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Chapter 107: Other People’s Children, What’s It Got To Do With Me
As Rebecca continued to speak, her confidence grew, and her voice grew louder, her posture becoming more erect.
Mark, however, didn’t have the patience to engage in a back–and–forth with his mother. His gaze shifted towards Mae, recognizing the icy aura emanating from her. Despite her stoic expression, it was clear that she was tightly reining in her anger.
“Mae…” Mark began, but before he could say anything, Mae had already finished collecting the silver needles, calmly put them into her bag, and turned her gaze towards Rebecca.
Rebecca’s words seemed to have no effect on Mae. Without a hint of emotion on her face, Mae addressed Rebecca with a calm and measured tone, “Mrs. Check–Smith, your son and I are officially
I divorced.”
Jennifer’s eyes lit up upon hearing Mae’s words. She shot Rebecca a look of triumph from her hospital bed, eager to see her get her comeuppance. Mark, on the other hand, observed Mae closely. A faint smile tugged at the corners of her lips, his thoughts concealed.
Rebecca hadn’t fully recovered from Mae’s previous words when Mae spoke again, her tone still placid, “Therefore, theoretically speaking, you hold no authority as an elder over me anymore.”
Rebecca’s complacency began to crumble. Before she could regain her footing, Mae’s demeanor shifted.
Splat!
In a swift motion, Mae’s hand met Rebecca’s cheek with a resounding slap. The unexpected blow caught Rebecca off guard, and she stumbled back, collapsing into a nearby chair.
“Ah!” Jennifer cried out in shock while staring at Mae with disbelief. Mae’s expression remained impassive as she turned her attention back to Rebecca, who looked both stunned and infuriated by the slap.
Unfazed by the chaos, Mae’s tone remained steady as she continued, “I don’t see any reason to consider you an elder, Mrs. Check–Smith. After all, your son and I are divorced.”
The tension in the room was palpable. Mark’s gaze never left Mae, his emotions difficult to read. Mae’s expression remained unchanged, an eerie calm emanating from her.
Rebecca struggled to process what was happening. She didn’t expect Mae to be bold enough to slap her in front of her son. Her words had triggered this series of events, leading to a slap she hadn’t anticipated. She had hoped to reassert her dominance in front of Mae, but now she was forced to grapple with the consequences of her actions.
As Mae’s gaze settled on her, Rebecca’s heart raced. Mae’s emotionless stare seemed to pierce through her. Before she could react, Mae took a couple of steps closer, bending down to face Rebecca. The proximity was unsettling, and Rebecca instinctively tried to move away.
In the next second, Mae’s fingers gripped Rebecca’s chin, applying pressure that made Rebecca wince in pain. “Mae… Mae, what are you…doing? Mark, quick, quick pull her away.”
Rebecca’s plea for Mark to intervene was met with silence. Mark’s face remained somber as he stood aside and watched the scene unfold.
11:06
Mae does not care if Mark will shout at her or come up to tear her, the big deal is to tear her former mother–in–law’s face off. She dared to dump Rebecca with this slap, she did not think to take into account how Mark would react if she did that to his mother in front of him.
In a chillingly composed voice, Mae spoke, “Mrs. Check–Smith, every time I attempt to converse with you respectfully, you choose to bark at me. Is it because you prefer playing the role of an authoritarian figure?”
Rebecca’s eyes darted around, avoiding Mae’s heavy and unwavering gaze. She couldn’t stand it. The pressure on her chin tightened, and she found herself unable to escape Mae’s grasp.
“My mother’s early passing left me without proper guidance, so my temper is volatile, and I’m not of good character.” Mae continued, her tone remaining light. “If you think I haven’t beaten you that bad, I will gladly make it worse. And if you find my actions inadequate, perhaps you’d like to meet and have a discussion with her, wherever she may be. How do you like that?”
Rebecca’s anger and fear intensified as Mae’s grip tightened. She struggled to respond, her emotions in turmoil. Mae’s words penetrated her, evoking both resentment and trepidation.
When Mae finally released her grip, Rebecca’s face was flushed with anger and humiliation. Mae’s hand gently brushed across Rebecca’s cheek before she spoke again, her tone carrying a cold finality.
“Drop the act, Mrs. Check–Smith. Don’t pretend to be a mother–in–law. I don’t even have s desire for your son, so your role as a mother–in–law‘ holds no significance to me.”
With those words hanging in the air, Mae stepped away from Rebecca, grabbing the alcohol wipes from the cabinet to clean her fingers meticulously as if she had touched something filthy.
The scene played out before Rebecca, leaving her humiliated and infuriated. Her son remained silent, his gaze a mixture of anger and thoughtfulness. With this moment she learned to be smart. Her son can’t be relied on at all, so she wouldn’t dare to let this little bitch make a move on her again.
She glared at Mae with eyes full of resentment, but Mae no longer looked at her.
With her fingers now clean, she threw the used wipes into the trash can. Mae then took a couple of steps toward Mark. Her eyes met his, and a faint, enigmatic smile graced her lips. Her tone was soft but clear as she spoke directly to him, “Mr. Smith, consider this a final warning. If your mother continues to behave like a clown in front of me, I see no reason for us to maintain any form of cooperation in the future.”
She then cast a fleeting glance at Jennifer’s covered abdomen, her voice dripping with chilling detachment, “Other people’s children, what has it got to do with me?!”
Her tone, sober and merciless, cut through the room, leaving an atmosphere of cold–bloodedness that brooked no concealment. Without a backward glance, she opened the door and strode out into the hallway. Leaving the hospital room had been a swift decision for Mae, her words echoing in the air as she departed.
The hospital building’s corridor still held traces of the earlier tension, and Mae felt a searing ball of frustration burning within her, yearning for release. Even though her confrontation with Rebecca had culminated in a resounding slap, it didn’t seem to offer the expected relief.
Her lips pressed in annoyance, she couldn’t help but emit a disgruntled “Tsk!” before quickening her pace towards the building’s exit. The freezing sky outside awaited her, and she longed for the biting cold to cool her simmering emotions. The snow–covered ground provided an icy path for her turbulent thoughts.
11.06
Meanwhile, back in the hospital room, Rebecca was slowly emerging from her state of shock. Rubbing her tender chin that bore the imprints of Mae’s grip, she recoiled at the memory of Mae’s sinister expression. The transformation in Mae’s demeanor left her heart racing and shivers running down her spine.
Since when had Mae become so formidable, exuding such an air of menace?
“Auntie, are you all right?” Jennifer’s cautious voice sliced through the silence, her concern evident on her face. She spoke gently, careful not to provoke any further turmoil. “Mae shouldn’t have behaved that way towards you, regardless of her anger. After all, you’re still her elder.”
Jennifer subtly directed her gaze toward Mark as she emphasized her point. Her intention was to remind Rebecca of her position within the Smith family hierarchy and to allude to Mae’s apparent disregard for Mark’s presence.
Jennifer, however, had not anticipated Mae’s complete indifference to Mark’s presence. Did Mae genuinely lack any feelings for him?
“Mark, even if Auntie acts out like that, Mae shouldn’t hit Auntie in front of you, this is all so –”
But before Jennifer could even complete her thought, Mark’s frigid eyes bore into her, quashing her words instantly. His voice, void of emotion, pierced the air with a cutting retort that stripped Jennifer of her involvement.
“Smith family affairs aren’t your concern. You have no right to interfere,” Mark’s words were nonchalant, leaving Jennifer no room to argue.
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