"Maybe I've been too harsh on Chloe…." Judith pondered. She thought she did a great job teaching Chloe how to be a good woman and wife, so her husband wouldn't leave her, just like what Chloe and Chelsea's father did to them.
Judith realized that sometimes Chloe looked sad—too sad for a woman who married a handsome, loyal, and loving billionaire.
But she didn't tell Judith, and Judith didn't want to ask because she was afraid it'd break the small paradise they created after Chloe hit the jackpot and married a man like Vincent.
Judith remembered how devastated she was when Vincent came to her and said that Chloe ran away with another man because he was too busy with his work as a CEO.
He looked so heartbroken that Judith instantly took his side.
"I called her a whore at that time. What was I thinking?" Judith asked herself. She was so angry and disappointed in her second daughter when she confronted her. That word just slipped out of her mouth, something she truly regretted after Chloe left the apartment.
She tried calling her daughter many times after that incident. She wanted to apologize for what she said. She regretted how she would have handled the situation better and persuaded Chloe to return to Vincent, so things would return to normal and everyone would be happy once more.
But she got blocked. Everyone in the family got blocked by Chloe as if she just wanted to cut ties with her own family, which only piled the regret even more for Judith.
"Now I don't know what to do. We're stuck in this situation. Without Chloe's presence, things become really bad somehow…."
While Judith was lamenting about this whole thing, the boys knocked on the door before opening it from outside.
"We're home, Gran!"
Judith turned her head towards the little boys standing near the door. She smiled at them as always, but her smile faltered when she saw Aaron's cheek. It was swollen red as if someone had struck him hard.
And that someone was obviously the female Joker who called her mother an old bitch just now.
The boys went to the kitchen to drink a glass of water, but Judith called Aaron, "Aaron, come here."
"Um…" Aaron walked towards the wicker chair and stood at the side. He looked up to his Gran, waiting for an order.
Judith pinched his chin and lifted the boy's head so she could see the swollen cheek better. She squinted and asked, "Who did this?"
"…" Aaron dared not to answer. He was scared that his mother would beat him even harder if he dared to report it to Gran.
"It's your mother, isn't it?"
"…"
"It's okay, I won't do anything if you say yes."
Aaron finally hesitated. He nodded reluctantly and replied, "I'm fine, Gran."
"You're not fine. Let me get some ice first."
Judith treated the swollen cheek with ice. The little boy winced in pain a few times but always shut his mouth, afraid that making noises would only further infuriate his mother.
Judith sighed when she saw this. Her heart was aching, but she didn't know what to do against her unstable daughter. It felt like Chelsea was on her way to being truly deranged.
'Is it because of Tommy's absence? I don't think Chelsea actually loved him enough to care for him when he was gone. Tommy has no job, and spends his time loitering around the city with no purpose.'
'Or is it because of Vincent? But I don't think Vincent did anything to Chelsea before. It's just Chelsea who starts having funny ideas about him when he started helping us after Chloe left.'
…
'Or is it because of Chloe?' Judith pondered. 'Chelsea has always been jealous of Chloe's beauty. She was also jealous of her when Chloe got the scholarship to go to an elite private high school. She also got envious when Chloe brought Vincent into our old apartment. She got very bitter when Chloe married the most perfect bachelor in New York….'
…
To be honest, Judith already knew the answer. Chelsea's deranged behavior came from her crazy jealousy towards her own sister.
But at the same time, Judith also couldn't do anything to solve this problem. Sister's jealousy was normal to some extent, and she thought Chelsea would eventually grow out of it.
'Who would've expected that she would become like this just because of envy?'
"Gran…"
"Yes?"
"Will Mommy get better?" Aaron asked. "She is so cruel these days…."
"… I don't know, Aaron," Judith replied honestly. It was too late to lie to the boy at this point because he had been hit plenty of times already. All the boys had been hit by Chelsea. She really didn't hold back against any of them.
In fact, it seemed that Chelsea liked seeing the boys cower in fear under her abuse, and all of this happened after she got attacked. Vincent started paying more attention to her.
Aaron lowered his head pitifully. He said nothing, but the trace of sadness in his eyes lingered, "I hope I can be with Aunty. She is kind, and she never yells or beats me."
Judith's heartbeat skipped for a second. She just realized that Aaron must be with Chelsea when she met with Chloe in the hospital.
"Did you meet with your Aunt?"
"Yeah, after Mommy hit me, I ran to the parking lot and met Aunt Chloe there," Aaron replied.
"Is she alright? How does she look?" Judith asked.
"Um…" Aaron lifted his head again and tried to remember Aunt Chloe's face, which was actually a bit different from what he used to see. "Aunt Chloe is not sick anymore. She is not too pale, and not too thin. Aunty brought me to her car and bought me many snacks and soda. I wish I could keep the chocolate bars…."
Judith had a spark of hope upon hearing Aaron's explanation, "Did she tell you something about her life and condition? Did she give you something, maybe her location, or her phone number?"
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