Chapter 87 You Hit Me
"Dorothy, when did you get here?" Susan asked, surprised.
Dorothy had just gone upstairs, so why was she back? Susan was confused.
Dorothy held up some change, tears streaming down her face. "I got you your favorite cake because you were upset with Mom. But then I heard you telling Henry to stay away from me?!"
Seeing Dorothy so upset, Susan quickly grabbed her hand. "Dorothy, let me explain..."
But Dorothy, caught up in her crush, wouldn't listen. She yanked her hand away and shouted, "What do you need to explain? Are you afraid if Henry likes me, he won't like you anymore?"
Susan stared at her in disbelief. "What are you talking about?"
"You told me you had no interest in Henry, so why are you stopping us now?" Dorothy yelled.
Susan, stunned, replied, "Henry's not important. You need to focus on your studies - he's way too old for you. Ten years is a huge difference at your age! You're just infatuated, you don't know what you want yet."
"Stop using excuses. You used to look down on Henry because you had Seb. Now that Seb divorced you, you're thinking about Henry again and afraid he'll like me!" Dorothy shouted.
Susan couldn't take it anymore and slapped Dorothy.
"You hit me?" Dorothy covered her face, tears streaming.
Susan looked at her trembling hand, regretting her impulsiveness but more heartbroken that Dorothy saw her this way.
Dorothy was the sister she had helped raise, the one she had supported for years. Dorothy actually saw her as selfish and hypocritical. It hurt too much.
If someone else had said this, Susan could have shrugged it off, but Dorothy was her sister. They had depended on each other for years.
Dorothy ran into the hallway in anger.
Susan stood there, feeling weak, her legs giving way. She sat on the stairs for a long time before slowly getting up and climbing the steps.
As soon as she walked in, Catherine's reproachful voice came through.
"Susan, why did you hit Dorothy?" Catherine had also been upset with Susan, still angry about her decision to divorce Seb.
"Dorothy was wrong, so I disciplined her," Susan said weakly.
Catherine's reproach came down like a storm. "Dorothy was wrong, you can talk to her, but why did you hit her?"
"She retorted, so I hit her." Susan didn't bother to explain. She knew it was pointless.
"I'm your mother; if you retorted me, should I hit you too?" Catherine said angrily, slapping the table.
"Mom, that's different! I just don't want Dorothy dating so early," Susan said, frustrated.
"Dorothy's in college. What's wrong with her dating?" Catherine insisted.
"She should focus on her studies. She needs to rely on herself. Men are unreliable," Susan explained.
Catherine sneered, "You've been relying on yourself all these years, and now you don't even have a job!"
That hit Susan hard. She clutched her chest. "Mom, even though I don't have great skills, haven't I been supporting you all these years?"
Susan couldn't understand why Catherine and Dorothy, who had always been close to her, were suddenly against her.
"Are you saying I'm useless and can't support you?" Catherine seemed hurt, her voice trembling.
"I didn't mean that," Susan said softly, then dejectedly went to her room.
The next few days were tense and silent at home. Dorothy, young and blinded by love, misunderstood Susan. Catherine, with her conservative views, couldn't forgive Susan for the divorce.
Susan, though strong-willed, was fragile inside. She couldn't provide a good life for herself and her family but clung to her pride, which made her suffer.
In the end, Susan decided to move out temporarily and focus on finding a job, hoping to improve their lives.
Early one morning, after Catherine and Dorothy had left, Susan also left with her suitcase.
She left $5,000 out of the $6,000 she had for Catherine and Dorothy's living expenses for the next two months. She also left a note saying she had found a job far from home, with the company providing food and accommodation. She would come back during the holidays.
Since she hadn't found a job yet, Susan temporarily moved into Isabella's rental apartment.
That night, after a shower, Susan, in her pajamas, chatted with Isabella on her bed.
"Sorry, Isabella, I might have to stay here for a while," Susan said. She only had $1,000 left, just enough for food.
"Why are you so reserved? If it weren't for you, I might have been fired by Prosperity Group. As long as you don't mind the poor conditions here, after all, you've lived in luxury homes!" Isabella laughed, glancing at her small room.
It was a cramped two-bedroom split three ways, shared with two other families. Bathroom and kitchen were communal, but at least Susan had a roof over her head.
Hearing this, Susan lay back on the pillow and muttered, "For me, it was nothing but a dream."
"Hey, do you still keep in touch with Seb?" Isabella suddenly nudged Susan's shoulder.
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