat it."

"Urgh!" Vernon was annoyed, but in the end, he conceded and showed his bandaged hand in front of her.

Chloe was shocked when she saw the blood seeping out and turned the white bandage red. It was so grotesque that Chloe couldn't help but react strongly.

She grasped Vernon's wrist and checked the bandaged hand, "What happened to your fist?! I left you for ten minutes, and you're already bleeding again!" Chloe scolded. She was worried there might be an infection on his knuckles, so she unwrapped the red bandage and saw the wounds opened again.

"Oh my, what did you do, Vernon?!"

Vernon gritted his teeth, "It's not your problem! Just shut up and leave!"

"How am I supposed to leave you like this?! Don't be unreasonable!" Chloe had a shot of courage again, she might not be the strongest, badass woman, but her family was the most important to her. When she saw Vernon getting hurt, she also felt that she was the one who got hurt instead.

Chloe busied herself treating the opened wounds while she kept scolding Vernon as if he was a child.

"You shouldn't be careless. Even if you're mad, that doesn't mean you can hurt yourself."

"If you have trouble, you should speak with me. I don't know if I can help in other ways, but letting out the negative emotion will make you feel better, right?"

"Hah! You act like you care about me!"

"I do!" Chloe retorted. "You're my…. My…"

Chloe wanted to say that he was still her cute little Vernon. But that would probably hurt his male ego, so she went silent after that and focused on treating Vernon's opened wounds.

Vernon stared at his sister-in-law with hatred, so much hatred that he held himself not to hit her. His hatred doubled when Chloe acted fake like this.

'Stop your innocent act. You're 35 already! I know you're acting like this to get male's attention, right?'

'Come on, show me how you seduce my big brother. Stop with this act. You're not going to trap me!'

Vernon tried to yank his wrist off her grip, but Chloe tightened her grip around his wrist and scolded, "Don't move! I'm trying to treat the opened wounds!"

"Stay still for a moment, will you? I promise it won't take long," Chloe said, still focused on treating his wounds.

Vernon knew that he had been nothing but rough and condescending towards her, and he thought all of them were deserved, knowing what she did and said about him back then.

But she didn't expect his sister-in-law to not retaliate back. She acted like a doormat!

"Heh, no wonder my big brother doesn't like you. You're acting like a complete doormat!" Vernon yelled. "You're so annoying, you know that?"

…

Chloe felt her heart pinched from inside. It hurt to be called a complete doormat.

But, she also realized that she was powerless against Vincent.

But it was mostly because of her position. She knew she had nothing compared to Vincent. Vincent always talked her down whenever she said she wanted to work outside, at least if he didn't allow her to work within his company.

Thus, she moved her interest to being a stay-at-home mom, cooking, laundry, taking care of their kid, even acting like a private tutor for Mackie, and managing the expense for the mansion.

But Vincent never appreciated her and told her that a mere maid could do all her job without a problem.

Because she was only a stay-at-home mom, a worthless job for a worthless woman.

"Vernon, you can yell at me whatever you want after this, okay? I… I just need to treat your wounds first…." Chloe said weakly as she started bandaging Vernon's hand with a new bandage.

"See? You're acting as if this kind of wound is so serious. Stop acting like a weak little lady!" Vernon yelled.

…

Chloe ignored him in the end, which made him feel even more complicated.

But in the end, he waited until Chloe finished bandaging his wound.

"Okay, it's done," Chloe said. She picked up the first aid kit and said, "Don't hurt yourself again, okay? Your knuckles need to recover, or it might go bad."

"And so what if it went bad?"

"… That'd be painful, and we will have to go to the hospital. Medical expenses are not cheap, you know…."

Chapter 84

"… That'd be painful, and we will have to go to the hospital. Medical expenses are not cheap, you know…."

"Again, with that bullshit, do you think I can't pay?!" Vernon snarled again. By this time, Chloe should know that he was annoyed with her constantly playing down his achievement.

He might not be as rich as his big brother yet, but why did she need to keep bringing him down?! What was her intention other than hurting him?!

'So it's justified for me to fight back. You and your scorn towards me, Chloe Gray!'

…

Chloe sighed. Vernon didn't seem to understand what she meant.

It was actually her method to calm Mackie down when she started to retaliate when she accidentally injured herself.

Chloe would try to treat Mackie by herself, so they didn't need to go to the hospital.

Because if Vincent got notified, Chloe would be his target for being a bad, stupid, and uncaring mother who let her daughter get injured, even if it was accidental.

So, whenever Mackie got small injuries, she'd treat her daughter by herself, and told Mackie that they couldn't afford hospital bills, so she shouldn't be a bad kid.

