Chapter 204
Although Abellyn had mentally prepared herself for Ryder to lose his mind,
she still couldn’t believe that Ryder would be so rough with her. In that split
second, she screamed at him, “Are you crazy, Ryder? Who told you I had
cheated on you when I was sleeping here last night?”
“It was Emmanuel who told me! He saw you hugging another man at Nightfall
Bar with his own two eyes!” said Ryder as he shoved her harshly onto the
couch.
Although Abellyn constantly bullied Ryder due to his honesty, he was still a
terrifying person when he was furious.
“You… He… He’s lying! That’s right! Emmanuel is lying!” Abellyn vehemently
denied it and retorted, “I knew it! He harbors resentment at me for saying that
you love his wife. That is why he told you that I was cheating on you! He was
trying to avenge himself!”
“Bullsh*t!” Although Ryder wasn’t smart, he was not an idiot either. “I have
watched Mariny ever since he was a child. I know him better than you! He will
definitely not accuse others without any reason, especially when it’s
something like this. So, I’m sure he must have caught you red–handed! What
else is there to say?!”
“I didn’t do it!” Abellyn denied it once more.
“How dare you refuse to admit it? I’m going to punish you for lying!” As Ryder
spoke, he slapped her leg.
“Ah!” Abellyn screamed but didn’t run away. Instead, she scowled at him and
hissed, “You are abusing me again, Ryder! I’m going to have a divorce with
you! I will take away half of our money and Tommy. You are the one in the
wrong!”
Ryder became even more furious after hearing her words. He pressed her
against the couch and slapped her butt multiple times, trying to vent his
anger. The more he used to adore her, the angrier he felt right now!
“Go on! Hit me! I dare you to beat me to death. Otherwise, I will have you pay
for the consequences! I will kill you, Ryder!” Even if Abellyn were to be armed
with a knife, she was no match to Ryder, not to mention she had nothing to
defend her now.
Ryder only stopped after smacking her bottom until it was swollen.
Then, Abellyn stood up angrily and took off her clothes. Once she was
butt–naked, she screamed like a madwoman. “Fine! Since you accused me
of cheating, why don’t you find someone to check my body? Isn’t Emmanuel
a gynecologist? Why don’t you let him check to see if I have had sex with
someone else for the past few days? I’m innocent! Emmanuel has wrongly
accused me!”
There was no way Ryder would tell Emmanuel about this. After all, how could
he tell others about this matter? If Abellyn had not cheated on him, he would
be the one in the wrong. Moreover, he would also be embarrassed if she
cheated on him! At this moment, Ryder fully understood the difficulty of not
exposing his family matters to the public.
“Go on! Why are you just standing there? Let me tell you, Ryder. If you don’t
get on your knees and beg for forgiveness, I will never forgive you!” After
Abellyn had gotten the upper hand, she began to be unreasonable. She
didn’t grab a knife and hurt anyone, yet Ryder had beaten her until she was
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swollen. Thus, she wanted to call her family over. When that happened, there
would be hell to pay!
“No! Don’t call them!” After Ryder had vented out his anger, he was afraid
when he saw how intimidating Abellyn was. He quickly hugged her to prevent
her from calling her family. If Abellyn’s parents were to come, the house
would be in utter chaos!
“Are you afraid now, Ryder? Why didn’t you think that this would happen when
you hit me? I won’t let this matter slide if you don’t make it up to me!”
“What… What do you want?”
Chapter 205
Ryder was suffering because he wasn’t exactly an intellectual. He had the
guts to do whatever he wanted when in a fit of rage, but when the deed was
done, he would not know what to do to de–escalate the situation.
“5,000, now! Give that to me and I’ll forget about the whole thing. Otherwise,
I’ll call my parents! You abused me! I will be seeing you in court!” Abellyn
demanded hotly.
“5,000? I don’t have that kind of money!”
“I know that you were paid just two days ago. Give that to me, now!”
