--Loudspeaker--
But now, she stood up for herself and worked on what she wanted to achieve.
But the most important thing was she did this for Vernon, the son that Dorothea abused and abandoned when he was young.
And Dorothea knew Vernon deserved to have a good mother, or at least the one who actively tried to make amends with him.
'You really struck gold, Vernon,' Dorothea thought. 'You found a woman who cares for you so much, that she's still trying to reach out to me even though everyone else has discarded me, just to make sure that you can let go of your horrible past.'
'I don't know if this will work, but I will try to apologize. Just like how Chloe tries her hardest to fix our lives.'
"I can't believe I'll be doing this, but alright," Dorothea said. "I will meet him and say all the things I want to say. But I can't guarantee that he will forgive me. My sins are too much for most people to forgive...."
"I... I also can't guarantee that he will forgive you. But I just want him to know that his real mother is sorry for all of the things she did, and she's still actively trying to get an apology," Chloe said. "But it's worth the try."
"Okay, then set up the time for us to meet somewhere. I will be there," Dorothea said.
"R--Really? You'll go?"
"Yes, I'm doing this also to thank you for giving me a chance, Chloe."
"Oh, yes--yes! I should be the one who thank you!" Chloe said. She was so happy that she could explode right now. "Thank you for helping Vernon, I know that you took a huge risk by facing Vincent!"
"Hahaha, it doesn't matter, really," Dorothea chuckled as if she found it funny. "I just realized that I've been raising a monster this whole time. So it's also my responsibility to help take him down, so he won't hurt more people in the future."
"Anyway, I will try to sober up when I meet him. I've been a mess these days," Dorothea said. Her voice didn't sound sad anymore. She had regained some of her 'Madam Gray' vitality, and this was the first time Chloe felt happy to hear that arrogant tone in her voice.
That arrogant tone of Madam Gray sounded nice when she was on your side.
"Great! I'll tell you later about the time and location! You should lay low for now, I bet Vincent is searching for you right now."
"Of course, I got that information from my good friend," Dorothea claimed. "But it's fine. I can keep myself safe. I wont allow him to catch me, not before I can meet my family, right?"
"Anyway, I'll see you later. Bye, Chloe," Dorothea said. Before she hung up the call, she added, "And thank you, for everything."
Beep.
--Call ended--
Chloe put her phone on the coffee table and stood still like an idiot for a while. She didn't expect Vernon actually give in and allow her to call Dorothea.
She also didn't expect Dorothea to pick up the call, and in the end, agreed to meet and talk with Vernon.
Everything was so smooth, it made her wonder if she was dreaming right now.
She didn't mind if this was all a dream, though. After all, living with Vincent was like living in hell with Satan, and she'd prefer to never wake up if she wouldn't be able to find Vernon by her side.
"Right, Vernon."
Chloe turned around and dashed to Vernon's bedroom. She opened the door and saw the man she loved standing tall in front of her. He had a complicated mood which was reflected on his face.
But Chloe didn't care. All she wanted was to embrace him to share her happiness.
She threw her weight towards Vernon, and the man quickly caught her in his warm embrace and wrapped his arm around her waist.
"Vernon, thank you so much!" Chloe said while resting her head on Vernon's strong pecs. "Thank you for allowing me to call Dorothea. Thank you for giving in and allowing Dorothea to talk to you. Thank you for everything!"
Vernon stayed silent, but his heart felt so warm that he didn't even know what to say now.
Of course, he overheard Chloe's call with Dorothea. He didn't even need to eavesdrop because Chloe had been shouting the whole time as she couldn't contain her excitement. She also put the phone speaker on full volume.
Thus, he heard when Chloe said that her goal was to make Vernon happy and give him a happy family that he could rely on.
She said that he had been doing so much for her while she did nothing in return, and this was the way for her to make things even for them.
Vernon thought it was ridiculous, Chloe did so many things for him when he was young, and she did even more now by simply staying by his side.
She was his anchor, so her presence would keep him sane and happy, and seeing her face every day was enough for him to be content for the rest of his life.
'She doesn't even need to do anything, and I don't need Dorothea in my life. All I want is her, and Mackie. I just want a small family that I can love and trust. The one that will love me back as well,' Vernon thought. 'But... if this is your way to repay me, then I'm not mad. At least I know that my love is not one sided.'
'At least now I realize that you're always thinking about me. Just the thought of me living in your head is enough to make me forgive you about this whole Dorothea--thing.'
'I don't even care if I have to meet Dorothea now. As long as you're doing this for the sake of my happiness, then I'll be willing to do anything for you, including facing my own trauma.'
The 𝘮ost uptodat𝑒 novels are pub𝙡ished on fre(e)webno(v)el.𝒸𝑜𝘮