Chapter 6

Wyatt couldn't believe that Amelia was being this ungrateful. His expression darkened, and he scolded her bluntly, "Madam Amelia, I never expected you to be so narrow-minded, selfish, short-sighted, and completely lacking in perspective. You spare no thought for Mr. Ryan's future at all! It's no wonder the family doesn't like you.

"Do you know how fortunate Mr. Ryan is to be living in Chapman Manor and having Mr. Chapman Senior personally mentoring him? He might even be inheriting the entire family fortune in the future."

"I told you to shut up." Amelia stared at him expressionlessly. "As expected, someone who can't understand human speech can't say anything decent either."

Wyatt stared at her in disbelief. "Are you implying that I'm an animal?"

Wyatt was Elmer's subordinate. He had worked with Elmer for decades, and ordinarily, even Jason would show him some respect. Elmer himself had said that Wyatt was practically a member of the family, yet Amelia actually dared to humiliate him like this.

He sneered. "So be it. Since you've made up your mind and refuse to listen, then suit yourself. You'd better not regret it when Mr. Chapman Senior gives up on Mr. Ryan."

Amelia wanted nothing more than for the Chapmans to give up on Ryan. It would make it easier for her to fight for custody. Hearing this, she simply smiled.

"In that case, Wyatt, please work extra hard to convince Mr. Chapman Senior to give up on Ryan. I'll thank you for it."

Wyatt assumed she was being sarcastic, but this time she was completely sincere.

Amelia left Chapman Manor with Ryan. In the car, he looked a little uneasy. "Mommy, if Great-grandpa is angry, will he punish you?"

Whenever Ryan failed to finish his homework on time, Elmer would punish him. He had a whip, and it hurt terribly when he used it.

Ryan was afraid Elmer would use it on Amelia, too.

Amelia reassured him gently, "No. He can't punish me. We don't live at Chapman Manor. And even if he wanted to punish me, I have legs. I can run away. Your great-grandpa is old, and he can't outrun me."

Ryan nodded before asking, "Then why didn't you run away when you were punished before, Mommy?"

Amelia sighed inwardly. It was because of Ryan's scumbag of a father, of course.

On top of that, Shelly had manipulated her into believing that she really was terrible and could never do anything right. All she had wanted was to work harder, do better, and become the perfect daughter-in-law.

However, she couldn't say that outright to Ryan. After thinking for a moment, she explained, "I was trying to be respectful to the family elders. But despite all the respect I showed them, they still weren't satisfied. Since that's the case, there's no need for me to keep doing it. If I kept going, it would just be foolish obedience. Do you understand?"

Ryan nodded.

That evening, Amelia personally made dinner for Ryan, cooking all of his favorites. He was very generous with his praise, complimenting her as he ate.

"You're a master chef, Mommy! Everything you make is so delicious. Even the head chefs at the best restaurants can't compare to you. I'm such a lucky boy!"

Amelia's heart warmed.

After dinner, she helped Ryan put together his space shuttle building blocks. It was a huge project, with thousands of individual pieces. When he came home each week, he spent some time completing a bit of it with either Amelia or Jason. Today, they finally finished it.

Thrilled, Ryan asked Amelia to take a picture of him. He wanted to send it to Jason.

At 9:00 pm, after Amelia finished reading Ryan his bedtime story, she wished him good night. Then she returned to her own room and took a shower.

After that, she asked Lucinda Abbott, the housekeeper, to prepare a warm foot bath. She was tired, and soaking her feet would ease the exhaustion and help her sleep better tonight. Ever since she learned the truth about her marriage, she hadn't been able to rest properly.

Jason came home to see Amelia soaking her feet.

"Welcome home, Mr. Chapman." Lucinda set out his house slippers.

Jason changed into them, then shrugged off his coat and handed it to Lucinda. Then, as he rolled up his shirt sleeves, he walked toward Amelia.

When he reached her, he tugged up the legs of his neatly pressed trousers, dropped to one knee, put both hands into the water, took hold of Amelia's feet, and began massaging them with practiced movements.

She didn't stop him. A free foot massage was a free foot massage. Why would she bother turning him down?

He applied plenty of pressure with his broad palms, his fingers rubbing her foot expertly. It felt so comfortable that she closed her eyes.

"Mia."

Jason looked up and saw Amelia lounging lazily against the couch in a white silk pajama set, her dark hair cascading loosely around her. The neckline of her pajamas had slipped down, revealing a stretch of fair, delicate collarbone and a smooth shoulder. She looked like a beautiful cat completely unaware of her own allure.

After seven years of marriage, one glance was all Jason needed to envision the sensual body hidden beneath the pajamas. Gulping, he lowered his gaze, letting it fall to the fair, slender foot he was holding. Her toenails were neatly trimmed, and the tips of her toes were tinged a healthy pink. Even her feet were beautiful.