Faced with Abellyn’s threats, Ryder had no choice but to pay her 2,500. Finally,
she relented and left their unit with a cold scoff.
Misery overwhelmed him. What should he do now?
That afternoon when Emmanuel stepped out of the hospital and intended to
drive to Terence Group, he found Ryder waiting for him by the hospital
entrance.
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“Oh, God. Ryder, what happened to you?”
Then, he hastily dashed out of the car upon seeing Ryder’s messy hair and
red–rimmed eyes.
“…”
Ryder released a heavy sigh, not knowing how to start.
As Emmanuel was concerned that Ryder might be in trouble, he hurriedly
messaged Beatrix to tell her he was taking the day off. Then, he led Ryder to a
place where they could talk freely.
They soon arrived at a taco truck.
After Ryder downed two cans of beer, he told Emmanuel all about his day.
Finally, he sighed wearily, complaining, “I was too impulsive! I shouldn’t have
made a move before I had proof. Now, I’ve tipped her off and suffered for my
rashness!”
Emmanuel wholeheartedly agreed with that. He had told Ryder to control
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himself, but it was obvious that Ryder didn’t heed his warnings.
Still, at this point in time, the only advice he could give was, “Don’t beat
yourself up over it. Abellyn is the one in the wrong. In the end, justice will
prevail. I’ll make sure of that!”
Ryder nodded and continued drowning his sorrows in beer.
Emmanuel’s first task was to find out what Ryder thought of the situation.
“Have you ever thought of divorcing her?” he bluntly asked.
He did not have the nerve to question Ryder about this before, but now that
she had definitely cheated on Ryder–well, at least mentally, for now–Ryder
needed to make up his mind on this.
“I don’t know. I really don’t know…”
Ryder’s mind was in chaos. Tommy was only six! There was a high chance
that he would feel abandoned or experience other negative emotions that
might drastically affect his childhood and cause irreparable damage if Ryder
decided to divorce Abellyn.
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Still, Emmanuel had discussed this particular matter with Mackenzie, so he
knew what Ryder was likely worried about, “Ryder, don’t overthink things. Just
focus on the now. As Mackenzie has said, there’s no making without breaking.
If this family isn’t capable of surviving turmoil, you should let it die on good
terms… Or, whatever passes as good terms at this point. You’re only 35 years
old. You’re still in your prime, perfectly capable of building a better
household.”
Ryder’s lack of confidence was his greatest weakness.
He was not well–educated, and he was not as handsome as Emmanuel. He
had only married Abellyn because he was afraid he would never be able to
find a wife. Thus, he doted on her with all his might.
Now, he realized he had made a terrible mistake.
However, he was not a young man any longer. Abellyn had also gambled
away most of his savings. He was actually in a more unfavorable state than
he was seven years ago. It was no wonder that he had no self–confidence to
speak of.
“If worse comes to worst, you can raise Tommy all by yourself. Abellyn never
did anything for the family anyway!” Emmanuel exclaimed.
Then, he solemnly swore, “I promise I will help you find proof of her cheating
on you last night. You will surely be granted custody of Tommy once I have
solid evidence. There’s no need to be afraid. You can’t spend your whole life
being taken for a fool by that woman!”
Ryder sighed and nodded but did not say anything.
“You can’t keep dragging this on, Ryder! The man Abellyn seduced last night
is quite rich and high in social status. She has already made her first move,
so she’s probably looking for a better catch. I’m certain that she plans to
divorce you!”
“In that case, you need to strike while the iron is hot. You cannot give them
the chance to attack you, or you’ll lose a lot more than just Tommy. There’s
no way you can live with yourself then,” Emmanuel concluded.
He was actually just repeating what Mackenzie said to him.
Women always had a deeper insight into other women.
Moreover, Mackenzie was a smart woman. Although she had not spent time
getting to know Abellyn, she knew exactly what kind of woman Abellyn truly
was.
Chapter 206
“You’re right, Manny. I can’t just wait for the inevitable. I’ll get useful blackmail
on that woman and sue her. If she insists on going down this path, I’ll divorce
her!”
