Chapter 86
Sure enough, before breakfast was even finished, Cleo showed up in a rage.
We asked her to eat, but she just sat on the sofa without moving.
"Cleo, just say what you want to say."
I felt a bit awkward being caught in the middle.
I still needed to go to the hospital to see Aiden, and then go to work. Levi also had an important meeting - he'd been wanting to leave for a while now.
Cleo was probably here to blame us, but she kept her mouth shut.
"What should I say? Let him explain the good things he's done himself, since he's so capable."
She was different today - normally, she'd be yelling by now. Besides her husband's situation, there shouldn't be anything else.
Cleo wore no makeup and was dressed casually. You could tell this whole thing had worn her out. She always cared about her appearance, but today she didn't bother.
"The facts are the facts. We can't let innocent people get hurt."
Levi checked his watch again. He couldn't stay here any longer.
"But you should at least talk to me about it first. Even if you don't care about my feelings, you should think about our family's reputation, right?"
"He cheated - that's a fact. No matter who with, the result is the same."
Levi got to the heart of the matter. Michael's cheating was real, and her and the Morgan family's reputation was already damaged.
If they didn't reveal the truth, given Jessa's fame, things would only get worse.
"He hates our family so much right now, he wants to divorce me!" Cleo started crying as she spoke.
"Pathetic!"
Levi was angry at her weakness. After all these years of treating Michael like a treasure, he cheated, and it should be the Morgan family who's angry - he had no right to be mad.
Cleo stomped her foot. "Is that how you talk to your own sister? If we divorce now, what about Hayden? Should I find him a stepfather?"
"Anyone would be better than the current one."
Levi put on his coat. I noticed his tie was loose and got up to fix it for him.
"Where are you going? How can you still think about work?" Cleo stood up too, following behind Levi.
He turned around, looking determined. "He cheated, so he should get lost. He did something wrong - no need to waste my time."
"But you have to help me figure something out."
So Cleo wasn't entirely here to cause trouble - she wanted his help coming up with a solution.
Women can be so vulnerable. When something like this happens, it's easy to lose your sense of direction.
"Nothing to think about. Just divorce him."
That was Levi's attitude. He couldn't stand anything dirty.
But outsiders can always make decisions easily, right? When Jessa was between us, and I suggested divorce, why didn't he agree so readily then?
Cleo was like a deflated balloon, completely drained of energy.
"I still have feelings for him. I think if he realizes his mistake and changes..."
"He won't change."
Levi didn't want to hear her long speech. Every time, she just defended Michael. The guy had humiliated her like this, and she was still willing to put up with it.
Normally, if anyone gave her a hard time, she'd make a huge fuss, but with Michael, she had such double standards.
So this is how scary it is to be blinded by love - just like me with Levi. Because I loved him, I often didn't care about many things.
The difference between Cleo and me was that I had principles and boundaries.
Levi had almost reached the front door when I suddenly heard Jessa's voice.
Cleo and I both walked to the door and saw them standing there talking.
"Levi, thank you so much. If it wasn't for you, I really couldn't have gotten through this. I can't imagine how hard it would have been."
Jessa wanted a hug. She took two steps forward, but Levi stepped back two steps, leaving her reaching into empty air.
I couldn't bear to watch. Was she addicted to hugging? Trying to hug him at my house.
"I'm going to the office, so I won't invite you in."
Levi was fairly polite with her. The driver had been waiting - he was dressed lightly today and shivering from the cold.
Jessa glanced our way and nodded. "Okay then, I'll head back. I just wanted to thank you in person."
She knew she was an unwelcome guest - no one here wanted her around.
Plus, Cleo was angry and might take it out on her. Leaving now was the smart move.
"Since you're here, come in and sit. Why rush off?"
Cleo quickly walked toward them, afraid Jessa would leave right away.
I stood there frozen, not knowing if I should follow.
If Cleo got upset and hit Jessa, it wouldn't look good happening at my house.
"Cleo, it's all a misunderstanding. I explained before, but you wouldn't listen."
Jessa spoke calmly, hoping to avoid an argument.
"Easy to talk tough when you have someone backing you up. Not like me - I have a brother who sides with outsiders and won't help his own sister at all."
Cleo was mocking Levi, feeling she was treated worse than Jessa.
"You've misunderstood Levi, too. He's doing this for your own good. You said yourself he had another woman - now that your suspicion is confirmed, you should cut your losses."
Jessa had a point - Cleo really should stay away from that cheating man.
"It's not your place to tell me what's right or wrong, is it?"
Cleo turned and pointed at me. "You think you're doing so well? Open your eyes and look - his wife is right there."
"I don't have any other intentions. I just came to thank Levi."
"Right, what other intentions would you need? When you need money, he gives you money. When you need love, he gives you love." Cleo laughed. "How come all the good things go to you?"
Jessa didn't know how to respond for a moment. Levi really had given her a lot.
Cleo mocked, "Blair's not as good as you. Look, you just crook your finger, and my brother's heart comes back to you. She's useless - all these years, running around like a servant, and still couldn't hold onto his heart."
I could hear the manipulation in her words, but what she said was true - compared to Jessa, she made Levi care more.
"Instead of wasting time running your mouth here, you should go deal with your own problems."
Levi got in the car and closed the door.
Cleo yelled at him, "How did I end up with a brother like you, making decisions for me without asking? Did I ask you to get involved? What does this have to do with you?"
She was still mad that Levi had exposed everything. To her, whether Michael would come back was more important.
"Cleo, don't blame Levi. He really is doing this for your own good."
Jessa defended Levi. Now that she'd cleared herself from this mess, it was easy for her to talk.
"You're no saint either. You'd better give up on my brother. People who break up families are disgusting!"
This left Jessa speechless. Her mind must be a mess, too - the person she likes is being good to her again, but he has his own family.
And me? Watching these two women argue, I was thinking about my own troubles. Levi changed so quickly - maybe Cleo was right, I couldn't compare to Jessa...