Chapter 2 An Ungrateful Brat
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The whole night had passed, but neither Caleb nor Dominic came back. For the very first time, Caroline slept in.
The night before, she talked to HR and got a half–day off.
Her life suddenly took on a slower, almost peaceful rhythm without the usual mad dash to make breakfast or send her son to kindergarten. It was like she’d finally caught a break and gotten some time for herself.
Suddenly, her phone started vibrating on the nightstand.
Caleb’s name flashed on the screen.
Caroline hit the answer button, and his deep voice came through, all fired up. “Go to the hospital now.”
Caroline retorted, her voice as cold as ice, “Who are you to tell me that? Are you Mr. Martin, my boss, or my husband? If it’s Mr. Martin talking, well, tough luck. I took the day off.”
“Look, you’re the reason why Michelle tried to take her life. Don’t you think you should show up?” His voice was filled with barely–contained rage.
“Caroline, stop acting like I did you wrong. You owe the Adams family. If you don’t show your face, then I’ll divorce you!”
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With that, he hung up.
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and
Caroline hesitated for a second, then quickly freshened up headed out, clutching tightly the divorce papers she’d already prepared.
She wasn’t going to the hospital to save her miserable marriage; she was there to end it once and for all.
When she got to the ward, she saw Caleb feeding Michelle some
soup.
Bathed in the soft, warm sunlight pouring through the window, the two looked just like a pair of lovebirds.
Michelle’s cheeks were all rosy, a far cry from looking sick.
Those who didn’t know any better might think they were having some kind of romantic hospital rendezvous.
Caroline walked in, shattering the peaceful picture.
Michelle sobbed as soon as she saw Caroline.
“Oh, I’m so sorry, Caroline. I never meant to steal Caleb from you. It’s all my fault. I shouldn’t have made you angry with the post. And I shouldn’t have had an episode late at night. But I just couldn’t control myself…”
Tears welled up in Michelle’s eyes, and her frail appearance was
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enough to make anyone’s heart ache.
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Caleb put down the bowl of soup and stared at Caroline icily.
“Apologize!” He demanded.
“Why should I? I didn’t do anything wrong,” Caroline shot back.
Her
eyes darted to Michelle’s wrist, where there was a faint red line. It looked more like a clumsy scratch than a wound left by a serious suicide attempt.
With a sneer, she went on, “Luckily, she got rushed to the hospital last night. That little scratch would’ve healed up on its own quickly anyway.”
Michelle frowned and stole a glance at Caleb. Tears started streaming down her face.
In a flash, she grabbed a fruit knife lying nearby and was about to harm herself.
“It’s all my fault! I might as well just join my brother!”
Her frantic and desperate wail filled the room.
Caleb quickly snatched the knife out of her hand and flung it down near Caroline’s feel.
“Are you here just to get under Michelle’s skin?”
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Chapter 2 An Ungrateful Brat
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Trembling in Caleb’s arms, Michelle clutched at his collar. “It’s all my fault! Why can’t I just end it all? It’d be a relief…”
Caroline watched the whole farce calmly.
Dramas like this happened countless times during the past six
years.
Michelle always had these breakdowns at just the right moment. Even when Caroline had nothing to do with it, she was often deemed as the bad guy.
Caleb’s heart ached for Michelle, and his hatred for Caroline only grew.
The reason?
Michelle was his first love, the last of the Adams family.
He held her tight in his arms and growled, “No, no. The one who should be gone is the real culprit!”
Abruptly, Caleb looked up at Caroline, his eyes brimmed with flames of hatred.
He barked, “Look what you did to Michelle. Are you happy now? You want to wipe out the whole Adams family that bad?”
Caroline found it hard to catch her breath, nearly burned to the
Chapter 2 An Ungrateful Brat
ashes by the intense loathing in his eyes.
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Just then, doctors and nurses came rushing in. They pushed Caroline aside.
Through the narrow gap, Caroline caught a glimpse of Caleb. His face was etched with worry as he desperately tried to soothe Michelle.
If it weren’t for what happened six years ago, they’ve probably been married instead by now.
Michelle’s a victim; I can’t deny it. But what did I do wrong to deserve all this?
Thinking of that, Caroline let out a heavy sigh.
The whole situation was a total mess, so she decided to leave, with the divorce papers in her bag.
Standing at the hospital entrance, she got another text from Caleb: [Just got a call from the kindergarten. I can’t split right now. You gotta go there.]
Caroline hesitated for a second before hailing a cab.
Even though Dominic had broken her heart, she couldn’t just brush off her kid.
On the way to the kindergarten, she got all worried about
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Dominic’s safely.
Once Caroline got there, she dashed inside.
Her high ponytail came loose, and there was sweat on her forehead.
Out of breath, she propped herself on her knee and grabbed the teacher’s arm. “Where’s Dominic? What happened?”
The teacher, Emilia Clarke, blinked in confusion.
She was caught off guard for a moment before answering, “Sorry, who are you?”
“I’m Dominic’s mom. His dad just called and said it was urgent!”
Caroline was beside herself with worry, her pretty face contorted in anxiety.
Emilia looked even more puzzled. “You’re Dominic’s mom? Then who’s the one showing up at the parent–child sports day last week?”
She whipped out her phone and started scrolling through the parent group chat in a flash.
Seconds later, she stopped at the message from the day of the
event.
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Emilia said: [Today’s parent–child sports day was a huge hit! Thanks to all the parents and kids for taking part. The videos and photos are in the group. Go ahead and download them.]
Dominic’s dad replied: [Thanks, Ms. Clarke! We had a blast as a family of three.]
Caroline felt like her throat was gripped tightly by a big hand, and her mind was in a whirl. She had no clue about the sports day.
When the kindergarten set up the parent group, they only allowed one
one parent of each family to join the group for convenience.
Caroline had wanted to join since Caleb was always busy with work.
Dominic threw a tantrum because of it, insisting that Caleb join the group. So, Caroline had to give in.
She never thought this chat would turn into a shield for their secret family.
The realization hit her like a ton of bricks, and she clutched her chest, feeling a stabbing pain.
The last glimmer of hope she had was now snuffed out by them.
“Why are you here?”
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Dominic asked, interrupted her train of thought. He didn’t sound happy at all.
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He stood at the classroom door, his cute little face all scrunched up as he went on, “What took you so long? You’re the last one!”
Evidently, he wasn’t happy that Caroline showed up.
Shaken to the core, Caroline gathered every bit of her strength to straighten her back and locked eyes with her son.
Under Emilia’s vigilant gaze, she replied, “You’re right. I’m not Dominic’s mom! He’s got a new mom now. From now on, don’t call me about him again. I don’t have such an ungrateful son!”
Her voice rang out through the classroom. The parents and teachers there all heard her loud and clear.
Tears welled up in Dominic’s eyes as he pleaded, “Mom! Come on, let’s go in! All the other kids‘ parents are here!”
“Didn’t you already take Michelle as your new mom? You’re not my son anymore. I can’t believe I raised such an ungrateful brat!”
With that, she spun around on her heel and strode off.
In an instant, the classroom erupted in a flurry of whispers.
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“What just happened? That woman with a ponytail is Dominic’s mom? Then who’s the woman showing up the other day?”
“Must be the new stepmom. What an ungrateful kid, calling a homewrecker ‘mom‘! He’s just like his cheating dad!”
“Amy, don’t play with him. You hear me?”
As he heard that, Dominic’s face turned beel–red. And he tried hard to fight back tears.
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