Yvonne shouted and stopped protesting as she cupped her cheek.
“You b*tch! How could you be so cruel as to steal my money and hit me?! You even pretended to be kind and stayed by my side, you sinister woman!”
“Hmph! She even hit me, let alone you!” The old master scoffed. “That’s not all. She even dressed like Niamh and poisoned the tea cakes! She thought I would never speak again, so she confessed when she beat me!”
“What?” Winston now came to know the truth behind the poisoning. “You’ve been beating the old master this entire time? You even poisoned him and shifted the blame to Niamh?!”
Instantly furious, he turned to slap Yvonne across the face!
“Ah!” Yvonne’s lips bled from the slaps and both her cheeks were donned with purple handprints.
“I’m ashamed to call you my niece, Yvonne Yaleman! What is wrong with you, you psychological pervert?!”
“She’s definitely wrong in the head. Or why would… she fall in love with her cousin? For Kendrick to like her, she did so much and shifted… the blame to Niamh so that… she could break them up!”
Winston and Karen were shocked when they heard the old master state the reason behind Yvonne’s actions.
Kendrick was shocked too, but Niamh appeared rather calm.
She had guessed long ago that the only reason this woman would go to such ruthless ends was because of her twisted love for Kendrick.
“You… How could you fall in love with Kendrick? You… You shameless b*tch!” Karen’s mind was going haywire as she raised an arm to slap her again.
Yvonne’s eyes hardened as she pushed Karen away.
“Shut up, you old witch!” She roared.
Karen widened her eyes. “You’re calling me an old witch?”
“So what if I am? That’s what you are, a dumb old witch! You spend the whole day thinking you’re so smart when in truth you’re just a f*cking idiot!”
Karen was infuriated beyond words. “What? You… You…”
“Why can’t I love Kendrick? A great man like Kendrick should have a smart woman like me by his side!”
Yvonne’s reddened eyes glared at Niamh like she had been possessed by the devil.
“You have no right, Niamh! You’re not worthy to be with Kendrick!”
“There will be no other woman who will ever own my heart. Niamh is the only one. The unworthy person is me,” Kendrick spoke calmly, his words dealing the most fatal blow to Yvonne.
She clenched her fists indignantly before suddenly turning to push Karen harshly out of the way. She then ran toward the gates.
“Ow!” Caught off guard, Karen knocked into Winston.
“Take care of Grandfather, Nia. I’ll catch her.” Kendrick immediately ran after her.
“That b*tch! I should never have taken care of such an unfilial rascal!” Karen shouted.
The care worker looked at Niamh sheepishly from behind the old master’s wheelchair. “My apologies, Miss Delgado. I’ve misunderstood you.”
“My name’s Eveline Montgomery. You can call me Miss Montgomery.” Niamh smiled softly. “I don’t blame you for telling the truth.”
She walked toward Old Master Waldburg and broke into a smile. “That was cheeky, Grandfather. I didn’t know you could speak such coherent sentences already.”
Old Master Waldburg responded with a deep gaze. “You’ve been wronged again, my child.”
Niamh shook her head with a smile. “Misunderstandings tend to unfurl sooner or later. I don’t mind being misunderstood, but I’m afraid not everyone is willing to admit to their mistakes when the truth is written in front of them.”
Karen looked ashamed as she felt Niamh’s words were implied at her.
“My sincerest apologies, Niamh. For all my horrendous words and accusations when I misunderstood you for poisoning the old master.” Winston apologized. Both the man’s attitude and tone were nothing short of sincere, and his eyes shone with sympathy which Niamh had not expected.
“You’ve suffered too many wrongings and slanders ever since you married into the Waldburg family. Now that I think about it, none of those things had conclusive proof. I can completely understand if you hate us and wish for revenge.”
Winston’s gaze was warm as he pulled Karen over. “Apologize to Niamh already. If you, as her mother-in-law, had been a little smarter, Niamh would never have suffered as much as she did these years as our daughter-in-law.”
