"It's okay, Chloe. Your mom and sister don't believe in you because you can't give them money. Maybe after I saved enough from Vernon, I can give them a little, so they'd see me as their family once more…."
Chloe knew that buying her family's trust with money was such a shallow thing to do, and she should've just cut contact with them since she planned to leave New York after she saved enough money.
But she lived through poverty with her mother and sister. She understood how they wanted the money coming from Vincent. Even if Chloe wasn't a fan of it once she realized that Vincent used it as a weapon.
"It's also my fault because I thought I could help my family a little once I married Vincent…." Chloe murmured.
However, there was one thing she was assured in her heart about Tommy.
"I will tell Chelsea sooner or later," Chloe said without hesitation. She hesitated at first because she didn't want to ruin Chelsea's family and their family bond.
"But, Tommy already told me how my mother completely sides with Vincent. Tommy can't drag me to hell when I'm already in hell right now," Chloe said, cementing her decision to tell Chelsea.
Of course, Chloe couldn't be rash. Before telling Chelsea about Tommy's affair, she needed to ensure that her big sister was in fine condition. Chloe didn't want to hurt her sister when she was in a bad situation.
"Thanks to him, I don't need to hesitate now. Even if my family hates me, Chelsea still has the right to know," Chloe said.
After she wiped her face with a tissue, she returned to the ice cream shop.
Mackie was still eating ice cream without distraction, and Chloe was relieved. She returned to the table and asked Mackie, "Dear, are you finished with your ice cream?"
"Just a little more, Mommy!" Mackie replied as she dug the remaining ice cream into her cup. She looked at her Mommy, who smiled and then commented, "Mommy, did you cry in the restroom?"
"Eh?" Chloe got surprised by the question. "Why do you think so?"
Chloe had already washed her face plenty of times to ensure that her eyes weren't red before returning to Mackie.
"Mm… because Mommy has a wet face. You wash your face often when you're crying in the bathroom!" Mackie said, completely silencing Chloe, who didn't know how to react.
"Is something wrong, Mommy? Did you get bullied by someone? Mackie will protect you!" Mackie said courageously.
Chloe was both nervous and relieved at the same time. She was nervous because Mackie's observational skill was amazing despite being a seven-year-old.
But she was also relieved to have such a smart daughter…
"Mommy was just thinking about something, dear. That's why Mommy cried," Chloe said. "But thank you for your protection. I feel much safer around you."
"Of course! Mommy is safe when I'm around because I will be Mommy's number one protector!" Mackie claimed.
"Hihi, you will be a strong woman who protects Mommy when you're older," Chloe smiled.
"Un!" Mackie nodded seriously. She might be young, but she really wanted to protect her Mommy. After all, her Mommy had been through a lot.
Well, Mackie didn't know what went through her Mommy's life. Since Daddy always treated her well when Mackie was around.
But she also sensed that her Mommy wasn't happy for an unknown reason. She was constantly sad and crying and would not say a thing when Daddy was around.
Mackie asked her Daddy once whether he was kind to Mommy or not, and Daddy said he loved her the most, so Mackie just believed it.
"Okay, time to go to the cinema. Your movie will play soon," Chloe said.
"Yay! Minion!"
Thus, Chloe and Mackie spent the rest of the evening in the cinema before returning home.
Chloe took care of Mackie first until the little girl was asleep, then she sat in Vernon's living room, waiting for the young CEO to return after a long day at work.
This time, she wore regular pajamas that covered her body modestly. Wearing only lingerie and a satin robe would only spell another disaster.
She checked the clock and sighed deeply, "It's past midnight already. Did he go to a bar tonight? Maybe he's sleeping with another woman right now."
Chloe wanted to scold Vernon for being too promiscuous, but they weren't really related, and Vernon was an adult already. So it wasn't her place to scold her.
To spend her idle time, she scrolled through her phone and opened the gallery full of her small family, Chloe, Chelsea, and their mother— Judith.
Chloe had a bit of scanning old photos in the album and stored them in her phone gallery. So she could always see many of her beautiful memories in case she was too depressed to function.
"Ah, this one is when Chelsea and I are still very young. She was such a good sister to me, but time changes…." Chloe mumbled. "Oh, this picture is when Mom was still a working single mother. She worked as a receptionist in her old company."
"I don't want to live in the past, but there's no good thing happening in my current life… well, Mackie's birth is the ultimate happiness I'll ever get…."
Chloe ignored the sentimental feeling in her heart and continued scrolling and smiling whenever she remembered the good old times. But her smile faded once she saw one picture of her standing beside a handsome young man.
He was so handsome that he got the heartthrob status in their high school back then.
It was a picture of Vincent and her, standing side by side as they were dating back then. Vincent hugged her waist lovingly and stared at her with eyes full of love.
Who would've expected the prince charming that Chloe loved to turn into a monster after they married?
'Ah, my prince charming… I thought we could grow old together after we married. Why did you ditch me after I'm not pretty anymore?'
Visit freewe𝑏n(o)v𝒆l.𝑐𝘰𝑚 for the best novel reading experience