Chapter 239
Chapter 239
Even though the police knew Cheryl was faking, they couldn’t ignore her act and called a doctor to examine her.
The crowd’s sympathy for Valerie and Cheryl turned to mockery.
It was obvious to everyone what was going on.
“We don’t want compensation anymore. Just cover my daughter’s emergency bill,” Valerie said, eyeing the cake shop manager.
Normally, dropping the compensation demand would’ve ended it. Police stay out if there’s no complaint. But this time, she’d messed with the wrong people.
This cake shop was a chain. After talking to the owner, the manager decided the incident hurt their reputation and wanted Valerie held accountable.
No matter her excuses, Valerie was hauled to the police station.
Pretending to use the restroom, Cheryl sneaked up to the hematology department.
Clayton had finished his exams and was waiting for the patient to be ready for bone marrow donation.
The patient’s family had been feeding him well to build his strength, so he looked better than in Ironhaven.
Cheryl barged into the ward without knocking and started bossing him around. “Vally’s been arrested. Go bail her out now!”
Clayton was in his hospital gown, lying in bed on his phone, not even glancing up.
“Are you hearing me?” Cheryl snapped, grabbing his arm. “Get up. That shop’s suing Vally for extortion and saying we abused Luna. You’re a lawyer. Deal with it!”
Clayton shook her off, rolled over, and kept scrolling.
Cheryl stared, shocked. “What’s your issue? I’m your mother–in–law, and Vally’s your wife. How can you just do nothing?”
“I warned you this was against the law,” Clayton said, his stare icy cold as he looked at her.
Cheryl’s heart jolted.
Clayton had always favored Valerie, never speaking sharply to Chery before.
But that look in his eyes seemed to show if she weren’t Valerie’s mother, he’d probably send her to jail himself.
Cheryl felt uneasy but didn’t back down. “This is all your doing. You’ve been holding onto the nutrition money Vally worked out with that patient. If you’d -given her half, she wouldn’t have put Luna in danger!”
Clayton sat up, his tall frame imposing despite his thinness.
When Valerie mortgaged his house without permission and ran off with Cheryl and Luna, she’d expected the patient to send Clayton’s nutrition payments to her account. She’d set up the whole thing, after all, using her own contact info and bank details.
After paying off her loans with the mortgage cash, she’d split the rest with Cheryl.
But Cheryl, unable to kick her gambling habit, had quickly found a card game and lost every cent. Valerie, meanwhile, spent freely on pills, doctor visits, and plastic surgery.
When she learned Clayton agreed to donate bone marrow, Valerie rushed to contact the middleman, only to find he’d switched the payment account to his own.
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Chapter 239
That was why she and Cheryl had made a scene shortly after he was admitted to the hospital
When they couldn’t get money from Clayton, Valerie turned her attention to Luna.
Clayton laughed bitterly, thumping his chest. “Did she ever offer to split the mortgage money with me when she took it out behind my back? No. She took the cash and ran with you two!
“Did she mention sharing the donation payment when she signed me up without asking? No. She even set up plans to donate my body after i die!
“If you two hadn’t blown every cent on stupid stuff, you’d be living large right now and wouldn’t even look my way.
“You get yourselves in trouble and expect me to fix it? I may be dumb, but I’m not that dumb. You made this mess. You deal with it.” Clayton finished speaking and reached over to press the call button.
Cheryl, an older woman getting chewed out by a younger man, turned red, then pale, and then red again.
“Don’t be such a jerk! If you hadn’t sweet–talked Vally, I could’ve married her off back in Ironhaven. She only came with you because you promised to take care of her.” Her voice turned pleading. She still needed his help, after all.
She continued, “After you got married, what kind of life did you give her? Financially strapped, she gave up on buying nice clothes and fancy meals. I raised her spoiled, so she acts without thinking.”
Cheryl poured a glass of water and held it out to Clayton. “If you hadn’t talked about divorcing her to get back with Audrey, Vally never would’ve gone off the deep end. She loves you, you know. Cut her some slack and forgive her this once.”
Clayton turned his head, pointedly ignoring her.
Cheryl seethed, barely stopping herself from dumping the water on his face.
She slammed the glass down and circled to the other side of the bed. “Clayton, you’ve known Vally since you were kids. You know she’s not a bad person. Help her out one last time. I swear she’ll nurse you back to health after your surgery.”
“Is everything okay?” The door swung open, and a nurse walked in.
Clayton looked at the nurse. “Get her out of here. She’s stressing me out, and I feel sick.”
Cheryl dropped the act. She lunged at Clayton, aiming for his face. “You ungrateful brat! Who taught you to talk to your mother–in–law like that?”
Clayton dodged, but her nails raked across his neck, leaving a bloody scratch. He grabbed her arm and shoved her hard.
Cheryl stumbled and hit the floor. Instantly, she started kicking and screaming, making a huge scene.
She tilted her head back, smacked her thighs, and mumbled without a tear in sight, “I can’t go on like this! My son–in–law hit me. Where’s the damn justice in this world?”
The nurse gave her a look of disgust, went to the door, and motioned for assistance.
Two men soon entered.
They’d been tasked with “guarding” Clayton–basically to make sure he didn’t bolt. As long as he stayed put, they didn’t interfere with y
- do.
wanted to
They grabbed Cheryl from either side and hauled her out of the ward. “Leave now or we’ll call the police.”
Cheryl rubbed her bruised wrist and left, fuming.
When she got back to Luna’s ward, the police officer stationed there stopped her. “The child’s father contacted us. He can take care of her. You’re coming with us to the station.”
Chapter 239
Cheryl silently cursed Clayton.
“Thanks for reaching out promptly. We’ll handle the follow–up,” said the voice on the phone.
“No worries,” Audrey said, hanging up with the Ironhaven PD. She turned and flopped onto the sofa.
Yann had peeled an apple, chopped it into pieces, and set them on a plate.
Ted, walking by, froze. He rubbed his eyes in disbelief. He wondered, ‘Is this the same Mr. Winifred? The old Mr. Winifred only ate the juicy parts of fruit. Now he’s nibbling on a core?‘
Audrey speared a chunk of apple and traded it for the core in Yann’s hand. “Hey, can I run something by you?” she asked with a grin.
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Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.
