Chapter 26 Why Didn’t She Take the Kid Too
Chloe shook her head. She didn’t want them to know.
Hayden’s eyes darkened. “Then why did your mom get into a car accident?”
Chloe’s nose tingled at the question. She hesitated before speaking. “She was being chased and attacked by a woman. That woman’s husband wanted to give my mom money. Later, the woman suddenly can out and beat my mom up. We didn’t have rent money or anything to eat back then: my om got scared and started running. She ran into the street and gor fur
The room fell into a dead silence.
Hayden’s expression turned even more hostile. “So what you’re saying is, your mom was asking a married man for mone
The air in the room grew colder. Chloe, filled with shame, nodded.
Hayden pressed on. “Did she do that kind of thing often?“
She bit down hard on her bottom lip and stayed quiet.
Hayden kept going. “Was it a different man every time? Have you even lost count of how many there were?”
Chloe trembled, still silent.
Hayden took a deep breath, then suddenly grabbed the ashtray from the table and hurled it to the ground.
“Gosh!”
Chloe flinched instinctively and darted under the table, curling into a ball, shaking in fear.
Hayden was on the verge of a breakdown. “Alice really degraded herself like this? Since when has the Ace family ever let her down? She had to go and destroy herself step by step! And now she’s dead–in a way like this! Leaving behind this damn. burden for us! Why didn’t she just take the kid with her and die together!”
Chloe went pale with terror. She clutched her ears, eyes wide with panic.
So scary. Hayden was going to hit herf
Andres’s heart clenched at the sight of her. He strode over and stood in front of her, “Come out?
Tears streamed down her face as she pleaded, “Don’t hit me, don’t hitune! Please. I’m begging you!”
Andres’s expression shifted. “No one’s going to hit you. Come out!”
Chloe kept scooting back. “Don’t hit me!”
She still remembered–there had been a man she hadn’t even provoked. She had only looked at him, and he had dragged her across the floor and beat her senseless.
Back then, she was nothing but trash tossed around in that man’s hands. But she had fought back with everything she had. she tried to bite him. Then her mom showed up, and she stopped struggling,
But the man had said, “I’ll give you money.”
Her mom stood off in a corner; she didn’t step in.
That was when Chloe suddenly lost all her strength to resist. She just cried while the man hit her.
She was so scared she didn’t want to be hit again!
Chloe sobbed uncontrollably. “Tim sorry, it was my fault! Don’t hit me, don’t hit met”
Hayden slowly came back to his senses, stunned as he looked at her.
Andres pave her a tug “What did you do wrong! You didn’t do anything wrong. Come out, now!”
12.28 AM
Chapter 26 Why Didn’t She Take the Kid Too
Finished
Chloe wasn’t listening at all, like her eyes were blindfolded. She cried out and scurried farther back under the table. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry!”
Her cries froze everyone in place.
Marvin couldn’t take it anymore. He pushed past his dad and crouched down beside the dining table. “Chloe! It’s Marvin! Snap out of it! No one’s going to hurt you. No one is going to hit you. I’m right here!
Marvin‘ My brother?
Chloe looked at him through her tears, slowly coming back to her senses. “Marvin?”
Marvin nodded firmly. “It’s me.”
She suddenly burst into loud sobs and threw herself into his arms. “Marvin! They were going to hit me! I don’t want to be hit again! I didn’t do anything wrong, Marvin, please please ask them for mercy! Please!”
Marvin held her tightly, gently rubbing her back over and over. “No one’s going to hit you! You’re part of the Tate family now, remember? Didn’t I tell you? In our house, you’ll never have to bow to anyone You’re the toughest girl I know!”
Chloe cried so hard her whole body shook; she was truly terrified.
Hayden gradually snapped out of it, full of remorse. “I wasn’t even talking to her. I was just mad…”
Marvin snapped at him, “She’s only four years old. She’s a baby! Even if you’re angry, you can’t throw stuff in front of her!”
Jake, standing nearby, frowned. “No, I think there’s something really wrong with how she reacted. That’s a reflex. Clearly, someone’s thrown stuff and hit her before. Ask her.”
Marvin’s heart skipped a beat. He gently cupped Chloe’s face. “Tell me has anyone hit you before?”
Through a haze of tears, Chloe nodded. “Yes. That man–he threw a bottle and then started hitting me. He hit me a lot. Afterward, he gave my mom money. My mom let him hit me. But I didn’t do anything wrong
The soft, trembling voice of the little crybaby tugged at everyone’s heart.
Marvin’s breathing grew heavy. He pulled her into his arms again. “Okay. You didn’t do anything wrong. No one’s saying you did. It’s all right now. I’m here.”
Andres’s eyes darkened with rage.
He watched Chloe quietly sobbing. The once–delicate little girl was now a complete mess.
He couldn’t stop imagining it–his own blood, being dragged out from under a table and beaten.
