Library
Search
Home / The Marriage That Stripped Her Bare / Chapter 4

Share

Chapter 4

Author: Jinx
Before I even stepped through the door, I could hear Stacie's heart-wrenching sobs.

"How am I supposed to face anyone ever again?" she wailed. "I don't want to live anymore!"

When Lisa saw me, she charged at me with her teeth bared, grabbed me by the hair, and slapped me across the face.

"Rose, it's bad enough that you have no shame, but now you want to drag Stacie down with you?!"

I hit the floor hard, and a sharp, stabbing pain swept through my whole body.

David paced around frantically, glaring at me with venomous eyes.

"How did our family end up with a disgrace like you?! If we'd known you had it in for Stacie this badly, we never should have brought you back from the mountains!"

Thomas's face was dark. He shoved his phone in my face and said coldly, "Rose, when did you become so despicable?"

Explicit photos of Stacie with all kinds of men were trending online.

The reporter who'd leaked them anonymously claimed I was the one who'd sold him the photos.

He had also issued a public apology online under his real name, saying he must have been blind to fall for such doctored, indecent photos.

It took Thomas less than ten minutes to get them taken down.

But Stacie, who had always been seen as pure and untouchable, couldn't handle a blow like this.

Faced with all their accusations, I didn't take in a single word.

Images of my daughter under that white sheet kept flashing through my mind.

The hospital was so big and so cold. Would my Poppy be scared?

When I came back to my senses, I had already broken free of the bodyguards' grip and was running for the door.

But the next second, Stacie blocked my path, looking pitiful.

"What do I have to do for you to let me stay here with Dad and Mom?

"I know I took your place as the Browning heiress for so many years, and you must resent me for it. What if I get on my knees and apologize to you?"

She stepped forward, pretending she was about to kneel. Instead, she gripped my arm tightly and whispered in my ear, "Rose, your daughter was actually pretty cute. But how could I possibly let her live?"

A chill shot up my spine.

My eyes burned red, and my voice came out hoarse, "What did you say?"

Stacie dug her nails into my flesh, her eyes full of malice.

"That little brat was still threatening me not to bully you right before she died. You two are both useless trash..."

Before she could finish, I lunged at her like a madwoman and grabbed her by the throat.

"Stacie, why don't you just die? How dare you?"

But before I could react, someone kicked me to the ground.

Thomas's voice followed right after. "Rose! Look at yourself right now! Do you even look like a mother anymore?"

Like a mother?

Both my children were dead. What kind of mother was I?

I struggled to my feet and lunged at Stacie again.

But my own biological parents stood in my way like two walls, fiercely shielding the murderer who'd killed my daughter!

My heart felt like it had been torn to shreds. The tears I'd held back for so long finally spilled over, and I couldn't stop them.

Thomas froze the moment he saw me cry.

He instinctively stepped toward me, but I shoved him away hard.

"Get away from me! Our daughter is dead! Who are you still putting on an act for?!"

Thomas was stunned. "What did you say?"

Stacie immediately shrieked, "It's all my fault! Please don't take it out on Thomas! You've betrayed Thomas once. Are you going to lie and break his heart again?!"

The hand Thomas had reached out to me drew back once more.

"Rose, when did you learn to lie? Apologize to Stacie right now! Or you'll never see our daughter again!"

The bodyguards immediately dragged me in front of Stacie.

A heavy weight pressed down on my shoulders as they forced me down, and my knees slammed hard against the floor.

Thomas's eyes were ice-cold. "Rose, as long as you clear Stacie's name, I'll let bygones be bygones and start over with you."

Start over?

Our daughter was dead! There was no future for us anymore, Thomas!

I struggled to my feet and ran for the door like my life depended on it.

Behind me came Thomas's furious threat, "Rose, if you don't apologize to Stacie today, I'll hand every one of your children over to Stacie to raise!"

But for some reason, I didn't stop running.

Watching me disappear into the distance, Thomas suddenly felt a tightness in his chest.

The shrill ring of his phone cut through his thoughts.

On the other end of the line, his assistant stammered, "M-Mr. Quinn! Your daughter... she's d-dead..."

Continue to read this book for free
Scan code to download App
Previous Chapter Next Chapter

Latest chapter

  • The Marriage That Stripped Her Bare   Chapter 7

    As Thomas's world was falling apart and the Browning household was thrown into chaos over Stacie's miscarriage and the earth-shattering scandal, I was stepping off the train with the crowd, carrying my small bag of luggage and holding Poppy's urn in my arms.Outside the station, two faces, tanned dark by the sun and lined with wrinkles yet full of eager warmth, were anxiously scanning the crowd.When they spotted me, their faces broke into smiles. Then, rubbing their hands awkwardly on their clothes, they hurried over."Sweetheart! Over here, over here!"My adoptive mother's voice carried a thick country accent. Yet right then, it was the warmest voice I'd ever heard.My adoptive father wasn't one for words. He just smiled, simple and honest, as he took every bag from my hands and hoisted them onto his own shoulders.They helped me into a rickety old pickup truck.My adoptive mother held my hand and smiled. "Sweetheart, your dad and I got you a little plot of land and built you

