Chapter 21: Incorrigible
When Ivy heard what I said, her eyes went wide as saucers, her mouth hanging open. It was as if the world had suddenly gone silent, and shock had frozen her into a statue.
After about ten seconds of silence in the room, Ivy finally spoke, "You... don't love Tyler anymore?"
"Things have come to this point. What kind of person would I be if I still loved him?" I laughed bitterly, my face full of pain.
Hearing this, Ivy's eyebrows suddenly stiffened. Her mouth opened but no sound came out. She was like a movie character on pause—stunned and almost comical.
I smiled helplessly, "Why are you spacing out?"
Ivy snapped back to reality, her face full of sympathy. "Sophia, you can't be the weak one here. How could you not love Tyler? I heard from Dennis about how passionate you two were back then. If a woman didn't love a man that much, why would she choose to get married and have kids so early and become a housewife? It was all because of love."
At that moment, my eyes were filled with disappointment.
I smiled bitterly, "When you've saved up enough disappointment, nothing matters anymore. This relationship was probably wrong from the start. After going in circles, those two still ended up together. That's enough to prove they're really meant for each other."
Ivy pressed her lips together, not knowing what to say for a moment, but she still said, "But Sophia, you and Tyler have a marriage certificate. You're legally married. No matter if they're meant to be or not, it's still cheating. As long as you two aren't divorced, no matter how much those two love each other, she's the other woman."
My long eyelashes covered the disappointment in my eyes, which showed no emotion at all.
"I know all this. You forgot I studied law."
Hearing this, Ivy slapped her forehead, "I forgot you studied law, and here I am stupidly explaining legal stuff to you."
Ivy seemed to remember something else and asked me curiously, "I heard Ava went to the same university as you guys, but I remember her resume said she was accepted to a top music school abroad at seventeen. How could she be at the same school as you?"
I picked up my water glass and took a sip. "She studied abroad for a year, then came to the music school at our university as an exchange student."
"Don't tell me she was already going after Tyler back then?"
"Maybe."
"Ava is so calculating. Are you really going to let them have their way so easily, Sophia?"
I shook my head. "I have my own plans. Thanks for telling me all this today."
Ivy sighed, "So what are you thinking?"
"I don't have any thoughts right now. I'll just let things take their course. Thanks for always thinking of me. For now, I'll just let them be."
Seeing me say this, Ivy didn't know what else to say, but she was still upset. "You have no idea how smug Ava looked last night, acting like she was a celebrity, holding her head high and being so arrogant. People who didn't know better would think she was Tyler's wife."
I finished the last bite of cake and shrugged. "Isn't that what everyone outside thinks anyway?"
Speaking of which, there have been fewer posts online about Ava and Tyler lately. Before, reporters would take secret photos and expose them online, but now you hardly see any. I know Tyler blocked them. Too bad for Ava—she probably wishes reporters would expose them more.
Those reporters before might have even been Ava's doing.
"Sophia, I really admire your patience. If Dennis did this, either he'd die or I'd die. Even if it costs me dearly, I'd make sure to hurt him too."
I held my forehead, unable to hold back a smile. But knowing Ivy's personality, she'd definitely do it.
After staying for nearly an hour, Ivy finally left.
After seeing Ivy off, I checked the time and realized I needed to pick up Jasper.
So I grabbed a jacket and hurried out.
The traffic was unusually bad today. The car was stuck and not moving at all. From what the drivers who had gotten out were saying, there was apparently a multi-car pileup ahead, and traffic was being controlled.
I got out and asked a traffic officer who was maintaining order.
"Sir, how long until traffic flows normally?"
"It won't be possible anytime soon. There was a multi-car pileup ahead, and the opposite lane is blocked too. Can't clear it."
"How long will it take?"
"At least an hour."
I looked at my watch. Jasper would be out of school in twenty minutes. I wouldn't make it.
I looked around. I couldn't just leave the car here either. With no choice, I had to call Tyler.
The phone rang for a long time before he answered. His voice came through, neither cold nor warm, "What's wrong?"
Since I rarely called him, only when something came up, he probably found it surprising.
"I'm stuck in traffic and can't get through anytime soon. Jasper's about to get out of school. Can you pick him up?"
"Okay, I got it."
I pressed my lips together and reminded him again, "I mean you need to pick him up yourself."
There was a pause on the other end, then he said, "I know."
With that, he hung up directly.
Forty minutes later, traffic cleared. I started the car and headed to the school.
Although Tyler said he'd pick up our child, somehow—maybe it was mother-child connection—I felt it wasn't that simple.
More than ten minutes later, I arrived at the school. At the same time, I noticed a red Mercedes parked at the entrance.
This car...
Looked familiar.
My brow furrowed gradually, then I quickly walked into the school. When I reached upstairs and passed by the classroom window in the hallway, I saw Ava sitting next to Jasper inside, feeding him ice cream.
Instantly, I was furious and practically rushed up to them.
"Mommy!" Jasper threw himself into my arms.
Seeing this, a flash of displeasure crossed Ava's eyes.
"Mommy, why did you come so late? I thought Mommy wasn't coming to pick me up, but I remembered Mommy said she would definitely come, so I kept waiting for Mommy."
I touched Jasper's head lovingly, saying guiltily, "I'm sorry Jasper. I'll never be late again, and thank you for remembering what I said."
Just then, Ava's sarcastic voice came, "So you're the one who taught Jasper that. No wonder he wouldn't leave with me. Is this what a mother teaches her child?"
I didn't want to argue with Ava in front of Jasper. I wanted to give Jasper an innocent childhood, so I said, "Jasper, go tell the teacher that Mommy's here, and we'll leave when you come back, okay?"
"Okay!"
After Jasper left the classroom, my expression turned cold. "Ava, it seems you didn't take what I said last time to heart. Do you want me to hit you again?"
Mentioning last time she got hit, Ava got angry. She sneered, "Last time, if it weren't for Tyler's sake, I would have definitely sent you to jail."