Chapter 48
When Maeve heard this, she frowned and grumbled, “What the hell is Kendrick doing? He’s engaged to your sister. How could he force you to sleep with him?”
Valerie gently dabbed at the red corners of her eyes. “Mom, Kendrick was drunk. We can’t really blame him. By the way … Tally’s also a victim.”
Only then did Maeve remember that Talia was still there.
She thought Talia was so in love with Kendrick; she must be feeling terrible right now.
Maeve snorted derisively. “She can’t keep your own fiance. Whose fault is it? If Talia hadn’t made Kendrick angry that night, you wouldn’t have stepped in to beg him for her, and your reputation wouldn’t be ruined!”
After saying this, Maeve furrowed her brows and looked at Talia. “Now look at the mess. Valerie lost her virginity to Kendrick because of you, and she’s got a bad name to boot.”
At these words, Talia suddenly halted in her tracks.
“Are you done? They were shameless and fooling around. How am I to blame?”
Talia often wondered which one of her and Valerie was the real biological child.
Why did her family always pin the blame on her without any rhyme or reason?
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Chapter 48
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Valerie had already taken her place and vied for their parents‘ affection.
But were Maeve and David blind?
It was disgraceful how they couldn’t tell right from wrong.
A glimmer of scorn flashed in Talia’s eyes. “Did I force them to check into that hotel?”
“I’m done with your bias! If you still push me too far, I’ll go straight to the reporters and tell them they’ve been carrying on for ages. Valerie even had two abortions for Kendrick!
“Think you can disgust me? Fine, none of you can get away with it!”
Maeve exclaimed, “You! What nonsense are you talking about?”
Talia didn’t linger. She turned around, slammed the door, and stormed out without a backward glance.
Maeve and Valerie were left in a daze in the living room.
It took Maeve a while to snap out of it, her eyes wide with disbelief. “Valerie? You had an abortion? Have you really been with Kendrick for a long time?”
Guilt flashed across Valerie’s eyes briefly, but was swiftly replaced by a look of wounded innocence.
“Mom, Talia is slandering me. She’s just trying to drive a wedge between us out of anger. I’m innocent. How could I do such a thing?”
Maeve heaved a sigh of relief.
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Chapter 48
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She lamented, “Tally was raised in a gambler’s household. Lies roll off her tongue so easily. I wish she was as well–behaved as you.”
Despite her triumph, Valerie kept up her meek demeanor. “It’s all right, Mom. We can guide Tally. She had a rough time today. You shouldn’t have been so harsh with her.””
Maeve scoffed. “Rough time? You’re the one whose reputation’s in ruins. She doesn’t have a rough time at all. She’s been in prison for three years and still hasn’t learned from her lessons.”
The more Maeve thought about it, the angrier she got. “What an ungrateful daughter.”
Valerie, as if jolted by a painful memory, lamented, “What took place last night was a disaster. I’m mortified. I can’t bear to show my face.”
This topic gave Maeve a headache.
Still, she patted Valerie’s shoulder comfortingly. “It’s Kendrick’s fault. Later, I’ll have your father talk to him. What does Kendrick think he’s doing? He slept with you, so he has to take responsibility.”
Hearing this, Valerie secretly exhaled in relief. She wasn’t worried about Kendrick at all.
It seemed she’d soon be able to marry into the Deven family.
***
Talia left the Taylor’s house. It took her a long while to calm down.
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When she was young, she’d yearned to come back here. Now, she couldn’t stand staying even a second longer.
It didn’t matter. One couldn’t be haunted by the past forever. Talia hailed a taxi on the street. After about 40 minutes, she arrived at a community on the outskirts of the city center.
The community was well–located, with convenient
transportation nearby. It was an ideal place to find tranquility amidst the urban bustle.
It wasn’t a new building; it was around ten years old. Fortunately, the environment was well–maintained and the security system was reliable.
Talia paid the fare and entered the building.
Just as she stepped into the elevator, her phone rang.
Seeing that it was Jessica, she quickly picked up the call.
Jessica said, “Hey, honey! I almost forgot. Are you getting discharged from the hospital today?”
There was a lot of background noise on the other end. Jessica must have called during a shooting break.
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“If you don’t want to go back to the Taylor family, com to my place. I’ll send you the address and the door lock password…”
Talia replied, “Thanks, but you and Tyson are married. It wouldn’t be appropriate for me to stay there.”
Even though Jessica and Tyson’s marriage lacked real affection, they were still a legally wedded couple.
E
It would definitely be inappropriate for Talia to live in their
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home, especially since Jessica was on a business trip.
She had to avoid any awkward situations.
Jessica asked worriedly, “Then where are you going?”
Talia said, “My fiance’s place.”
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Hearing this, Jessica exploded over the phone, exasperated as if she was mad at Talia’s decision.
“Tally, you said you’d thought it all through and wouldn’t be pining for Kendrick any longer! So why are you going back to him? You’ve really disappointed me! I wish I could help you cut all ties with that bastard!”
Jessica had watched the morning news on the plane and was seething with anger.
Kendrick and Valerie had made their hotel escapade public. It was utterly revolting.
Jessica had wanted to console Talia but never expected Talia to be going to Kendrick’s.
“You’re not going to plead with Kendrick to take you back, are you? No way! He cheated on you! How could you stand that?”
Hearing this, Talia realized Jessica had misunderstood.
She quickly clarified, “The fiance I mentioned isn’t Kendrick.”
Jessica was left speechless for seven or eight seconds. “If not Kendrick, then who? Wait, Tally, when did you start seeing someone else? What’s his name? What does he do?”
Talia couldn’t answer any of Jessica’s rapid–fire questions.
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Because she knew hardly more about her fiance than Jessica did at the moment.
“I’ll tell you about it later. I’m at his place, so I have to now”
Talia entered the password and went in. The room was empty. The house wasn’t large, but it had great lighting. Sunlight streamed in at an angle, casting a warm glow across the floor and enveloping the space in a serene and tranquil ambiance.
There didn’t seem to be many signs of daily life. She wondered if that man actually lived here.
Talia slipped on her slippers and ventured further inside. Just as she finished exploring the house, her phone chimed.
A text message popped up, “There are groceries in the fridge. If you don’t feel like cooking, you can eat out. The bank card is on the shoe cabinet. It has no spending limit, so use it as you please.”
“I’m working overtime tonight and will be home late. Don’t wait up. Go to bed early. We’ll get our marriage license tomorrow morning.”
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