Chapter 127 Substitute
A substitute.
Chris never imagined this word, naturally tinged with inferiority, would one day apply to Cynthia.
He struggled internally, finally pressed his lips together, wiped himself off with old clothes, and walked out.
"There's something at the company. I won't sleep at home. If you need anything, ask the servants."
Cynthia froze, then wild jealousy and unwillingness swept through her chest. Her nails dug into her flesh, her knuckles turning white. After holding back for a long time, she finally spoke: "Okay, then let me prepare a late-night snack for you. Eat before going back to the company."
But when she turned around after speaking, Chris was already gone from the room.
The sound of a car engine came from downstairs, and soon it became quiet.
If it weren't for the messy bed and the marks all over her body, Cynthia would have thought Chris had never come home at all.
Furious, she knocked over the now-useless aromatherapy diffuser, startling a maid who rushed upstairs to check.
"Cynthia, what happened?"
Cynthia instinctively snapped with a twisted expression: "How many times do I have to tell you—call me Mrs. Cooper! Chris and I are getting married soon. Do you still want to call that woman Joanna Mrs. Cooper?"
The maid couldn't speak, her expression somewhat out of control from fright.
Cynthia bit her teeth, realizing that the gentle demeanor she'd maintained for so long had lost control because of Chris's sudden withdrawal. She smoothed the stray hair by her ear and calmed her emotions.
"Sorry, I just had an argument with Chris and got a bit emotional. Did I scare you? I'm fine here, you can go rest early."
The maid nodded blankly and quickly fled the place.
Only when she was alone in the room again did Cynthia regain her rationality. She buried her head between her knees and curled up on the floor.
She would win Chris's heart back.
She had to!
Austin City had been hit by heavy rainstorms for several days. Even though Joanna drove to work, she found it somewhat inconvenient.
On Thursday after work, she saw her tire was flat and had no choice but to go out and hail a cab.
But in the rainstorm, there were too few taxis available.
Joanna waited for a long time and sent Angelo a message: "Angelo, can you come pick me up from work?"
The previous message was from Angelo, sent earlier, saying he had an international conference that would last about three hours.
Without waiting for a reply, she knew Angelo probably couldn't come for now.
Joanna didn't make a fuss about it. She took off her jacket to cover her head and ran toward the bus stop.
Just as she was getting soaked, a car stopped beside her. The window rolled down—it was Chris.
"Get in."
His cold voice reminded Joanna of how they got along when they first got married.
Three years of trying to change him hadn't taught him to speak to her in a gentle tone, but when Cynthia returned to the country, he learned all the considerate details of being a tender husband, even thinking to buy sanitary products for Cynthia.
Joanna smiled sarcastically. Though she was in a sorry state, she still calmly refused: "Sorry, my boyfriend is coming to pick me up soon."
"Boyfriend?"
Chris looked up, his eyes sharp and aggressive: "Angelo? Joanna, you got together with him so quickly. You used to say you loved me over and over—is your love really that cheap?"
How could she forget him so quickly and start a new life!
Chris felt unwilling and angry inside, his expression looking fierce even in the rainstorm.
Joanna pressed her lips together and moved closer to the bus stop shelter: "It's none of your business. Aren't you getting married to Cynthia too? Why haven't you announced the wedding date yet? Is it because she doesn't have a baby this time?"
Chris's gaze darkened: "You have the nerve to bring that up? Wasn't our child killed because of you? Joanna, not pursuing it doesn't mean forgiveness. If you don't get in the car, I don't mind dragging you to the Coopers to kneel and apologize to my parents!"
"The video has already been sent to you. The child's death has nothing to do with me!" Joanna was getting angry. "I won't get in your car!"
Chris knew he couldn't reason with Joanna, so he stopped talking and simply got out of the car to pull her in.
The rainstorm was shut out, and the cramped space made Joanna feel very unsafe. She struggled hard, even kicking Chris several times.
Chris ordered the driver to drive with a cold face, then raised the privacy partition.
Seeing he made no move, Joanna regained her composure and said: "Take me home. If this isn't the route to my place in twenty minutes, I'll call the police."
Chris looked away toward the window, his voice calm: "In such a heavy rainstorm, I'm just being kind enough to take home a dog I raised for three years. What do you think I'm going to do to you?"
"Say whatever you want." Joanna didn't care about his attitude.
Anyway, if Chris wasn't taking her home, she would call the police.
To ensure her safety, Joanna also sent her location to Angelo, with a note: [I got in Chris's car.]
She remained vigilant the whole time.
Chris knew this clearly, so he didn't do anything pointless.
But when they were almost at the apartment, he suddenly asked: "What do you like about him?"
Joanna didn't catch on: "Who?"
Chris forced her to look at him directly, his gaze fixed on her: "Angelo. What do you like about him? If I became like him, would you choose to leave him and come back to me?"
Joanna suddenly laughed, finding this the most ridiculous joke.
"Chris, you probably don't know this, but Angelo is full of good qualities. He's completely different from you, and you could never become him. At least when it comes to respecting his wife, you're nowhere near him."
Respect.
A subject Chris would need to spend his entire life exploring. Joanna didn't think someone as arrogant as him could ever learn it.
"What kind of respect? I gave you the household to manage, introduced you to my business partners to maintain relationships, let you spend money and enjoy life as Mrs. Cooper—isn't that enough?"
Though Joanna's words were harsh, Chris genuinely wanted to know where he fell short.
"Joanna, you're just misinterpreting everything I do because of Cynthia's involvement. I treated you the same way three years ago, so why is it not okay after Cynthia appeared?"
Joanna actually didn't want to say much to someone who only lived in his own world.
But Chris's relentless questioning made all her grievances from the past three years explode.
"Because maintaining faithfulness and a one-on-one relationship in marriage is the responsibility of any couple! You didn't do that. You allowed Cynthia to intrude into our relationship, and you allowed your mother to belittle me. Three years ago, I could tolerate it because I believed you would change, that we could build a warm and loving family together! But now, I see you clearly. You and your mother are the same kind of people. The arrogance and prejudice in your bones have never changed."