  • The Marriage That Stripped Her Bare   Chapter 6

    Thomas punched the man in the face.The man's phone smashed to the ground. He spat, then swung his fist at Thomas's face in return."I fucking knew you people would back out!"So you're gonna hit me, huh? Besides the photos, I've got plenty of videos too. I'll post them all online!"If I'm going down, the Quinns and the Brownings aren't getting off easy either!"The two of them grappled with each other, stumbling out of the hospital as they fought.Suddenly, the wedding ring Thomas kept in his shirt pocket tumbled out and rolled away.It was the wedding ring Rose had made for him with her own hands.He hadn't worn it on his finger all these years, but he'd always kept it close.But now, as if it had eyes of its own, the ring rolled straight into a storm drain.Thomas's pupils shrank.He scrambled down onto his knees, trying to fish the ring out.Still not satisfied, the stranger kept punching and kicking him.But no matter how hard he was beaten, Thomas never fought back.

  • The Marriage That Stripped Her Bare   Chapter 5

    Thomas felt as if an invisible hand had clenched around his heart, and it sank like a stone.Dead? His Poppy was dead?The little girl who called him Daddy in her sweet baby voice, who secretly tucked candy into his palm, was dead?If his daughter was dead, wouldn't that mean he no longer had any way to keep Rose under his control?Ridiculous!Thomas staggered a few steps and nearly lost his footing.Before he could roar into the phone, Stacie suddenly snatched it out of his hand.She screamed like a madwoman at the assistant on the other end, "How many times did Rose sleep with you? You'd even dare tell a lie like this?!"Her accusation was like a poison-tipped needle, jabbing straight into everyone's nerves.The Brownings' faces twitched. Thomas, too, looked incredulous."Mom, Dad, Thomas, don't you even believe me anymore?"Looking deeply wronged, Stacie pulled out her phone and pointed at a few photos, "I didn't want you to find out, since everything Rose says and does r

  • The Marriage That Stripped Her Bare   Chapter 4

    Before I even stepped through the door, I could hear Stacie's heart-wrenching sobs."How am I supposed to face anyone ever again?" she wailed. "I don't want to live anymore!"When Lisa saw me, she charged at me with her teeth bared, grabbed me by the hair, and slapped me across the face."Rose, it's bad enough that you have no shame, but now you want to drag Stacie down with you?!"I hit the floor hard, and a sharp, stabbing pain swept through my whole body.David paced around frantically, glaring at me with venomous eyes."How did our family end up with a disgrace like you?! If we'd known you had it in for Stacie this badly, we never should have brought you back from the mountains!"Thomas's face was dark. He shoved his phone in my face and said coldly, "Rose, when did you become so despicable?"Explicit photos of Stacie with all kinds of men were trending online.The reporter who'd leaked them anonymously claimed I was the one who'd sold him the photos.He had also issued a

  • The Marriage That Stripped Her Bare   Chapter 3

    When I woke up, I was still lying on the cold floor.The blood on my knees had already dried. The wedding gown they'd stripped off me lay nearby, marked with several footprints.The banquet hall for our remarriage was completely empty.There was a hundred-thousand-dollar transfer from Thomas in my bank account. This was how Thomas usually made things up to me.Bracing myself against the wall, I got to my feet. I pulled out my phone and booked the cheapest standing-room ticket on an old, slow train, then arranged the safest possible hospital transfer for my daughter.Finally, I opened the texts my adoptive mother had sent me.Mom: [Rose, honey, if your birth parents aren't treating you right, your dad and I will sell the few hundred head of cattle we've got and come find you.]Mom: [My precious girl, if you can't get used to living with the Brownings, just come on home to the mountains. There'll always be a place for you here.]...This time, I didn't lie and tell her I was fin

  • The Marriage That Stripped Her Bare   Chapter 2

    Back then, I divorced Thomas right away and struggled to get by on my own, raising my daughter, Poppy McCarthy, by myself.But less than six months later, Poppy was diagnosed with leukemia.The doctors couldn't find a suitable match in the bone marrow registry or the cord blood banks.I had no choice but to go back to Thomas, all so I could conceive a new life to save my daughter.At our remarriage ceremony, Thomas's furious voice rang in my ears, "You do whatever I tell you to do. I told you to go die, so why haven't you?"I looked up and forced a smile. "Fine. Then how about you do the generous thing and give me another hundred thousand dollars? I'll give dying a try for you."Thomas sneered. "You'd actually be willing to die? You'd abandon that bastard kid of yours?"The word "bastard" grated harshly in my ears. My smile stiffened slightly.The truth was, I had thought about ending my life.After Thomas turned against me, I'd cried and made scenes. After my daughter was bor

More Chapters

You May Also Like

Explore and read good novels for free
Free access to a vast number of good novels on GoodNovel app. Download the books you like and read anywhere & anytime.
Read books for free on the app
SCAN CODE TO READ ON APP
DMCA.com Protection Status