Ryder finally decided that he could not live in denial any longer.
His wife was determined to cheat on him, so he could not just pretend
nothing happened.
“I’ll go with you, Ryder.”
Emmanuel followed Ryder to Nightfall Bar, thinking of asking for last night’s
surveillance records.
Unfortunately, they were nobodies. It didn’t matter what they said, the bar
refused to give them access to the footage. It certainly didn’t sway them
when Ryder shouted in their faces that his wife had been cheating on him at
their premises.
They had no choice but to leave empty–handed.
“You should head home first, Manny. I’ll camp out by the bar. I will catch her
red–handed tonight!”
Ryder had the utmost faith in Emmanuel.
This whole time, he was certain Abellyn had been lying. If Emmanuel said she
had been flirting around with other men, then she was definitely guilty of that.
Emmanuel was out of ideas as well, but he still advised Ryder, “You should
only stay here for one night. I just caught Abellyn here last night. There’s no
way she’s foolish enough to come back here. Don’t let this matter with her
affect your work. It’s not worth it.”
“I know, Manny.”
Emmanuel only returned home when he received Ryder’s promise to be
more careful this time.
When he drove Mackenzie home later that evening, Emmanuel drove past Nightfall Bar. Then, he told her all about what happened with Ryder during their journey home.
While she found Ryder’s actions foolish, she did not see a need in throwing
rocks when someone was already down.
As expected, Abellyn did not head to Nightfall Bar that evening. Therefore,
Ryder ended up drowning his sorrows in drink.
“It’s getting late, Ryder. Let’s go. I’ll drop you off at home,” Emmanuel said
gently.
Ryder had intended to go along with the suggestion, but when he spotted
Mackenzie in the car, he adamantly refused to get into the car.
“Go home with your wife, Manny. Leave me be! I’ll just hail a cab.”
“It’s fine. She won’t be mad. You’re not in a good place financially. Every little
bit counts.”
“No, no, no. You should go!”
Ryder would rather die than get into that car. He might be a fool, but he was a self–aware fool. They belonged to two completely different worlds. How
could he sit in the same vehicle as Mackenzie?
He was afraid his presence would stain her ethereal image.
When Mackenzie noticed what was happening, she let out a discreet huff.
Only Emmanuel would be foolish enough to suggest that idea.
She was the great CEO of Terence Group. There was no way she could sit in
the same vehicle with a drunkard.
“Tell Ryder to stop with this foolish nonsense. I’ll find his evidence for him.”
That was what she said when Emmanuel finally got back into the car.
“Really?” His eyes lit up with joy. “What do you have in mind? Ms. Quillen?”
“Hmph! That’s none of your business!”
His resolute retort surprised Roselynn and she secretly gave him a
thumbs–up.
Men really were more reliable after getting married.
“Emmanuel, you…”
Abellyn gritted her teeth. She knew better than anyone else exactly why he
said that.
If she continued arguing with her, he would definitely tell everyone about how
she cheated on Ryder.
“You stabbed him, so this is attempted murder. You’ll definitely be sentenced
to prison if you’re found guilty!”
The
Emmanuel decided to strike first to frighten her. Then, he continued, “Since
you want a divorce, what are the conditions?”
He wholeheartedly approved of the divorce. It would be for the best if Abellyn
was willing to demand nothing out of the divorce.
After all, she had nothing to do with anything in Ryder’s home. She rarely even
took care of Tommy.
“Fine! A divorce it is!” Abellyn spat out.
When Chloe saw the look Abellyn shot at him, she promptly proposed, “We’ll
go with the usual procedure. She’ll gain half of their assets and custody over
Tommy goes to her.”
He let out a bark of laughter when he heard that.
“Tommy’s custody can go to Ryder as well, but then Abellyn will be taking
70%,” Chloe hurriedly added.
“Have some shame!”
