Chapter 35 Don't Leave
Yvette was not aware of Lassie and the others' exact situation, so she could only try to reassure them for the time being.
"Don't worry, just hold on. I'll be there soon. Don't get into any conflicts with others; there are older adults and children there, and it's too dangerous. Wait for me; I'm coming right away."
After ending the call, Yvette told Victor, "I'm sorry, I have something urgent to attend to right now. I need to go in."
Yvette didn't even look at Victor's expression as she turned and hurried away. She was extremely anxious, not knowing what had happened to Lassie, and could only hope that they were fine.
She anxiously arrived at the lakeside and saw from a distance a group of people forming a circle, with staff members from the store trying to mediate.
Yvette's mom, Lassie, who had a bad temper, was tightly grabbing a woman's clothes and shouting, "What kind of attitude is this? You can't just walk away after bumping into someone."
She kept pushing and shoving the woman, who looked very fragile and on the verge of tears.
At that moment, the man who had been standing between Lassie and the woman couldn't help but tightly grab Lassie's arm.
"She didn't mean it, and she has already apologized to you. Are you targeting her just for money? Tell me, how much money do you want?"
His face occasionally appeared in the crowd, and when he looked up, his expression was indifferent. His voice was as cold as winter snow, and the way he looked at Lassie was filled with disdain, as if he were looking at a beggar.
The person having a conflict with Lassie is Violet, and the man standing in front of Violet is Yvette's husband, Albert.
Albert is actually the son-in-law that Lassie had just asked Yvette to call over.
At this moment, Lassie felt insulted by Albert's words and became even more agitated.
"You think I'm after money? She was careless and bumped into me, and now she wants to leave. She didn't sincerely apologize! Is it wrong for me to ask for a sincere apology? How dare you insult me? Do you think having money makes you superior? Do you think you can bully people just because you're rich?" Lassie shouted, "Wait for my daughter and son-in-law to come! Don't think money can solve everything!"
The argument grew louder, and the other members of the Orlando family also started to argue. Yvette's nephew, Kyle, was frightened by the increasingly out-of-control family members and began to cry.
Seeing Kyle cry made Lassie even angrier, and she was almost ready to fight.
Watching this chaotic scene, Yvette felt a string in her mind being pulled to its limit and then suddenly snapping. She felt overwhelmed by various emotions and everything that had happened flashed through her mind like a fast-forwarded movie, causing her intense headache.
She felt extremely embarrassed and walked into the crowd, standing in front of Lassie to stop the argument.
Seeing Albert and Violet's intimate behavior, her heart felt shattered by the lakeside wind. Her hands couldn't help but tremble, but she still tried to muster some courage.
"Albert, this is my mom," Yvette's voice trembled slightly.
Her words brought silence to everyone present.
Everyone looked at each other.
Lassie, who had just looked like she was ready to fight Albert, was stunned when she heard Yvette call out his name. Her face turned red and then white.
Just moments ago, she had been boasting in front of others about how great her son-in-law and daughter were, but now, her son-in-law was helping another woman humiliate her. The more she thought about it, the angrier she became, feeling all the blood rush to her head.
With a cold face, she grabbed Yvette and frowned, asking, "Is he Albert?"
Yvette weakly glanced at Albert and silently nodded.
Suddenly, Lassie raised her hand and slapped Yvette's face.
The slap left everyone stunned, and they all looked at Yvette and Lassie.
Yvette's mind went blank, and she just stared at Lassie in a daze.
Lassie was so angry that her lips trembled, and her anger seemed to burst out of her body like flames. She harshly scolded, "Yvette, is this the man you chose? Is this my son-in-law? Are you out of your mind?"
As she spoke, she raised her hand to slap Yvette's other cheek, but Wayne and Zora quickly stepped in to stop her.
"Mom, don't hit Yvette, she's pregnant!"
Lassie glared and loudly accused Yvette, "He has a girlfriend and is defending another woman. How can you call him your husband?"
Lassie grew increasingly agitated and grabbed Yvette, ready to leave. "I knew it. How could you sneak off to get married when you're already pregnant? Neither of the families has met, showing a complete lack of respect towards you and our family. It turns out he's involved with another woman as well. Yvette, come with me right now. I'm taking you to the hospital to terminate this pregnancy! Even if you can't find someone else to marry, you should never marry a man like him!"
Yvette, being dragged by Lassie, felt both shocked and ashamed. Her face turned red from embarrassment, and she stood there, not knowing what to say.
She couldn't argue with Lassie and could only let her vent her anger. She believed it was her fault for making Lassie lose face in front of everyone.
Lassie was right. After the accident, Albert went to the hospital with Violet. Now, meeting her family, he was still entangled with Violet and even conflicted with Lassie to defend her. She couldn't deceive herself any longer.
The mask Yvette had been wearing was torn off at this moment. No matter how much she tried to bury her head in the sand like an ostrich, she couldn't escape reality anymore.
Yvette felt suffocated, tasting bitterness in her mouth. She bit her lip and finally raised her head, pretending to be strong, and softly said, "Albert, my family and I will leave now."
From the moment the argument started to Yvette being slapped, everything happened too quickly.
By the time Albert accepted the fact that Lassie was Yvette's mom, he saw the red marks on Yvette's cheek, which looked shocking on her skin.
He had never seen her with such an expression. She looked like a wounded animal, completely different from her usual calm demeanor. Her expression was one of shock, regret, shame, and disappointment.
She slightly turned her head and was about to follow Lassie.
The moment he turned around, he noticed the reddening and moist shimmer in her eyes that she was bravely holding back.
An oppressive sensation settled in his chest instantly.
A strong premonition raced through his mind that if he let her leave today, perhaps she would never return. His actions preceded his cognition; before he could rationalize, his hand had already grasped her arm.
"Where do you think you're going?" His composed yet chilling voice carried an unquestionable dominance. "Yvette, don't leave."
