All Chapters of I Quit My Job, I Left My Marriage, and My Ex Lost His Mind: Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

The brightness that had just returned to Layla’s eyes faded instantly.Truthfully, she hadn’t held much hope when she sent the message.Travis had been a star back in college, the kind of person everyone knew. His family background and looks were top-tier. It had already been surprising enough that he agreed to join Alya Corp in the beginning.For someone like him to be shoved out by Dylan over such a pathetic excuse… even thinking about it made her feel sorry for him. It must have been even worse for him at the time.[If anyone should apologize, it’s me. I was too presumptuous.]Travis replied quickly.[Are you planning to return to the Spencer Group?]Layla didn’t hide anything. She told him her plan to rebuild Spencer Group.He went silent for a long time before sending another message.[If your goal is to bring Spencer Group back to life and fight Alya Corp head-on, I suggest trying your luck with Moore Group. You know as well as I do, in this city, only Moore Group has th

“Please. Like she even compares.”“And they’ve been married three years and she still hasn’t produced a single kid. She had to rely on IVF just to barely get pregnant. Mr. Hall, I’m not trying to drag Layla, but she really can’t compete with Lily in any way.”Dylan let out a short laugh. “You all know these things already. Why say them out loud?”He picked up his glass, downed it in a single swallow, and said with a dark expression, “She’s pregnant now. As long as she carries the baby safely and gives birth, even if I can’t give her all my love in the future, the title of Mrs. Hall is hers. No one can take that away.”The men around them whistled and clapped, praising Dylan for being “generous.”Lily leaned into his chest, lowering her eyes to hide the flash of resentment.So Mrs. Hall was Layla, and no one could touch that position.What about her?Was she supposed to be his mistress forever?Why did she have to be the one who hid in the shadows?They had been drinking and t

“Dylan didn’t force you to come. You came on your own. You can’t put all the blame on everyone else, can you?”Layla could not stand Lily’s syrupy, doe-eyed tone for another second. She reached out, wanting to push Lily away. “Move. I’m talking to Dylan. Why are you jumping in? Did someone appoint you as his spokesperson?”Layla’s hand had barely lifted when Lily suddenly let out a dramatic scream and threw herself backward. She crashed into the coffee table with a loud thud.Glasses, fruit plates, and bottles toppled to the floor, shattering and splattering all over.“Lily!”Dylan rushed to her first, yanking her up from the mess.She was covered in spilled wine and fruit juice, hair sticking to her cheeks, clothes ruined. She looked pitiful in the most theatrical way possible.Dylan’s face darkened with fury. He spun around and shoved Layla hard.“Layla, what is wrong with you? She is your sister. How could you lay hands on her like that? If something happens to her, I swear

“Can you stop already?”Dylan stared at Layla with open disappointment. He thought she was still insisting on calling the police, and his temper snapped. “We’re all trying to give you a way out, and you refuse to take it. Do you actually think I won’t lay a hand on you?”“When you mess up, you apologize. Even a three-year-old knows that. But you insist on being stubborn. I guess a girl who grew up without a mother really never learned any manners.”The words hit Layla like lightning.Losing her mother young was the wound that had never healed. She had told Dylan countless times how much she envied Lily, who grew up wrapped in a mother’s love. Dylan used to hold her in his arms and say again and again, “You don’t have a mom, but you have me. I’ll make it up to you. I’ll give you the love you missed.”Now he was standing in front of a room full of people, calling her an orphan with no upbringing.“Dylan Hall.”Layla cracked. She raised her hand and slapped him hard across the face

Her grandmother had always said she was getting old, that she couldn’t take care of Layla much longer, couldn’t support her the way a parent should. Before she passed, she gave Layla the only home she owned. Then, just like that, she was gone.After more than ten years away from her father’s house, Layla was finally brought back.She remembered her grandmother’s words, so she did everything she could to be the perfect child. She took over the housework. She cleaned. She cooked. She washed dishes. She squeezed studying into whatever scraps of time she had left.That was how she earned the reputation of being smart, well-behaved, and easy to like.Because the relatives liked her, she finally had a bit of standing in her father’s home. Only then did life become bearable.To avoid provoking her stepmother, she treated Lily as if she were her own flesh and blood. She cared for her, protected her, and tried her best to make their blended family work.She walked on eggshells for years.