Which worked well…

'Maybe it's my fault for using that kind of reason towards an adult like Vernon…' Chloe thought.

Thus, Chloe turned toward Vernon and said, "Well, I'm sorry then. I was just worried about you."

'Now you're worried about me, huh? Are you worried because I can't afford anything? Worried that a fucking hospital bill will make me go broke?! You're so fucking narrow-minded!'

"Leave now! I SAID LEAVE!"

Chloe jolted slightly, and she quietly retreated and returned downstairs.

Vernon waited until Chloe left and lay on the long sofa, just like he did last night.

He stared at the ceiling with an empty gaze, trying to process what he had just said.

Honestly, he regretted many of the things he yelled at Chloe.

But he just couldn't hold it. The anger in his heart was like tons of dynamites exploding consecutively.

She was also the firestarter that made everything worse, making Vernon unable to think straight.

Vernon raised his bandaged hand and stared at it for a while. Her warm touch still lingered in his hand.

…

Vernon wanted to clench his fist again, but he stopped halfway, remembering that his wound was still recovering. If his wound opened again, his sister-in-law would have to treat his wounds again.

He didn't want that because his heart burned in rage whenever Chloe acted as if she cared for him.

"You acted kindly and gently to me, but you still scorned me for being lesser than my big brother. Sister-in-law, I fucking hate you… and I will make sure to use you when the time comes."

"Stop acting like you care for me. It's not going to work. Not for the second time."

**

Meanwhile, Chloe returned to her room and washed her hand. She lay on her bed in a daze. Her tears had dried for so long. She cried too much today, after all.

But her heart continued to ache…

She was still sad about many things that Vernon said to her. But at the same time, she knew that she expected too much from him.

"I know that I shouldn't have overstepped my boundary. After all, he made it clear that I'm nothing but a working employee. Despite using my body for his pleasure and making me act like a housewife again, in the end… I'm nothing but a maid and sex toy for him…."

Chloe was well aware of everything, but maybe it was just her wishful thinking.

Thought that Vernon would at least treat her more humanely, so she would feel comfortable working for him.

"Ah, I wished too much," Chloe mumbled. "I hope he can find the woman that's in his heart. So he would feel better and treat his sister-in-law more humanely, at least…."

Chloe patted her cheek, trying to give herself a morale boost;

p "Okay, Chloe, stop being dramatic. You must continue to work and save money for your daughter. Fake it until you make it. Act like there's nothing wrong between you and Vernon, so it'll be less awkward. Maybe he will forget this whole thing after a while, right?"

**

Vernon woke up a bit late than usual today. Luckily, he had already moved to his bedroom last night, so he didn't need to have that embarrassing moment of getting tucked with a blanket by Chloe again.

He rubbed his eyes and stretched on the bed before walking out of his bedroom.

"UNCLE, YOU WOKE UP LATE!"

He was surprised by the voice of his niece, Mackie, who ran around his living room while waiting for her Mommy to finish making breakfast.

Mackie ran around Vernon, standing in a daze, and then grabbed Vernon's hand with her two small hands, "Uncle, let's sit at the table! Mommy is almost finished making our breakfast!"

"Huh…"

Vernon sat beside Mackie at the dining table as usual. He was still trying to process what was happening right now.

'It's… another mundane day with her and her daughter…' Vernon thought.

He stared at Chloe's back— she was still busy cooking healthy breakfast for them, and that made him wonder;

'Why does she always act like there's nothing wrong between us? Even after our fight last night, she still cooks and acts like a diligent housewife….'

'Even if this is her job, she could just cook and leave the food on the table before returning to her apartment downstairs, right? What is she thinking?'

"Vernon, do you want to drink your banana-apple smoothie first? I already made two for both of you in the fridge," Chloe said as she continued chopping a few veggies.

"Me! I want mine, Mommy!" Mackie said. She grabbed her Uncle Vernon's arm and shook it, "Uncle, Mackie can't reach the fridge. Please help!"

"…"

Chloe stopped chopping veggies and said, "It's okay, Mackie. Don't ask something your uncle like that. Mommy will bring it for you."

Chapter 85"It's okay, Mackie. Don't ask something your Uncle like that. Mommy will bring it for you," Chloe said. She was about to walk to the fridge when Vernon suddenly got up and opened the fridge instead.

He gave Chloe a side glance, "What? Continue cooking."

"Ah— Y—Yes!" Chloe returned to her cooking activity. She thought that Vernon was still angry at her. That was why she tried not to push his button in any way possible.

But it seemed that he had returned to his cold, unfeeling attitude.

'What a weird guy….'

Vernon put two glasses of banana-apple smoothie on the table for himself and Mackie.

"Uncle, you look so grumpy today," Mackie commented while sipping her smoothie.