Chapter
He could not hold back any longer. His face was dark and stormy as he
retorted, “What has Abellyn done for the family? What did she buy? The
house? The furniture? Has she even contributed a single cent to the
household? Don’t you dare tell me that she isn’t aware that Ryder worked
himself to the bone just to pay off her gambling debts? Is she really that
oblivious? How dare you ask for half of his assets and the boy!”
Abellyn did not dare respond despite the emotions flashing through her eyes.
Chloe scoffed as she spoke, “That’s none of your business. You’re just an
outsider. The divorce will go according to the usual legal procedure. Let’s see
what the court will say! Yes, she stabbed him. But he deserved it. He abused
her! The court will surely order him to properly compensate her with more
than just half. Just you wait!”
The look on his face was as stormy as a thunderstorm about to strike.
Even Alessandra and Roselynn were terrified. They had never seen him look
like this before.
“If you insist on fooling around, I’ll play along with your act! Ryder and I will
surely make you regret this!”
He clenched his fist and roared, “I’ll prove once and for all that you cheated
on him, Abellyn. That’s why all of this happened. You won’t get anything out of
Ryder, not even Tommy!”
Chapter 210
The argument soon drew the attention of the hospital staff.
“Everyone, please do not shout in the hospital,” one of them warned sternly.
“Dr. Lowe, you work here. Please control yourself!”
Chloe was able to drag her entire family away from the hospital with the
staff’s intervention.
Before she departed, she loudly exclaimed, “The Lowe family is just a horrible
family. Let’s go! They’ll regret this!”
“Hmph! We’ll see who ends up crying in the end.”
Roselynn could not resist one last retort
Soon after the Sheppards‘ departure, Ryder was pushed out of the operating
theater and into a normal ward.
He was not in any danger of losing his life.
However, his kidney was injured. That might affect his future marriage
prospects.
“Abellyn is an absolute witch! How could she do this? Ryder, you have to
divorce her! She needs to stay as far away from us as possible!”
Roselynn kept ranting as she peeled an apple for Ryder.
As for Ryder, he was silently lying in bed. Even though he was wide awake, his
eyelids were partially shut so it was as if he had fallen asleep.
“Oh, a harmonious family is what brings good luck! How did everything end
up like this?” Alessandra cried out.
She was distressed to see Ryder in this state. She also did not try to convince
him to compromise, especially not with how things turned out. Instead, she
turned her attention to motivating him, coaxing gently, “Ryder, I know plenty
of matchmakers. If you do get divorced, I’ll find you a better woman!”
Ryder sighed. “If we get a divorce, she’ll steal away half of everything. What
about Tommy and the apartment?”
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He inherited that home from his late father. There was no way he could
accept losing half of it.
He could also not allow her to have custody over Tommy.
“Don’t worry, Ryder. I’ll help you prove that Abellyn started everything by
cheating on you. I’ll even ask Mackenzie to hire the best divorce lawyer for
you. We’ll make sure Tommy stays with you and minimize your loss to the
lowest it can go.”
Emmanuel was determined to help out.
“That’s right! He has an amazing wife, so don’t you think about backing down.
There’s no need to be afraid of those two sisters!”
Roselynn was suddenly filled with confidence.
Ryder nodded. “Manny, I… I’ll leave it to you.”
It was evident that he had finally had enough of Abellyn. The divorce was
going to happen.
Chapter
The Divorce
Happen
After all, no one wanted to live with a woman who would stay out all night
playing poker, not working or taking care of the house, let alone someone
who would cheat on her husband and stab him once they were caught.
After they walked out of the room, Roselynn worriedly inquired, “Do you really
have a way to get your hands on evidence that Abellyn cheated on him?”
“I’ll do my best,” Emmanuel responded as he was confident in his skills.
His family knew he had been working as a soldier in the Northern Region, but
they did not know he was a Wolf Warrior. He had been on many classified
missions.
Since the bar refused to hand over the surveillance footage, he would sneak
into the control room to get a copy of the footage.
Therefore, with that goal in mind, he asked Beatrix for a day off.