“…” Karen struggled out of Winston’s grasp in displeasure. “What does it have to do with me? It’s not like I’m the one who hurt her.”
“You’re still claiming that it has nothing to do with you? Are you telling me you’ve never hurt Niamh?”
“…”
“It’s alright, Mr. Waldburg.” Niamh interrupted with a smile. “I don’t need a forced and insincere apology.”
She glanced at Karen’s arrogant expression.
“It’s very late, Grandfather. I’ll be going home now. You should get some rest soon.”
“Niamh…”
“I’ll be back to visit you tomorrow.”
Her promise brought a comforting smile to Old Master Waldburg’s face.
“It’s already very late. You might as well stay since you and Kendrick are still husband and wife.” Winston persuaded. “Kendrick knows he made a mistake, so give him another chance.”
“Kendrick and I will be registering our divorce at the town office tomorrow. We aren’t husband and wife.”
Niamh’s response had both Winston and Old Master Waldburg sighing under their breaths.
Niamh made her way to the villa’s gates, and in the dark of the night, she stared at Kendrick’s approaching shadow.
Realizing she was about to leave, Kendrick merely smiled but did not say ask her to stay. “She got in a car and ran. Don’t worry, though, she won’t get too far.”
Under the silver moonlight, his eyes warmed now that Yvonne’s situation had been solved. “It’s late. Let me send you back.” He turned and walked to the garage.
Staring at his retreating figure, Niamh suddenly smiled. “I must say, you have quite the acting skills, Kendrick.”
At that, Kendrick’s footsteps came to an abrupt halt.
He turned around to meet Niamh’s mirthful gaze with a handsome smile of his own. “I can say the same to you, Nia.”
“So despite that look of disappointment at the entrance this morning, you already knew that I had said it on purpose?” Niamh asked.
Kendrick nodded, turning around to walk toward Niamh. His gaze seemed softer than the moonlight. “How could I not believe you? I’ve already made that grave mistake once. I won’t make it again.”
His lips curled, and his gaze was sincere. “I’ve told you before, Nia. I’ll believe you even if you lie to me. Be it hell or the abyss, as long as you’re there, I’ll jump in without a second thought.”
“Is that so?” Niamh smiled meaningfully. “Then why did you turn and leave when I fell into the water that day?”
Fell into the water that day?
Kendrick was stunned.
He had jumped in without hesitation and pulled her back to shore.
His heart had hurt so much that it felt like he was suffocating when she refused to wake.
Why did it turn into him turning and walking away?
“Tomorrow, 9 AM. I’ll be waiting at the town office, Kendrick. Let’s get officially divorced.”
Kendrick’s thoughts snapped back at her words.
He had not the chance to explain that day when his heart felt like it was being torn apart again.
However, it might be better for her to misunderstand him as at least without the chance to hesitate, she could be more decisive.
Suppressing the reluctance and heartache, he smiled at her elegant features and nodded. “Alright. Tomorrow, at 9 AM, the town office. I’ll see you then.”
Niamh nodded. “I’ll see you.”
Her response was casual, but her heart seemed to lurch painfully when she tried to smile.
Niamh turned around to look at the street lamps. She felt her vision blur for a moment.
In a daze, she saw her past self throwing herself to Kendrick like a moth to a flame.
He was the brightest ball of flames that she admired and wanted to get close to, only to have her innocent self burned away.
Niamh felt her heart clench, the pain causing her brows to frown.
Amidst the indescribable agony, she understood.
The memory she lost was of the time she loved this man so very much…
The two did not speak as Kendrick sent Niamh back to Montgomery Manor.
The radio just so happened to play the song ‘Evil in Innocence’. As the lyrics ‘You would know, the cruelest things that have been done to me’ came up, both Niamh and Kendrick stared coincidentally at each other from the corner of their eyes.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.