Chapter 42 Confronting the 'Other Woman'
Cecily had no interest in dealing with Darian, but the persistent knocking wouldn't cease.
She rolled over, attempting to muffle the sound by burying her head under a pillow, but to no avail. Sighing in resignation, she flung the pillow aside and reluctantly got up.
Striding towards the door, she swung it open to find Darian awake. The old lady and the paramedics hadn't left either.
Darian, weak on his feet and with bloodshot eyes, pinned Cecily with an icy stare.
The old lady was frantic. "Young lady, enough with your tantrums. Your boyfriend's in bad shape and stubbornly refusing to go to the hospital. Please, talk some sense into him."
Cecily took a deep breath. "He's not my boyfriend."
The old lady glanced at Darian's equally stern face, utterly baffled by the complexities of young love.
Cecily sighed. It was pointless to have everyone milling around in the dead of night.
With no other option, Cecily extended a hand to support Darian, apologizing to the others. "Sorry for the trouble, folks. I'll take care of this pain in the neck."
"Are you sure you don't want to go to the hospital, sir?" One of them asked.
"No need," Darian said firmly.
Hospitals were just a temporary fix. Revisiting them time and again served no real purpose.
His gaze fleetingly touched the woman next to him, who seemed so utterly indifferent.
Cecily shot him back with an eyeroll.
The doctor had already checked him over; he fainted from sheer exhaustion. Seeing as he was awake and refusing hospital care, they advised him to be cautious and left.
Once the doorway cleared, Cecily stared at Darian, then begrudgingly helped him back to his room.
After dumping him onto the couch, she planted her hands on her hips, panting. "Darian, thought you were tough, huh? Didn't need my help, right? What changed that you're seeking me out now?"
Darian lifted his feverish gaze to meet hers. "You really are heartless."
"Heartless?" Cecily scoffed. "I'm but an amateur compared to the great Mr. Fitzgerald in that regard."
As she spoke, Cecily pulled the tools she needed from the box and said with a stern look, "Lie down."
The only reason Cecily bothered with him was for fear he'd pass out in her home.
This time, Darian was obedient. He leaned back on the couch, letting Cecily work her medical magic.
Soon after, Darian sighed deeply and slowly closed his eyes.
An hour later, Cecily tidied up the tools. After looking at Darian, now sound asleep on her couch, she breathed a sigh of relief.
Griffin stumbled out of his room. After rubbing his eyes, he was shocked to see Darian there. "Mommy, why is he here?"
Cecily quickly covered Griffin's mouth. Thankfully, Darian slept deeply and wasn't easily disturbed. It wouldn't do if he woke up to find Griffin here.
She ushered Griffin back to his room.
"Mommy, what's going on?"
"He got sick and fainted right at our doorstep. I had to bring him in," she whispered. "Griffin, stay in your room; don't come out unless I say, okay?"
Griffin nodded, understanding the gravity of the situation. "Don't worry, Mommy, I get it."
"You should get some more sleep."
Just then, the sharp ring of the phone sliced through the silence in the living room.
Cecily frowned, finished her instructions to Griffin, and then stepped out. She glanced at Darian's phone resting on the couch.
Ophelia's name was flashing on the screen. Cecily glanced once and decided not to bother.
The phone stopped after a while, only to start up again with a second call, then a third... The caller was persistent, seemingly set on not giving up tonight.
Cecily eyed Darian and furrowed her brow. She couldn't have him stay over; they needed to come to pick him up.
After all, it would be troublesome if Griffin saw Darian when getting ready for school tomorrow.
Reluctantly, she picked up the phone. "Darian, where are you?" Ophelia's frantic voice came through. "Your mom and I have been waiting for you to come home."
Cecily’s voice was icy as she stated bluntly, "He passed out over here. Come pick him up later."
"Who is this? Cecily?!"
Ophelia's voice rose sharply; Cecily could almost see Ophelia's expression through the phone.
Cecily pulled the phone away as Ophelia's shrill voice remained piercingly clear.
"Why is Darian at your place? Did you seduce him?"
"Can't you understand? He came to my house and fainted here! At! My! Place!" Cecily emphasized deliberately.
"That's because you lured him there. Why else would he go to your house?"
"I..." Cecily was about to burst into laughter but before she could speak, Ophelia's crazed voice cut her off.
"You're relentless, aren't you? Trying to get close to Darian! You just want to shatter my happiness, Cecily, you conniving woman. Where are you? Give me your address, right now, immediately!"
Communication was impossible.
Cecily remained silent for a few seconds, dismissing Ophelia's furious tirades as she hung up the phone.
On the other end, Ophelia shouted desperately, "Cecily! Cecily!"
Seeing Ophelia's frantic demeanor, Sandra immediately asked, "What happened? Weren't you calling Darian? Why are you shouting Cecily’s name?"
Ophelia sniffed, her eyes red as she looked at Sandra, "Aunt Sandy, I tried calling Darian, but Cecily picked up. She said Darian was with her. Is she trying to provoke me? Is she planning to steal Darian away from me again?"
Sandra’s face darkened instantly, "That woman is trouble."
"Aunt Sandy, what should I do? What on earth should I do? I can't leave Darian with her; who knows what tricks she'll play to win him back? Aunt Sandy..."
Sandra patted Ophelia's hand, her eyes gleaming with dark intensity, "Don't panic, I'm here. I won't let her get away with this. She'll never step foot in the Fitzgerald household ever again."
"But... but..." Ophelia broke into a panicked sob.
Not only had Darian stood up for Cecily at the mall today, but he also rushed to her house later that evening. His actions left Ophelia filled with an undeniable sense of dread.
Sandra kept reassuring Ophelia, pondering for a moment with a hardening gaze. "If Cecily dares to lure my son, she's going to pay for it," she declared with steely resolve.
She grabbed her phone and dialed swiftly, "Find Cecily’s address for me. Make it quick."
After the call, Sandra's eyes bore into Ophelia's, "How dare she seduce Darian! Does she enjoy being a homewrecker? We're going to tear her apart! That tramp!"
A surge of elation filled Ophelia's eyes, and she couldn't help but throw herself into Sandra's embrace, "Thank you, Aunt Sandra."
Sandra patted Ophelia's back, "Don't worry, you're the daughter-in-law I've always approved of. I will always stand by you."
Ophelia nodded vigorously, her eyes brimming with tears, yet behind them lay a glint of smugness.
She had seen Sandra's tactics in action and knew beyond a doubt that Sandra would not let Cecily off easy.
‘Cecily, just wait! You dare to steal my man; you're finished!’
At that moment, Rowan, kneeling on the ground copying family rules, clenched his fists in silence.
'Mommy is in danger. These two villains want to harm Mommy.' Rowan thought.
Rowan stood up resolutely.
Seeing this, Sandra's eyes filled with displeasure, and she demanded sharply, "Did you finish copying the rules a hundred times? Who said you could stand? Have you lost all sense of discipline?"
Log in with Google Account
Chapters
Favorite
Settings