He even told Mackenzie he would not be driving her home later that evening.
Mackenzie was a busy woman, so she did not respond to his message.
Nonetheless, the door swung wide open just as he was ready to leave the
house.
Mackenzie was shocked to find him dressed entirely in black. After a moment,
she burst out chuckling. “What are you doing?”
“I…” he awkwardly stammered. “I’m going to the bar to steal some
surveillance footage…”
He did not want to keep his actions a secret from her.
Unfortunately, that only made her laugh harder.
In fact, he had never seen her laughing so uproariously.
He had to admit that she looked so mesmerizing when she was happy, which
made her resemble a painting of a field of flowers in bloom.
“You little fool. Are you asking to be arrested?” she asked.
She had returned early because she knew what he would likely be up to.
As expected, Emmanuel was a fool who liked to use idiotic measures.
“I don’t care about that! Ryder has been horribly hurt by Abellyn. If I don’t help
him, who knows what other tricks she and her sister would have up their
sleeves.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll definitely succeed. I won’t be arrested,” he promised.
Then, he moved to saunter confidently out the door.
“Stop!” Mackenzie called out to him. Why was he so dumb? He was as slow as
molasses.
“The surveillance footage is all you want, right? I’ll get it for you,” she said.
“Huh? Do you have a way to get it?”
“Here!”
She threw him a phone, causing him to fumble the device before finally
catching it with a firm grip. He soon found the surveillance footage from the
bar that evening.
Of course, Lexi got this footage under her orders.
The bar refused to hand over their surveillance footage to Emmanuel and
Ryder, but the moment Lexi appeared and told them whom she was working
for, they handed it over without complaint or asking for a bribe.
Lexi and Beatrix had teased Mackenzie endlessly over that, saying that she
was acting more and more like a wife.
Before, she would never ask Lexi to handle something so trivial. It would be
overkill.
While it was nothing to her, it was an exceedingly challenging task for
Emmanuel.
“You’re the best, Mackenzie!”
After he watched the video, he excitedly wrapped his arms around her. He
had gotten into the habit of hugging his fellow soldiers after a victorious
battle.
Regardless, he soon realized that he was hugging a gorgeous woman
instead of a fellow soldier as her body was so soft and nice to hug. He
instantly leaped away as though he had been shocked by electricity.
“I’m sorry! I’m sorry!” he cried out.
His face flushed crimson as he stammered out an explanation, he hurriedly
said, “I–I didn’t mean to do that, Ms. Quillen. I was just so happy.”
Mackenzie pursed her lips and glared at him. Then, she huffed before
stomping back to her room without saying a word.
Ah…
Emmanuel scratched his head in confusion. Was she angry?
He was worried that she would hit him or shout at him. Still, this method of
showing her anger seemed a little too gentle…
Bang!
Mackenzie slammed the door hard behind her before leaning against it while
fuming with anger.
“That was dangerous! I can’t keep helping him. Who knows if he’ll seize the
chance to do something worse?” she muttered to herself.
“This won’t do! I have to keep my guard up!”
“I need to stay vigilant!”
The next morning, Emmanuel returned to work. As he was utterly swamped
with work, he did not have time to visit Ryder even though they were in the
same location.
By the time he made his way to Ryder’s room in the afternoon, he found out
that Ryder had been discharged from the hospital.
He sighed, not at all surprised. He knew Ryder well. One night at the hospital
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would cost Ryder hundreds. Ryder was someone who would rather suffer
silently than deal with the financial burden.
Nevertheless, Ryder’s body was not made of steel despite how strong he
was. If he headed home right away, he might be in trouble.
That evening, Abellyn snuck into the apartment to steal some of the more
valuable belongings so that she could begin getting her hands on Ryder’s
assets before the divorce. She did not expect to find Ryder at home.
His bloodshot eyes glared at her.
“Y–You’re out of the hospital already?” she blabbered.
Her guilt caused her to be overwhelmed by fright, nearly causing her to
collapse on the ground.
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