Chloe left the Doctor's office feeling satisfied and proud of herself. She kept looking down, staring at her right hand, and clenched her fist a few times to ensure everything was alright.
"I survived," Chloe murmured as she let the realization sink in. "I survived his beating, and never apologized or begged even once."
"I fought back. I really fought back against that bastard...." Chloe's lips curled up. "I'm not that weak."
She wanted to scream to let out this overwhelming joy in her heart, but she was still in the hospital, so she went out silently and entered her car.
She finished her phone and took a quick photo of her right hand, then texted Vernon with the photo attached.
-
I'm all fine now.
-
It didn't take long for Vernon to call her.
--
"All good?" Vernon asked on the phone.
"Yes, all good. I can use my right hand now. Thank you for taking care of me, Vernon.'
"Don't worry about it. It's my duty as your husband--" Vernon stopped when he suddenly realized what he was about to say. There was a slight pause before he continued, "Anyway, I'm happy that you've recovered now. Let's celebrate it tonight!"
"Yes! I can't wait to go home and cook a lot of food!" Chloe was taken by the euphoria as well.
"I'm still at work right now. But damn, I can't wait to meet you and Mackie tonight," Vernon said.
"Hihi, work hard, darling. I'll meet you at home."
"Meet you later, my love."
Beep.
--
Madam Phoenix Gray didn't put the call on loudspeaker, but the volume was maxed out. Hence, the driver had to listen to their conversation involuntarily.
He couldn't help to feel weirded out when he heard his boss getting all sweet and giddy on the call. He sounded vastly different when he was facing his subordinates.
'I guess you become a completely different person when you're in love,' the driver thought.
"Where are we going next, Madam?" the driver asked.
Chloe was thinking for a moment. But her attention was stolen when she looked out the window and saw a child running out of the hospital and crying alone in the parking lot. He was around six years old and had a bruise on his cheek.
Chloe's eyes widened when she identified the little boy outside her car.
"AARON!" Chloe opened the car door and rushed to her oldest nephew.
Aaron looked up with his red eyes, and when he saw Aunt Chloe rushing towards him, his tears flooded like a broken dam, "AUNTY!"
Chloe crouched and hugged her nephew tightly before checking his bruise, "Oh my god! What happened to you? Why are you here alone? Where's your mother?!"
Aaron cried even harder when Chloe asked about Chelsea's whereabouts.
"Oh god, calm down okay? Let's find somewhere safe first," Chloe looked around to find a spot they could rest. But it was in the middle of the parking lot, so the only choice was to bring him into her car.
"Let's go inside Aunty's car, you can rest there and tell me what's wrong."
Aaron nodded, and Chloe grabbed his hand, leading the little boy into her car.
The driver was surprised when Madam Phoenix Gray entered the car with a little boy, "Madam, this is...."
"He's my nephew. Would you mind buying drinks and snacks for him?" Chloe asked.
"Yes, Madam."
Aaron was more relaxed once the driver left them alone. He still sobbed and still tried to cover his swollen cheek. He was in no good condition to speak, so Chloe continued hugging and rubbing his head until he felt at ease.
The driver returned with drinks and snacks but only gave the bag to Madam Phoenix Gray and stood outside, guarding the car.
"Here, drink first and eat some chocolate so you can feel better," Chloe offered.
Fortunately, Aaron cooperated and started drinking water and eating chocolate. It took him at least twenty minutes until he calmed down.
Chloe patted his head, asking, "What's wrong, Aaron? Why are you here? Where's your Mommy?"
"Mommy, it's Mommy...." Aaron repeated while rubbing his swollen cheek. "She hit me..."
Chloe's eyes widened, "She hit you?"
"Um..."
"How could she--" Chloe was speechless. She knew that Chelsea often yelled at her boys for being loud or naughty. But she never hit them.
'Did Aaron do something bad? But even if he did, it's still not right to hit a child until his cheek is swollen!' Chloe protested. "Do you know why you got hit by your Mommy?"
"Un, I told Mommy that her smile is scaring other kids. That's why every other kid is crying. Then she suddenly hit me, so I ran away...." Aaron said.
Chloe frowned. She could barely catch what the little boy had said just now.
"What do you mean that your Mommy's smile is scaring other kids? You know that's not very kind, right?"
"But I'm not lying!" Aaron insisted. "Mommy's smile makes everyone cry! Even Mike, Nathan, and Tony said Mommy is so scary now!"
Chloe got even more confused now that Aaron dragged his younger brothers into this.
"Aaron, your Mommy will get hurt if you keep saying that her smile is scary. You know it's not nice."
Aaron got annoyed because Aunt Chloe didn't believe him. He used the melted chocolate on his lips to draw a long line from each corner of his lips until it almost reached his earlobe, "Mommy has a scar like this!"
"Huh? A chocolate scar?"
"No-No! She looks like the Joker from Batman now! She has a creepy scar and looks very scary! You might cry if you see her too!" Aaron insisted.
Chloe started to catch what her nephew was trying to say, which scared her.
"D--Did something happen to your Mommy?"
"Yes! Mommy got hurt and has to stay in the hospital. She has a long scar on her cheek now! That's why she's scaring everyone!" Aaron stated. "Mommy is still in the hospital now, Aunty. I can bring you to her if you want to see. But don't be scared, because she might hit you too!"
This content is taken from fr(e)ewebn(o)vel.𝓬𝓸𝓶