Chapter 3

CHARLOTTE FLAIR

While the doctor was examing Avery's pulse, Claire turned to me again, her eyes blazing with fury.

"You better pray nothing happens to her or the child, else you will regret the day you forced your way into my niece's life!" she threatened. 

I couldn't utter a word, I just stood there frozen, my chest twisting in pain as my husband ignored me and fawned over another woman in my presence. 

It was as if I didn't exist. He didn't even care if I was hurt by all of this or not.

She had told him I hurt her, and he believed her words over mine.

At this point, it felt like I was slowly losing my mind, and a dry, mirthless laugh suddenly escaped my lips.

Then, I heard Lilian asked, her voice trembling with anger. "And what's funny? You think trying to kill someone is amusing?"

I didn't respond, and neither did I stop laughing, until I felt a firm grip on my wrist.

It was Desmond, his eyes was blazing with  fury.

He dragged me out of the room to the terrace, slamming my back against the wall.

His face twisted in anger as he began to scold me. "What the hell is wrong with you, Charlotte? How could you be disrespectful toward my aunt? Do you even know the gravity of what you've done?" he asked, his voice stern, like a father reprimanding a child.

So, this is all he could come up with after everything that has happened?

Being disrespectful toward his Aunt.

I met his gaze, my anger boiling over, and without thinking straight, I slapped him hard across his face. 

He stared at me in disbelief, his eyes turning red with rage as he locked gazes with him. 

I'm sure he hadn't expected that. For six years in our marriage, I had never dared to defy him like I did now.

But, enough is enough!

I'm no longer the same submissive girl he once knew. That naive girl they all walked over is gone! 

Desmond's anger flared up, his eyes blazing with rage. "Are you out of your mind? What the hell is wrong with you?!" he bursted out, grabbing my wrist and squeezing it tightly as he pinned me to the wall. 

I winced in pain as his nails dug deep into my skin.

"Yes, Desmond, teach her a lesson she will never forget! How dare she hit you!" Lillian's voice echoed from behind, fueling Desmond's anger even more.

"Let go of me, Desmond!" I said, trying to wriggle free from his hold, but his grip was too tight. "You're hurting me, Desmond. Let go!" My voice cracked, tears pricking at the corner of my eyes.

He slowly loosened his grip, although his expression unyielding. "You should do as my aunt said, Charlotte," he said, his tone firm.

I stared at him in disbelief, my brows furrowed slightly. "W-what?" I asked, my voice slowly rising in anger. 

"Apologize to Avery, and all of this will be over. Admit you tried to hurt her, and I would talk to her parents, and everyone will forgive you. It's just as simple as that."

"THAT'S ENOUGH!!" I yelled, my glare piercing as I locked gazes with him. "What have I done wrong to deserve this treatment from you, Desmond? All I ever did was to love you unconditionally!" I shouted, my voice trembling with emotion.

"Even when you hurt me, and treated me like I meant nothing, I still took everything without questioning you. But what have you given me in return? Nothing, Desmond! You've given me nothing but pain and disrespect!" I burst out angrily, my voice rising.

Just then, a firm hand spun me around, and the next thing I felt was another scorching slap across my face. 

It was Claire, and she was fuming in rage as she looked at me.

I rubbed my stinging cheek, and a lone tear finally slipped down my face. I turned to my husband, hurt and feeling betrayed. 

However, he didn't flinch. He didn't bother to defend me against his aunt's constant disrespect.

"Look, Desmond, I don't care how you do it, but you need to clean up this mess she created. We can't afford to be on the bad side of the Gilbert's family, and you know this too!" Claire hissed, her eyes glinting with anger. 

With one last venomous glare at me, she turned and left, with Lilian following closely behind.

As soon as they're out of sight, I rushed back into Avery's room, and despite Desmond's call, I didn't flinch.  

Just as I walked up to her, and was about to expose her lies, Desmond grasped my wrist again. "What the hell is wrong with you?! Have you lost your mind?!" He hissed.

"Let go of me, Desmond. I need to prove my innocence," I said firmly.

His grip on my wrist was like a shackle as he slammed me against the wall, his face inches from mine. 

"Proving your innocence by trying to hurt her again? What about the baby inside her? Do you want to kill the child too?" He retorted, his expression unyielding.

I stared at him, my chest twisting in pain. 

So, this was how he saw me? 

A crazy woman who would hurt an innocent child? 

Although I'm upset at these two, I would never hurt an innocent child that has nothing to do with this. 

With all the strength left in me, I pushed him away and lunged at Avery, who was now frantically calling out to Desmond for help. "Desmond, please stop her! She will hurt my baby again!"

"Charlotte, stop it," he scolded, but I was beyond reason at this point. 

Just before he could stop me, I had already lifted Avery's top, revealing the fake wound on her lower belly.

"Take a closer look at this, Desmond! Does this even look a deep wound to you? If I had wanted to harm her, don't you think I would've made sure she wouldn't survive it?" I asked, my voice laced with bitterness. 

Avery's face turned paled, but she still refused to admit the truth. She slapped my hand away, and hastily covered herself.

"Don't listen to her nonsense, Desmond. She's obviously just looking for an excuse," she said, her voice trembling. 

And what infuriated me more was that, Desmond choose to believe her again, turning the blame on me.

"Then go check the surveillance footage to confirm if I had truly hurt her or not. We have cameras that can prove my innocence, don't we?" I demanded, desperate to clear my name before him.

At this point, I was no longer doing it for his sake, but mine. I just wanted to clear my name from this silly accusation. 

Desmond's gaze darted between us, his expression transforming from uncertainty to suspicion. 

Why?

Because he knew I wouldn't mention the surveillance footage, unless I was certain of my innocence.

He turned to Avery, his voice stern and authoritative. "Is this true? Did you fabricate this whole story, making everyone believe Charlotte was responsible for harming you?" 

His eyes narrowed, daring her to deceive him further, his gaze piercing into her very soul. "Don't you dare lie to me, Avery, because I will go through the footage myself."

Avery's calm composure suddenly crumbled, her lies cracking under the weight of Desmond's intense gaze. "D-Desmond, I... it-it's not true. I-I didn't lie," she stammered, still clinging to her deceit.

However, Desmond's face told a different story– disappointment and anger etched on his face. 

A clear evident that he had seen through her lies.

"I won't ask again, Avery. Did you... hurt yourself... and turn the blame on Charlotte?" he asked, each sentence laced with menace, leaving no room for further lies.

Avery's eyes dropped, her shoulders slumping in defeat as she nodded slightly. "I-I'm... I'm sorry, Desmond. She's right. I-I hurt myself and turned the blame on her," she confessed, her voice trembling in fear, years welling up in her eyes. 

"I-I'm sorry, Desmond, but I did it because I wanted her out of our lives. If she's still around, I won't have your full attention," she added, her words spilling out in a desperate attempt to justify her actions.

She tried to hold Desmond's hand, but his expression remained stoic, his eyes cold and detached as he shoved her hand away, a clear indication of his disgust.  

Right now, I can't even tell what was going through his mind.

Then, he turned to me, his voice firm and unapologetic. "Now that the truth is out, just let it go, Charlotte. I'm sure she was just confused for a moment," he said, trying to trivialize the gravity of the situation.

I stared at him in disbelief. 

So, that's it?

That's all he could say to me after the accusation and disrespect?

I stared at him, my heart heavy with emotions, my fist clenched tightly in anger as all I felt for this man now was hatred. 

I'm done with him and his toxic treatment. I'm done being treated like a trash!

I exhaled heavily and met his gaze, my fist clenched tightly. "Let's get a divorce, Desmond."