Chapter 119
Zoe was the first to snap out of the shock.
She yanked Charlie violently toward her, her face hardening into a terrifying scowl as she interrogated him.
“Charlie, tell me the truth right now. Did you lie to me p>
“M-Mommy… Waaah!” Terrified by her sudden demonic shift, the color drained from Charlie’s face, and he began bawling at the top of his lungs.
Zoe refused to let go, her eyes drilling into him with manic intensity.
“Speak! Tell me, did you lie p>
Charlie stared at her in sheer horror. The screaming stopped in his throat, leaving only silent tears streaming from his hollow, terrified eyes.
He was clearly paralyzed by fear, but Zoe didn’t let up. Her voice grew even shriller.
“Don’t think you can play dumb! Answer me p>
Charlie’s little body convulsed, his cries echoing tragically through the room.
“I… I’m sorry… I lied. I’m sorry, Mommy p>
Zoe continued her relentless interrogation.
“Then where did those bruises come from p>
Charlie stuttered, barely able to form the words. “I… I fell. I was scared… scared you’d yell at me, so I said Aunt Maeve did it. I’m sorry… Mommy, I’m sorry, I’ll never do it again p>
Without missing a beat, Zoe dragged him over her knee and began smacking him aggressively.
“Haven’t I told you a million times not to lie?! Do you see the horrible misunderstanding you caused? I’m going to teach you a severe lesson today so you never dare lie again p>
“Enough!” Arthur bellowed, his voice laced with venom.
“What good does hitting him do now? A child’s misbehavior is the mother’s failure! If you spent half as much time actually parenting him, this nightmare wouldn’t have happened p>
Zoe’s face twisted slightly at the public reprimand. She looked as though she had been force-fed crushed glass, completely unable to defend herself but forced to swallow the humiliation.
She knew better than to argue with Arthur, so she quickly dropped her head in submission, playing the role of the chastised daughter-in-law.
“You’re absolutely right, Arthur. I promise to dedicate much more time to his education from now on p>
Arthur let out a disgusted scoff. “Dragging a baseless rumor in front of the elders like this… you’ve completely humiliated me p>
He then turned to Maeve, his voice rigid and unwelcoming.
“Well? Apologize to your sister-in-law p>
Maeve stared blankly at Zoe.
Looking as if a knife were being held to her throat, Zoe stayed utterly silent for a grueling ten seconds before finally forcing an apology through gritted teeth.
“Maeve, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have misunderstood you p>
Maeve’s expression remained perfectly flat.
“Is a simple apology supposed to fix this? Your blatant manipulation almost got me beaten with a cane p>
Zoe choked on her breath as Arthur aggressively intervened.
“You will be confined to the west wing, and your trust fund access is suspended! Both you and Charlie need to learn a severe lesson today p>
For a man who valued his ego as much as Arthur did, stepping up to defend Zoe only to have Maeve publicly slap him in the face with undeniable video evidence was a catastrophic blow to his pride.
Zoe had severely crossed his bottom line.
If he didn’t punish her, it would be a direct challenge to his authority.
Zoe’s face went through several shades of panic. She cradled her pregnant belly and instinctively reached out for Frederick.
“Frederick p>
But before she could even brush his sleeve, Frederick stepped back, crossing his arms behind his back in a clear display of distancing himself.
“Zoe, you made a massive mistake. You have to accept the consequences p>
Zoe looked desperately toward Lydia, but Lydia actively avoided her gaze. Grandma simply let out a cold snort of disgust.
Nobody was going to save her.
Tears of pure indignation pooled in Zoe’s eyes.
She grabbed Charlie’s hand, her voice cracking as she put on her final show.
“As his mother, I will bear the burden of Charlie’s sins today. I will go to the chapel to reflect on my mistakes, aven if I have to stay there on my feet until dawn… I won’t utter a single complaint p>
She assumed playing the martyr would garner some sympathy, but no one even looked at her, let alone offered to reduce her sentence.
Realizing her usual tricks had completely failed, Zoe turned on her heel and dragged Charlie out of the living room.
The second they hit the hallway, she violently pinched Charlie’s arm in a fit of rage.
“You useless brat p>
Charlie looked as if this was completely normal. He didn’t even dare cry out, his tears simply welling up and rolling down his cheeks in silence.
Zoe rested a hand on her stomach, her eyes radiating pure, venomous hatred.
She would absolutely never let Maeve usurp her position in this family!
Back in the living room.
Maeve turned back to Arthur, but before she could speak, Frederick stepped up to her and gently grabbed her wrist.
“Maeve, I am so sorry you had to endure that p>
Maeve gave him a dead, freezing stare, attempting to rip her hand away, but he only tightened his grip.
Frederick offered her a profoundly helpless, pleading smile.
“Maeve, I was wrong. I shouldn’t have doubted you. Let me apologize, okay? Please don’t stay mad, and please don’t cause a scene in front of the elders. Give me a little grace p>
Maeve’s brow furrowed in absolute disgust. She meticulously peeled his fingers off her wrist, one by one.
As her warmth left his skin, a horrifying emptiness suddenly bloomed in Frederick’s chest.
His face paled, and he reached out to grab her again, but she stepped back to avoid him.
Maeve walked slowly toward Arthur.
“Arthur, you gave me your word. You promised that if I proved my innocence, you would grant me one request p>
Grandma immediately backed her up.
“He gave his word, and I am her witness p>
Arthur aggressively rubbed his temples.
He looked at Maeve, his tone dripping with impatience.
“Fine, speak. What do you want? And let me make this very clear—if you ask for something utterly ridiculous, the answer is no p>
In his mind, a woman of Maeve’s status was just going to beg for a designer bag, a piece of property, or some petty financial favor.
Or perhaps she wanted him to order Frederick to spend less time with Zoe and more time with her.
It was all just petty, meaningless drama.
Whatever it was, he could afford to grant it.
Maeve took a few slow, deliberate steps closer to Arthur. She swept her gaze across the room looking at Lydia then at Grandma, before finally locking her eyes dead onto Arthur.
Slowly, she stepped forward, standing squarely before Arthur with her head held high, her voice ringing out with unshakeable resolve.
“I want a divorce from Frederick. And I expect you all to honor it p>