Chapter 464 Life is Full of Helplessness
After ditching Dorothy's place, Susan headed straight to the office. She hadn't shown up for a few days and was stressing out. Plus, she wasn't in any rush to deal with Carol.
The second Susan walked in, Isabella jumped up. "Oh my God, Susan, you're finally here!"
"Is something up at the office?" Susan asked, eyebrows raised.
"Nah, nothing major. With me on watch, what could go wrong? It's just that the responsibility feels like a ton of bricks," Isabella said, following Susan into her office.
Susan plopped down in her chair, leaned back, and stared at the ceiling, feeling like this was the only place she could chill.
Isabella gave her a once-over and asked, "Why do you look so beat? Is dealing with your in-laws that rough?"
Susan just gave a tired smile and stayed quiet.
Isabella pressed on, "What's the deal? Did Carol give you grief again?"
Before Susan could reply, her phone buzzed.
She pulled it out and saw Seb's name. She frowned, thinking, 'Great, he's probably calling to grill me.'
Turning to Isabella, Susan said, "I gotta take this."
As soon as she answered, Seb's voice came through. "Where are you?"
Hearing the urgency, Susan kept her cool. "Just got Catherine and Dorothy out of the sanatorium. I'm at the office now."
Seb asked, "Are Catherine and Dorothy okay? I'll swing by another day."
"They're fine. You're busy; just forget it," Susan said, sounding drained.
Then Seb asked, "Did you have a spat with my mom today?"
Susan couldn't help but chuckle. "What? Did she call to tattle on me?"
After a brief pause, Seb replied, "She called and said you talked back and wants me home ASAP. I have a meeting, so I'll be back this afternoon."
Susan laughed. "You better hurry back. I really ticked her off this time. She's waiting for you to come back and defend her. You might as well give me a beating to vent her anger!"
Though her tone was playful, Susan's voice was tired. She felt completely worn out and didn't want to deal with Carol anymore.
After a moment, Seb said, "That's nonsense. A guy should never hit a woman, especially the one he loves!"
"If your mom won't drop it, what are you gonna do?" Susan wanted to know where he stood.
Even though Seb and Carol weren't super close, Seb was still a dutiful son. If Carol wouldn't let it go, Seb would be in a tough spot. She didn't want to make things harder for him, but she was at her wit's end.
"I know my mom's out of line this time. She's been giving you a hard time on purpose. So, I won't let her slide. I'll call her out. But you're still the younger one, so come home early tonight and smooth things over. I'll back you up, okay?" Seb's tone was gentle, trying to soothe Susan.
Susan thought it over. There wasn't a better option. She was relieved Seb got it. But Carol was still his mom. What could he really do?
After a long pause from Susan, Seb broke the silence. "Susan, my mom and I have never been super tight. I used to talk back to her all the time. But after we had Hayden, I finally got her hardship as a parent. When I was a kid, my mom was always hustling with her career and couldn't always be there for me. But I still remember her coming home dead tired and still taking care of me. So, these days, I try to cut her some slack. I know she can be a pain, but she's still my mom. Can you just hang in there for me?"
Susan felt a bit trapped but still said, "Alright, I'm doing this for you!"
"I know, and I'll make it up to you. You're the best wife," Seb quickly buttered her up.
"Okay, I'll come home tonight. I'm grabbing lunch with Isabella, and I'll be at the office this afternoon," Susan said.
"Cool, keep the lunch receipt. I'll pay you back when I get home," Seb said, sounding cheerful.
Susan chuckled, "I'll keep it. Bye."
With that, she hung up, feeling a bit lighter.
Isabella, wide-eyed, asked, "Did Carol really give you grief and then tattle to Seb?"
Susan gave a wry smile. "Yeah, I think she's trying to push me to ask Seb for a divorce, but that's not happening!"
Susan silently vowed, 'Seb is my guy, Hayden and Spring are my kids. No way am I letting Carol's plan work. I gotta protect my family and myself!'
"Why does Carol hate you so much? You've got two kids. Does she want them to grow up without a mom? I just don't get her," Isabella fumed.
"She thinks my background isn't good enough for her precious son. She thinks I won't help his career," Susan said, feeling down.
"She should at least ask her son's opinion, right? Last time, she and that Cynthia tried to set you up. If it weren't for that, you and Seb wouldn't have gone through so much crap. I think you should tell Seb the truth and just cut Carol out of your life," Isabella suggested.
Susan frowned. "How can I make Seb believe me based on something I overheard Kathy say? Carol will just deny everything."
"So what are you gonna do? You can't just let her mess with you every day," Isabella asked, worried.
"Luckily, Seb's still on my side. But because of Carol, he can't say much. I'll just have to tough it out for now; they'll be heading back to the central district soon," Susan said, feeling stuck.
Seeing Susan's mood drop, Isabella said, "It's lunchtime. Let's not dwell on this. Let's go get some French food. It's been a while!"
"Okay," Susan agreed, trying to cheer up.
After a tasty French meal, venting her frustrations, and catching a nap on the office sofa, Susan woke up to tackle some work. By then, it was getting late.
Even though she dreaded facing Carol, Susan knew she had to go home, so she left the office with Isabella.
By the time Susan stepped into Seb's villa, night had already fallen.
Entering the foyer, Susan lowered her head and changed her shoes.
Kathy suddenly walked over, looking worried, and whispered to Susan, "Mrs. Carol Anderson and Mr. Seb Anderson are back. Both of them are really upset!"
Hearing this, Susan looked up and saw Kathy's anxious eyes. Her heart skipped a beat. It made sense that Carol was mad, but Seb too?
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