Chapter 365
Cynthiaâs words had planted a seed in Pattieâs fragile heart, making her feel even more insecure and worthless.
After Salma collected her phone and returned, Pattie had already stopped crying. More accurately, she had been scared into silence by Cynthia.
Salma was oblivious to Pattieâs distress. All the way home, Pattie was particularly quiet and obedient.
When they reached the gates of Harmony Meadows, Salma helped Pattie out of the car. âTake care on the road, Cynthia, Gianna. Be safe.â
âAlright.â Gianna gave a nod and started the car to leave.
Only Gianna and Cynthia were in the car now. Gianna said, âMom, you shouldnât say things like that. It wonât be good if Anastasia finds
out.â
âSo what if she finds out? I was just teasing the girl. Who knew sheâd be such a crybaby?â Cynthia retorted with a sarcastic tone. âIâm her aunt. What can Anastasia do to me? Does she really think marrying into a rich family gives her the right to act all high and mighty in front of me?â
Cynthia had warmed up to Anastasia after she had helped Gianna out a few times, but that was only because she believed Anastasiaâs life was worse off than theirs. Now Anastasia was living a better life, so Cynthia naturally felt envious and wanted to make some snide remarks.
Gianna remained silent, which seemed to spur Cynthia on. âWhy canât you be more assertive? When will you finally divorce Joey? Youâre already in your thirties. If Joey keeps holding you back, youâll be too old. At the same time, you are a divorcee. Who will want to marry you then?â
Echoing her concerns, Cynthia was sending anxiety to Gianna, who was already exasperated with Joey. âMom, I can handle my own issues. Iâm not thinking about remarriage.â
âWhat will you do then, if you donât remarry?â Cynthia was exasperated. âGianna, Iâm telling you. You canât play this single life game. Your father and I are still waiting for grandchildren. Weâve sold our house to help you start a coffee shop. Weâre depending on you for our future.â
Gianna responded irritably, âMom, look at my marriage with Joey, itâs a complete mess. Iâve lived for over thirty years and have achieved nothing. Iâm unhappy in my marriage and donât even have childrenâ¦â
âExactly! How did you end up like this? Youâve completely ruined your life. Did we force you to marry Joey? I told you from the beginning that Joey was unreliable. See, I am right.â
âWhen Joey got promoted to director, you wasnât like this. You used to brag about what a great son-in-law Joey was. Now everyone thinks itâs my fault. If it wasnât for you, my marriage wouldnât be this terrible.â
Cynthia was taken aback. âAre you blaming me now, Gianna? Joey was your choice. I had nothing to do with it.â
âI blame you, yes.â
The two womenâs words clashed into a heated argument in the car.
At a red light, Gianna suddenly hit the brakes. Cynthia, thrown forward by inertia, was snapped back by her seatbelt. Cynthia was frightened by the sudden stop. She wanted to scold Gianna, but when she saw Gianna gripping the steering wheel, her entire body radiating with rage, she swallowed her words.
The argument paused for a moment as they both calmed their emotions.
Once the light turned green, Gianna started the car again. Cynthia muttered from the passenger seat, âYou are living a worse life than others. You should compete with them. Why are you showing your anger in front of me? Look at Anastasia. Not only did she marry well, sheâs also pregnantâ¦â
âMother,â Gianna snapped, âDo you need to keep picking at my wounds? Canât you just shut up for a while? Iâd love to marry a man like Herman too, but I didnât have that chance. Okay, my life is miserable. Are you happy now?â
Cynthia waved her hand dismissively. âFine, I wonât say anything. You deal with your own issues from now on. I wonât interfere anymore, okay?â
With a mixture of anger and frustration, Gianna dropped Cynthia off at home. She didnât even go inside before she drove off.
Without realizing it, Gianna had ended up at the entrance of the neighborhood where she and Joeyâs marital home was. Ever since the divorce dispute, Gjanna had moved out.
Now, as darkness fell, a spark of determination flickered in Giannaâs eyes. She dialed Joeyâs number. âIâm outside our apartment complexâ¦â
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