For a moment, Jason felt his body heating up. But he had promised Maria that he would never touch Amelia again. Reminded of Maria, he steadied himself, cast those thoughts out, and continued where he left off.

"Mia, I know you were wronged at Chapman Manor today. But I was thinking about our wedding, and Mom wasn't in good condition at the time. You know her heart has always been weak. That's why I didn't defend you right away. I'm sorry. I was wrong. I've already fired those two staff members. You don't have to put up with them anymore."

Amelia said nothing. She calmly watched him with her dark eyes, curious to hear what other nonsense could come out of the scumbag's mouth.

"As for Maria, you really misunderstood us. She and I aren't just childhood friends. Her cousin, Michael Ludwig, is also one of my best friends. More importantly, she saved my life when we were children. I'm indebted to her."

Even Gary hadn't uncovered that.

Amelia was surprised. "She saved your life?"

Jason nodded but didn't elaborate on what had happened. He merely said, "That's why I've always treated her like a younger sister, differently from how I treat other women. But you have to believe me. I really don't have any other feelings for her. In my eyes, she's just my little sister. You're the one I love. You're my wife and partner for life.

"Darling, as a married couple, we should be united as one. Since Maria saved my life, you owe her that debt of gratitude, too. The next time you see her, can you be nicer to her? You should consider her your sister as well. Once you get to know her better, you'll see that she's an incredible young woman."

Amelia snorted. She hadn't expected Jason to be this shameless. His tone was so earnest, every word seemingly heartfelt. There wasn't the slightest hint that he was lying. She had to marvel at his glib tongue and brilliant acting.

If she hadn't accidentally overheard the truth, she probably really would have been brainwashed and manipulated by him. She might even have felt indebted to Maria, the homewrecker, for saving his life and catered to her every whim.

The thought made Amelia tremble with anger. She abruptly yanked her foot free, splashing water all over Jason's clothes and face.

After slipping on her house slippers, she stood up and looked down at the half-kneeling Jason. "Tell me something, Jason. Since she saved your life, why didn't you repay her by marrying her?"

Jason frowned and was about to say something, but Amelia had already turned and headed for the stairs.

His eyes flashed with anger and irritation. He had already humbled himself to this extent, yet she was still throwing a tantrum. It seemed he had spoiled her too much over the years. He had indulged her in everything, which led to the unruliness she displayed now.

Jason raised a hand and wiped the water from his face irritably. After a moment of silence, he suppressed the anger in his heart, stood up, and followed her upstairs.

Inside the bedroom, Amelia picked up the divorce agreement from the vanity table. She heard the door open.

Jason walked into the bedroom without a word. His expression was cold and stern, and an icy air seemed to emanate from his entire body.

He was furious, but she didn't care. Holding the divorce agreement she had already signed, she walked up to him.

"Sign this."

But Jason was in no mood to cooperate. Besides, she'd splashed the water from her foot bath onto him. He simply pushed her hand away and headed for the bathroom without even looking at the document.

"Jason, let's get a divorce."

Jason stopped in the doorway of the bathroom. He slowly turned around and looked at her, his expression one of obvious disbelief.

"What did you just say?"

Amelia stepped forward with the document. "Here's the divorce agreement. I've already signed it. Once you sign it as well, we can file for a divorce."

Jason snatched the document from her hand and looked down. It really was a divorce agreement. He flipped to the back. She had indeed already signed it.

His eyes turned cold as he stared at Amelia. Struggling to suppress his anger, he questioned heatedly, "You're divorcing me over something as trivial as me hugging Maria?"

Amelia calmly met his accusing gaze. "It's not trivial to me."

Jason was visibly enraged. He planted his hands on his hips, his chest heaving.

"I already explained it to you. I don't have any romantic feelings for Maria. She saved my life. Why won't you believe me? Amelia, you weren't like this before. Even if you're jealous, there should be a limit to your tantrums!"

"Sign it," Amelia repeated, refusing to budge.

Jason felt like he was going to explode. From the way she slapped him at the airport, to hurting his pride as a man at Chapman Manor, to splashing dirty water on him just now, he had endured everything without holding it against her.

He never expected Amelia to become even more unreasonable and actually bring out a divorce agreement. She was provoking him time and time again.

Unable to suppress his anger anymore, he bellowed, "What do you think marriage is, Amelia? Who do you take me for? Do you think that just because I love you, you can take advantage of my affection and treat our marriage like a joke? You're not allowed to bring up divorce again. I won't agree to it."

As he spoke, he angrily tore the divorce agreement to pieces. Then, with a loud bang, he slammed the bathroom door shut.

Amelia glanced at the scraps of shredded paper scattered across the floor, then calmly left the bedroom and went to the study. There was a printer there.

By the time Jason came out of the shower, she'd printed another copy of the divorce agreement and signed it.

When Jason saw the new divorce agreement, his expression seemed to freeze over. An icy, suffocating pressure radiated from his entire body, as though even the droplets of water clinging to his hair had frozen into beads of ice before finally sliding down.

