What on earth had Celestine done to her son to deserve this kind of cruelty? Why wouldn’t he even lie for her, just this once?
Raymond hadn’t expected things to spiral so far out of control.
Divorce? Dad and Mom getting divorced?
If that happened, Mom would never come back–she’d be forever.
gone
Panic swept over him, tears welling up in his eyes almost instantly.
He rushed forward with Chester, throwing his arms around Dahlia. “Grandma, please don’t blame Mom! It wasn’t her–really, I don’t blame her anymore! Please, I’m begging you, don’t let her and Dad get divorced. I just want them both to stay with me, that’s all I want–please!”
Dahlia, hair wild and disheveled from her struggle to break free, had lost every trace of her usual elegance. She looked nothing like the dignified society matron she
once was.
She lunged at Celestine like a madwoman, desperate to lash out.
Raymond’s pleas only fueled her anger.
“Just look at this! What kind of poison has that woman poured into Raymond’s mind? She nearly cost him his life, and he’s still defending her! What sort of mother would raise a child like this? Chester, either you divorce her right now, or I’m calling the police and having this murderer thrown in jail! You decide!”
Chester’s head pounded from his mother’s shrill screams.
He couldn’t help but lash out at the root of the chaos. “Celestine! Say something, for heaven’s sake. Apologize to my mother, apologize to Raymond. Come back, take care of your child, admit you’re sorry and truly repent–do that, and we can put this behind us.”
Joanna silently wept, her arms wrapped tightly around Raymond as she turned to accuse Celestine. “Celly, even if you’re still upset about what happened with Raymond, you can’t take it out on your own son! Do you know how much he wishes it was you, not me, by his side? This time, you’ve really gone too far.”
From an angle no one else could see, Joanna shot her a smug, taunting glance.
Celestine’s lips curled into a faint smile.
1/2
17:35
Chapter 147
She’d known all along–Joanna was the mastermind behind today’s disaster.
Ignoring Joanna, Celestine looked straight at Dahlia, whose rage burned the brightest. “I have nothing to say. Call the police if you want. As for the divorce, I welcome it.”
“You wretched woman! Divorce would be too easy on you, wouldn’t it? You think I don’t have the guts to call the police? Celestine, you disgrace! I’ll make sure you learn your lesson today!” Dahlia’s fury had reached a breaking point.
Serena had planned to stay out of it, but as soon as she heard talk of involving the police, she knew this was no joke.
If anything went wrong, it wouldn’t just embarrass them all–it would ruin the Fordham family’s name for good.
“Mom, today’s Grandpa’s birthday dinner–please, don’t make a bigger scene,” Serena tried to intervene.
“Enough! Why do you keep getting in my way? Did that woman dig up some dirt on you, is that it?”
“No… No, I’m just thinking of the family.”
“If that’s true, then keep your mouth shut!” Dahlia snapped, shooting Serena a glare before turning to Joanna, who was sobbing so pitifully it almost seemed staged. “Joanna, aren’t you always the one who dotes on Raymond the most? If you really care about him, pick up the phone and call the police for me!”
Joanna’s sobs caught in her throat. She looked helplessly at Chester.
Chester fell silent, weighing his options.
If he didn’t choose between divorce and calling the police, his mother might actually threaten suicide again–she’d done it before, and his father could never control her. If things spiraled any further, it would stain the Fordham name forever.
But divorce was out of the question. Celestine was still pregnant with his child.
If they split now, the consequences would be unimaginable.
As for calling the police… Well, it wasn’t exactly a minor incident, but it wasn’t entirely serious either. In the end, they could have Raymond write a letter of forgiveness, and with the Fordham legal team, Celestine might not spend a single day behind bars.
But it was clear–his mother wanted Celestine to suffer, and she wasn’t going to make things easy.