"Hm…"

"Gee, Uncle should smile more! Mommy said that you look handsome when you're smiling!"

"Mackie!" Chloe turned around instantly. She stared at her daughter, who was hogging Vernon's arm while he was unresponsive the whole time.

She was scared that Vernon might get peeved by Mackie's overfamiliar attitude, even though she was just a child.

"M—Mackenzie, sit on your chair, don't make a fuss to Uncle Vernon, okay?"

"Humm? But Mommy told Mackie last night that Uncle Vernon is not always scary. Mommy said that Uncle Vernon is really handsome when smiling and laughing!" Mackie said.

"Hmm? Is that so?" Vernon shifted his gaze towards Chloe, who was petrified instantly.

'Using your daughter to gain sympathy, huh? That's so low, sister-in-law,' Vernon thought.

Chloe swallowed her saliva nervously. She started having cold sweat being stared at by Vernon like this.

She had no bad intention when telling Mackie that her Uncle Vernon wasn't always scary. Because Chloe complained that she 'hated' her Uncle Vernon because he never seemed to smile or laugh, and he was always angry and yelling at her Mommy.

Chloe knew that wasn't a good mindset, especially for a little girl like Mackie. Mackie was a feisty, confrontational little girl. She would be in trouble if she suddenly mocked Vernon as intimidating or scary, like a monster.

So, Chloe told her daughter Uncle Vernon wasn't always so scary. He would look handsome when he was smiling and laughing.

So, Mackie didn't need to be scared of hostility around her Uncle.

But it seemed to have backfired because Vernon continued staring at her with that hostile gaze.

"Uncle, stop staring at my Mommy like that! You're scaring her!" Mackie stood on the chair and covered Vernon's eyes with her two small palms.

Vernon clicked his tongue annoyedly, but he didn't want to yell in front of her niece. So he grabbed Mackie's body and forced her to sit on his lap, "Have you not been taught manner by your Mommy? It's not polite to stand on a chair, sit still and drink your smoothie!"

"But Uncle also cannot scare Mommy with your eyes! Mackie won't allow it!" Mackenzie insisted on protecting her Mommy, even if she had to face the big bad wolf in front of her!

"Tch, fine, just sit here and drink your smoothie."

"Okay!"

Thus, Chloe saw Mackie sitting on Vernon's slap as they drank their banana-apple smoothies.

She sighed, full of relief. At least Mackie and Vernon were in a good term. She didn't care about herself, but as long as Mackie was comfortable around Vernon, everything was alright.

Chloe served breakfast, and they ate together as three— of course, with her eating only sliced apple and banana for breakfast, even eating this kind of light breakfast already made her feel nauseous.

After they were done, Mackie and Vernon returned to their respective room and prepared for school and work while Chloe continued cooking for lunch.

Vernon took a bath as he didn't take one last night. Under the warm shower, he closed his eyes and felt the water washing out his body, including the fist, whose bandage he unwrapped.

The wound had been dried, though he still couldn't use it to punch things for now.

After he was done, he took the suit from the drawer. It seemed that Chloe had arranged everything yesterday because all his suits were hanging with a nice smell, even the tie had been arranged in the drawer.

His lips thinned as he noticed the effort that Chloe made. But in the end, he chose to ignore them all and grabbed whatever suit he found best before opening the bedroom door.

Again, he found Chloe sitting on the sofa with his lunch bag. Chloe turned around once she heard the sound of the door clicking.

He smiled at Vernon, "This is the lunch bag. I've put a small box of dried fruit inside. It would be good as a snack while you're drinking banana milk."

Chloe stood up and extended her arm to offer the food to Vernon, thinking that Vernon didn't want to see her face again, just like yesterday.

…

Vernon looked at her and then at the lunch bag before saying, "Why are you giving it to me now? Do you think I'm supposed to reheat it myself?"

"Ah— Um… I—I thought you wouldn't."

"Come to the office. It's your job to provide lunch for me after all," Vernon replied as he fixed his cuff and tie. "Don't make me work twice. I'm always busy in the office these days."

"O—Okay…" Chloe agreed. 'Now you want me to go to work and serve this food for you for lunch. I seriously don't know how to make you satisfied, Vernon.'

Vernon walked away, leaving first to his office. His mind was muddy since he woke up in the morning, and his heart was heavy with a complicated mood.

"I can't go on like this. She is controlling me with her act. Everything she did is just an act, so I can't fall," Vernon warned himself.

Then, he remembered the velvet room in his office. It had been a while since he used that room, despite it being the first thing he introduced to Chloe.

"Oh, that's right, I can use her to play inside that room. Isn't that my original intention to use her body only?"