The droplet landed on the divorce agreement, spreading into a blotch.

Jason was just about to lose his temper when his phone rang with a call from Howie. He took a deep breath before answering.

"Yeah? Okay, got it. I'll be there right away."

After hanging up, Jason tore up the new divorce agreement too.

"Amelia, I don't want to argue with you. Howie asked me out for drinks. Stay home and calm down. Think carefully about what you did wrong."

Jason changed his clothes and strode out of the bedroom.

Amelia looked at the shredded divorce agreement, then went back to the study, printed another one, signed her name, and waited for the next opportunity to give it to Jason.

Then she pulled out a suitcase and began packing. She was moving out. Ever since she learned the truth, she could no longer tolerate sharing a room with Jason.

After digging out his medical report from years ago showing that he had severe asthenozoospermia, she found an elegant gift box, placed the report inside, and tied it with a beautiful bow.

This was her divorce gift to Jason. She wondered if he would be happy when he received it.

Without realizing it, she ended up packing late into the night, but there were still a lot of things to sort through.

After all, this had been her home for seven years. She'd put a lot of thought into everything around the house. There was no way she could finish packing everything in one night.

Amelia rubbed her aching lower back, closed the suitcase, and set it aside. She would continue tomorrow.

Before going to bed, she went to Ryan's room to check whether he had kicked off his blanket, and thank goodness she'd checked on him. Even before her hand touched his skin, she could already feel the scorching heat radiating off him.

Ryan had a fever, his lips cracked and his cheeks flushed. His body was alarmingly hot.

She checked his temperature with an infrared thermometer, and the reading was 104 degrees Fahrenheit.

"Ry? Ryan!" Amelia anxiously called his name in a soft voice.

Ryan slowly opened his eyes. His normally clear, serious eyes were clouded with moisture.

"It hurts, Mommy."

"Where does it hurt?" Amelia asked, her heart aching as she placed a fever-reducing patch on him.

Being sick made anyone feel vulnerable, especially a five-year-old child.

His eyes were watery, and his expression made him look all the more pitiful. His voice was soft and whiny as he complained, "My whole body hurts. It hurts everywhere. Mommy, it hurts so much."

"Here, drink some warm water. Once you finish, Mommy will take you to the hospital. Once the doctor sees you, it won't hurt anymore."

Amelia coaxed him gently and helped him drink a glass of water. Then she picked him up to carry him downstairs. But the moment she lifted him, he cried out in pain again.

"Can you hold me more gently, Mommy? My body hurts."

Amelia assumed it was a viral cold that had caused the fever and body aches, so she didn't think much of it.

It wasn't until she carried Ryan downstairs that Lucinda, who had sharp eyes, noticed red bloodstains on his pajamas.

Only then did Amelia realize why Ryan had been crying that he was in pain. His back, arms, and legs were covered in whip marks. They were a mixture of bruises and red welts, varying in depth and severity. In some places, the skin was broken and bleeding.

It was likely that, while washing up by himself, Ryan got his wounds wet, causing them to become inflamed and infected, which caused the high fever.

Since Ryan was fully dressed at all other times, there had been no way to tell that he had these wounds on him. During the day, he hadn't told Amelia he was injured.

Elmer had taught him to be extremely independent. He brushed his own teeth and bathed himself, so Amelia had never known he was hurt.

She considered herself a failure of a mother.

Amelia was overwhelmed with heartache and guilt. Her eyes suddenly reddened, and tears slipped down her cheeks.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. Why am I only learning of this now? It's my fault. I didn't protect you."

Ryan raised his hand and gently wiped the tears from Amelia's face. "Mommy, don't cry. I'm a man. I'm not afraid of pain."

"Where did these injuries come from? Do your great-grandpa and the others know about it?"

Ryan lowered his head and said shamefully, "I'm just too stupid. I couldn't solve the questions properly, so Great-grandpa punished me."

A chill ran through Amelia. Her voice trembled as she asked, "How did he punish you?"

"He hits me with a whip, or he makes me kneel in the yard as punishment. He also won't let me cry. He said a real man should be able to bleed without shedding tears. If I cried, he would hit me two more times or make me kneel for another ten minutes."

As he spoke, Ryan looked up at Amelia with pleading eyes.

"I really tried my best, Mommy, but I'm just not as smart as Uncle Justin. Great-grandpa said Uncle Justin was very smart when he was little. He only had to learn something once to understand it.

"When Uncle Justin was five years old, he was already fluent in five languages, and he had already studied up to fourth-grade elementary school material. But I'm still stuck on third-grade lessons. Great-grandpa said…"

At this point, Ryan's eyes reddened with pain, and large tears began rolling down his cheeks. Amelia knew it couldn't possibly be anything good, but since it concerned Ryan, she still pressed him for an answer.

"What did he say?"