Love the Second Time Around

Chapter 11

Chapter 11 Malicious Remarks

I couldn’t cry, especially in front of Dominic, so I sniffled and held my tears at bay. In a curt voice, I demanded, “Why are you here? Are you here to see me make a fool of myself?”

However, Dominic didn’t even spare me a single glance. His eyes were fixated behind me. The corners of his lips then tilted a fraction, a contemptuous smile playing on his lips.

“So this is the man you chose? He didn’t seem to be anything special in the video, and I thought he’d look better in the flesh, but he’s still as unsightly. It looks like your tastes are rather… dismal, if I might say.”

What the hell? Things are tense now, yet he’s still in the mood to insult me?

Seething, I pressed my lips into a tight line. Before I could retort, Coraline’s shrill voice rang out. Content from NôvelDr(a)ma.Org.

“Who are you, you damn cripple? You’re just a handicapped man, yet you dare disparage my son? Hah! You’re at the wrong place if you want to show off! I, Coraline Zelinsky, have never been afraid of anyone! You’d better scram, or I’ll make it so that you’ll be wholly paralyzed!”

I was initially peeved at Dominic, but when I heard Coraline call him a cripple, anguish flooded me. Once, he was admired for his long legs back at university. Not only was he handsome, but he excelled in various sports. Now, however… he couldn’t even stand up, and he was even scorned by a shrew such as Coraline!

Seeing red, I geared up to stalk forward and tear into her, but a hand gripped my arm.

When I glanced over my shoulder, Dominic seemingly wasn’t bothered by Coraline’s words at all. Instead, he appeared nonchalant.

“Even a disabled man is better than your useless son. He’s a so-called graduate who returned from abroad, yet he only got his position as sales director by bedding some woman. I wonder if his manhood will be whittled down by overuse.”

Pfft…

I should be hopping mad to hear my ex-boyfriend insulting my husband, but a giggle escaped me. Damn it! What’s up with me? Liliana, this isn’t the time to laugh!

Sure enough, my amusement enraged Julius. Shooting daggers from his uninjured eye, he stalked toward Dominic menacingly. Seeing that, I quickly stood before Dominic, afraid that Julius would hurt him.

Unexpectedly, Dominic gripped my hand tightly with his long and slender fingers before yanking me behind his wheelchair. As I watched Julius swing his fist at him, my pounding heart lodged in my throat.

All of a sudden, a figure flashed before my eyes. On the heels of that, Julius’ cry echoed, and he was thrown away. He wailed with his hands clamped over his uninjured eye.

Only then did I notice another man who had appeared out of nowhere. Hey, he’s the person waiting for Dominic outside the door that day! Hmm… what’s his name again? Calvin, I think.

Calvin’s expression remained calm and unruffled as though it wasn’t him who hit Julius earlier. He merely stood beside Dominic without saying anything.

“Oh my God, this is murder! Help! Someone, help! My daughter-in-law’s lover wants to kill her husband!”

Coraline wept piteously as she hugged Julius, who was sitting on the floor. Her strident voice reverberated around the ward.

My head throbbed at the scene she was making, and I massaged my temples. Indeed, Dominic had gotten me a leg up on her, but the consequences… well, they might be far more troublesome.

Coraline’s ability to twist the facts was remarkable. She definitely wasn’t easy prey since she was a widow who raised her son single-handedly.

Perhaps cognizant of my worry, Dominic enunciated, “You’d better think twice before you kick up a fuss. I’m not your foolish daughter-in-law who’d take every abuse you dish out. Since you’re alleging murder, I’ll grant you your wish!”

I was inwardly cursing him out for snubbing me, but his next remark stunned me. Is he for real? Is he serious about committing murder because of someone like Julius? Is he dumb or what?

Frantic, I grabbed his hand. But before I could dissuade him, he swept his gaze over me. “Why, are you distressed on his behalf?”