Chapter 326 Loathing the Villain
In the living room, everyone else instantly turned their attention toward them.
Darwin rose to his feet and strode over immediately, "What's happening?"
Chicago snapped back to reality when he heard Darwin’s voice, furrowing her brows with deep concern.
"Chicago, are you feeling alright?" Darwin asked softly.
"I don't like you, Darwin—get out of here!" Chicago suddenly stood up, glaring at him.
"Get rid of him! He's a bad man! I don't want him here!" Chicago was intensely agitated.
Thalassa, who'd known the boy a long time, had never seen Chicago react like this.
"Brother, what’s going on?" Charles reached out for Chicago's hand.
Welling up with tears, Chicago looked at Charles. With a pout, he burst into tears, leaving everyone at a loss for what to do.
Just as Fiona finished changing clothes, she heard Chicago’s crying and rushed out.
"Chicago..." Fiona had never heard such desperate crying from him.
"Mommy!" Chicago let go of Charles and ran toward Fiona.
Thinking he needed a hug, Fiona reached out to embrace him, but Chicago gently guided her back toward the house, "Mommy, go back inside, hurry!"
"Chicago..." Darwin was utterly baffled. Just a moment ago, they were playing happily—what happened all of a sudden?
"Don't let him near Mommy!" Spreading his arms wide, Chicago positioned himself protectively in front of Fiona. Sobbing, he shouted at Darwin, "Meanie Darwin, I won't let you bully my mommy! Go away! I never want to see you again!"
"Honey, Darwin isn't hurting Mommy," Fiona reassured, finally realizing the source of Chicago’s sudden outburst. She crouched down, turned him to face her eye to eye.
"I saw everything!" Chicago cried in distress, "I’m sorry, Mommy, it's my fault—I let the wolf in..."
Fiona was almost moved to laughter and tears.
At that moment, Thalassa was the first to react. She pulled out her smartphone and was immediately greeted by the video of Darwin and Fiona's heated exchange at the hospital from the day before.
"Crap..." Thalassa was genuinely at a loss for words.
Trouble really does come when you least expect it.
"She must've seen you two arguing yesterday," Thalassa answered with a heavy sigh.
Darwin's face went deathly pale. Chicago despised him...
Fiona suddenly understood. She turned to Chicago. "Honey, can you try to stop crying for mommy?"
Chicago shook her head amidst her sobs, "I...I can't stop..."
"Please, everyone, step outside for a moment," Fiona glanced around the room, "Charles, you stay."
Darwin left last, his expression grave. The living room fell silent.
Fiona gently wiped Chicago's tears, "Sweetheart, take a deep breath for mommy, okay? Stop crying and let's talk, alright?"
After several deep breaths, Chicago began to settle down.
"There's my good girl," Fiona soothed, caressing her cheek, "Chicago, Darwin wasn't bullying mommy. Grown-ups argue sometimes, it doesn't mean he's being mean to me, and you shouldn't dislike Darwin because of it, understand?"
Chicago sniffled, shook her head, and declared with conviction, "I don't understand!"
Fiona was at her wit's end. Darwin wasn't even causing trouble today.
If he thought she was teaching Chicago to dislike him, he would go ballistic.
"Charles, could you please help mommy talk to your sister?" she pleaded with Charles.
Charles looked down and said, "He was bullying you."
Fiona was speechless.
"Yeah, he was!" Backed by her brother, Chicago's voice grew louder and more confident, "Chicago won't like the big meanie anymore!"
With that, she grabbed the paint set Darwin had bought her, "I don't want this either, I don't want any of it!"
"Chicago!" Fiona's voice sharpened.
Chicago stiffened her neck, turned away, and defiantly cried.
"Why are you picking up your godmother's habits?" Fiona frowned, "If you're not going to be calm, go to the little balcony and think. When you're ready to talk, you can come back to mommy."
"I won't calm down!"
With that, Chicago dramatically stormed off, heading for 'time out' on her own.
She hated time outs.
The only other time she had a time out was when she punched and kicked another child for teasing her about not having a dad, quickly crying and apologizing after Fiona's punishment.
That was after some kids made fun of her for not having a dad. She had responded with a punch and two kicks — moves she learned from Stuart's close combat lessons.
And here she was, in trouble again, and it was about her dad.
"Mommy, you shouldn't punish sister," Charles said after Chicago had gone, dissent clear in his voice, "We only see what's on this video. The unseen ways he might be bullying you, there must be more!"
"Charles, this is between mom and him. As long as he truly cares for you and loves you, you need to accept him as your dad," Fiona said solemnly. "I don't want you two growing up with hatred toward him. Do you understand?"
"Not really. Is Mom going to make me stand in the corner too?" Charles was clearly upset about Fiona punishing Chelsea.
"Charles..." Fiona sighed in frustration.
Charles didn't respond, but hung his head as he walked towards the little balcony.
Fiona could hear Chelsea still crying, and Charles was softly comforting her.
Fiona stood up with her head throbbing. She walked to the door and opened it.
"All better?" Janna glanced inside. "Where are they?"
"She’s in time-out," Fiona replied.
"Time-out?" Janna immediately became angry. "Chelsea, are you serious? Chelsea stood up for you, and you know she hates being in time-out. Why would you punish her for his sake?"
"Exactly, the poor kid is so upset!" Stuart stomped his foot in agreement.
"No one goes in," Fiona insisted, her brow furrowed.
"Chelsea!" Janna exclaimed, slapping her thigh in frustration but reluctant to scold her own family. She turned and pointed at Darwin, "Darwin, are you happy now? Even a child can see you've gone too far, picking on my granddaughter. You two are heartless, messing up adult issues and now letting my Chelsea pay for it!"
"Grandma Rhoads..." Darwin's brow was deeply furrowed as he looked toward Fiona. "Don't punish her!"
"This is outrageous!" Thalassa, furious and disregarding Fiona's words, barged in and ran to the little balcony.
"Godmother..." Charles called out.
Thalassa's eyes brimmed with tears of sympathy. "Chelsea, your parents are cruel. Forget them, I'll take you with me," she declared, reaching out to embrace her.
But Chelsea, still crying, firmly refused to budge. "I won't go!"
"Godmother is here, your mom won't dare stop you," Thalassa assumed she was scared of Fiona.
Chelsea wiped her tears vigorously. "I'm not calm yet, I won't go!"
Charles let out a heavy sigh.
Thalassa's heart ached as she saw Chelsea cry like this, but in the next moment, her sympathy waned.
After a couple of sobs, Chelsea defiantly said, "My mom is not heartless! Godmother, you can't talk nonsense..."
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