Chapter 488 Put Away Your Hypocritical Appearance
Carol heard the crying and came out of the kitchen to find Leo and Ayla facing off, with Jerold sobbing uncontrollably nearby.
She frowned and quickly stepped forward. "Guys, if you need to argue, don't do it in front of Jerold."
Ayla spoke coldly, "Leo and I are already divorced."
Carol was taken aback, staring at them in disbelief. "Is that true?"
Jerold's crying paused for a moment when he heard the word "divorce," then he started wailing even louder.
Ayla, irritated by his crying, snapped, "Why are you crying? All you do is cry! What else can you do besides cry?"
Jerold was startled by her outburst but didn't stop crying; instead, he cried even harder.
Leo took a deep breath and looked at Carol. "Take Jerold to his room and pack his things. I'll be taking him with me."
Carol was stunned. "What do you mean? You're taking Jerold?"
"Yes, I have custody."
Carol instinctively looked at Ayla, who remained silent with a cold expression, confirming Leo's words.
She sighed. They could decide to divorce on a whim, but Jerold had no say in the matter.
"Understood." She carried the still-crying Jerold upstairs, leaving Ayla and Leo alone in the living room.
"Ayla, I won't let you near Jerold again. You won't have another chance to hurt him."
"Hurt Jerold? If you hadn't insisted on the divorce, would he be hurt? This is all your fault. Don't try to pin it on me."
Leo didn't bother arguing further. Ayla wouldn't listen to anything he said anyway. Besides, they were divorced now, and he had no obligation to her.
He sat down on the couch, waiting for Carol to finish packing Jerold's things.
In less than half an hour, Carol came downstairs with a suitcase, and Jerold followed, sniffling. Somehow, Carol had managed to calm him down enough to accept leaving with Leo.
"Mr. Leo, Jerold's things are packed. If anything is missing, call me, and I'll send it over."
Leo nodded. "Thanks."
If anything was missing, he would buy new things for Jerold. He had no intention of coming back.
He looked at Jerold and asked, "Do you want to say goodbye to your mom?"
Jerold's tears started falling again. He looked at Leo, sniffling, "Dad, I don't want to leave Mom. Can't you two stay together?"
Even though Ayla had been harsh to him before, he still didn't want to leave her.
Leo's expression remained cold. "No, you have to come with me today."
Jerold's lip quivered as he slowly walked over to Ayla. "Mom... please... come see me... Jerold will miss you."
Ayla's cold demeanor softened as she saw Jerold's tear-streaked face. No matter what, Jerold was her child, the one she had carried for nine months.
After a moment of silence, Ayla reached out and gently touched Jerold's head. "Jerold, listen to your dad when you're with him. If anyone bullies you or if you miss me, call me anytime."
"Mom... I don't want to leave you."
Jerold's eyes were red, and he looked at Ayla with a face full of sorrow.
At that moment, Ayla felt a strong sense of reluctance. The thought of not seeing Jerold again made her heart ache.
She hugged Jerold tightly and looked up at Leo. "Leo, I don't want your money. I want custody of Jerold!"
Now that they were divorced, Leo would likely remarry. When he had a new wife and children, there would be no place for Jerold in his home.
Leo looked at her coldly. "Ayla, are you crazy? Do you think I would give Jerold to you?"
Given that Ayla had previously hit Jerold and fed him food he was allergic to, Leo would never let Jerold stay with her.
"Jerold is my child. Why should you take him? You're going after Sharon anyway. Why do you need Jerold?"
If he truly ended up with Sharon and had new children, seeing Jerold might remind him of Ayla and make him resent Jerold.
Determined, Ayla said, "I won't hit him or mistreat him anymore. He's my child, and I won't let you take him."
Leo sneered. "Now you're pretending to be a loving mother? I won't give you another chance to hurt Jerold."
He stepped forward to take Jerold from her arms.
Ayla refused to let go, and as they struggled, Jerold started crying again.
Carol couldn't stand it any longer. "Enough! Can't you see you're scaring Jerold?"
She took Jerold from Ayla and looked at both of them. "Ms. Bridges, Mr. Wendy, I know I'm just a housekeeper, but you need to decide who Jerold will stay with. Your divorce has already hurt him, and now you're arguing in front of him. You're adults; be responsible for your child."
Ayla took a deep breath and looked at Leo. "I'll be good to Jerold. You're busy running a company and don't have time for him. I'm going abroad soon. Jerold should stay with me."
Leo's face remained stern.
He didn't trust Ayla and had no intention of giving Jerold to her.
Seeing his silence, Ayla bit her lip and looked at Carol. "Take Jerold to the study for a while."
Carol nodded and left with Jerold.
Ayla looked up at Leo. "I hit Jerold and gave him hazelnut cake to make him allergic, hoping to see you and save our marriage. Now that we're divorced, why would I want to mistreat him? He's my son. I'm begging you, give me custody of Jerold."
Leo's expression was mocking. "Ayla, stop pretending. You hurt Jerold to force me to see you. You could do it again for other reasons."
"Your so-called love for Jerold will always come after your own interests. How could I ever give Jerold to you?"
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