Chapter 12 Do You Regret It Me, distressed? Hah! As if! Has he taken leave of his senses?
âIâm worried about you, you dumb*ss!â
After blurting that out to Dominic, my gaze met his smirking gaze. In an instant, regret deluged me. Great! Thatâs just great! I was really off my rocker to show concern for another man right in front of my husband!
âTsk-tsk⦠Sure enough, youâre a sl*t, Liliana Zanetti! You couldâve had a good life with your husband, yet you had to fool around with a cripple! What do you have to say now that Iâve caught you red-handed? Iâll tell you what, youâve got to pay for my sonâs medical expenses and the damages you wrought by having an affair!â
Coraline shot forward, almost poking me in the face with her condemning finger. Out of the blue, Dominic shifted his wheelchair. The culprit that had clipped me earlier smacked against her, the crippling pain making her wail aloud.
Upon seeing that his mother was injured, Julius could no longer be a coward and keep silent. He staggered to his feet. Despite his lingering fear of Calvin, he bit the bullet and rushed forward.
To my surprise, he didnât charge at us but helped his mother up instead. Then, he turned and cut me a murderous glare.
âJust you wait, Liliana! Iâll show you what true ruination means. You love drawing comics, no? In that case, donât even dream of ever doing that again for the rest of your life!â
I understood his meaning at once. Heâs probably threatening to expose me for having stolen someoneâs workâ¦
With that, I glanced down at Dominic, but I remained exceedingly calm since it was something I owed him in the first place, and a reckoning was inevitable.
âGo ahead. Iâm no one important, so it doesnât matter even if I never draw comics again. Itâs just a change of profession, no big deal. However, our marriage has come to an end, Julius. Iâll see you at City Hall when youâre discharged from the hospital.â
âIn your dreams! Itâs fine if you want a divorce, but youâve got to pay my losses in full. Youâll never be rid of me if you give me even a cent less. Iâm not going to allow you both to live happily for nothing!â
My mild temper was on the brink of being obliterated by Juliusâ shamelessness. Jeez, has he forgotten everything that happened last night? How dare he condemn me for having an affair now and demand compensation? Argh! I really canât believe his shamelessness!
âWhat kind of losses would you have suffered? You were the one who had an affair and hit your wife.
And what about your offense of slandering an artist?â
At Dominicâs sudden interruption, I gaped at him in astonishment. Didnât he come back this time to settle the score with me? So, why is he now saying that my stealing of his work is slander?
âHah! Save it! She told me herself that she took the wrong manuscript but said nothing when her manuscript was selected. Therefore, this is a veritable fact that she canât deny!â
Julius threw Dominic a triumphant look as though nothing scared him since he had dirt on me.
âOh, really? Whereâs the proof, then? And whereâs the original author? Once copyright matters are involved, there must be an original author. Can you find the person and have him or her testify against Liliana for copyright infringement? If you canât, this is no more than slander!â
âIâ¦â
Dominicâs words had Julius dumbfounded. Likewise, I was stunned.
All at once, I plunged into a turmoil. Everything heâs doing today is to help me, but why would he do so?
He told me he detested me yesterday and returned to collect the debt I owe him. So, whatâs the meaning of this?
âCalvin!â Dominic called out faintly.
The man standing beside him immediately leaned down and wheeled him out the door. Meanwhile, I remained rooted to the spot in a daze, but his low and rich voice then sounded behind me.
âWhy are you still standing there? Are you reluctant to leave?â
âComingâ¦â I walked out with him in sheer confusion.
Just after we had gone out the door, Dominicâs wheelchair came to a stop.
âDo you regret it? Do you regret dumping me and finding such a worthless piece of trash?â