Chapter 176
“Hey, Manny, I see things have taken a turn for the better. The cyberbullying
against you has settled, hasn’t it?” Ryder asked with genuine concern.
He had just returned home from work after picking up Tommy and glanced
at the news on his phone before making dinner.
Seeing the public opinion now unanimously in support of Roselynn and
Emmanuel and scolding Hermann, Ryder’s heart was finally at ease.
Just as he was engrossed in the conversation, Abellyn returned home, a
storm brewing inside her. She had had an unlucky day playing poker, losing
all her money, and even skipping lunch. Naturally, her mood was nothing
short of foul.
Her anger was further kindled when she heard Ryder’s voice wafting from the
kitchen, full of concern for his cousin without even sparing her a glance.
“Ah, did Ms. Quillen help you out again? She’s pretty and capable, huh? You’ve
truly found a treasure, Manny,” Ryder remarked sincerely.
However, these words triggered Abellyn’s simmering anger into a full–blown
tempest.
“What is the meaning of this? Spending your time worrying about your
cousin’s wife while your own wife and son starve?” Abellyn yelled, her voice
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtlaced with venom.
Ryder paused, setting his phone down, matching her ire with his own steely
gaze. “I’ve been working all day, and I’m tired. Is it a crime to have a
conversation with my cousin? If you have so much spare time, go make
dinner yourself!” he shot back.
“Did you ask me to go make dinner for someone like you? You don’t deserve
it!” she berated righteously.
No matter how honest and down–to–earth Ryder was, he was but a man who
deserved respect.
I work tirelessly like a dog all day, and I’m also in charge of fetching the kids.
She does nothing all day. How dare she yell at me when all I ask is for her to
make dinner? What have I truly done, marrying this impudent woman to be
my wife?
Despite it all, Ryder found it hard to vent his frustration on Abellyn. Hence, he
quietly retreated to his room, phone in hand, and resume his conversation
with Emmanuel.
“Ryder, did you have another fight with Abellyn again?” Emmanuel asked
cautiously.
Even he had sensed the tension between Ryder and his wife over the phone.
“Don’t mind her. She’s becoming more and more unreasonable!” Ryder
replied, suppressing his anger.
He had decided not to make dinner for the insolent woman today, and he
couldn’t care less if she would go hungry.
Meanwhile, Abellyn was seething in the living room.
Ryder’s refusal to include Robby in their family registry had already made her
feel guilty toward Chloe and put a strain on their relationship as a result. And
now, Ryder’s blatant disregard for his wife in favor of Emmanuel’s wife was
the last straw.
“This is preposterous! I cannot live like this!” Abellyn shouted, her eyes wild
with fury.
In a moment of sheer madness, she stormed into the kitchen, grabbed a
cleaver and stormed toward Ryder’s room.
Fortunately, Tommy was busy doing his homework in another room and
didn’t notice his mother’s actions.
When Abellyn burst into the room, she planned to simply intimidate Ryder.
However, seeing him still on the phone with Emmanuel, laughing and fawning
over Mackenzie, she felt a rush of resentment. Without a second thought, she
lunged toward Emmanuel, knife raised high.
Although Abellyn had never attacked anyone in her life in her younger days
but spent long hours working in places where brawls and violence were not
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmuncommon. Consequently, her current fury erased any traces of timidity.
Ryder, on the other hand, was oblivious to her intrusion. Yet, at the pivotal
moment, an instinctual sense of danger prompted him to dart aside,
narrowly avoiding the path of the blade.
The cleaver instead grazed his underarm and arm, instantly painting a
vibrant streak of red as his blood spilled forth.
Dropping his phone in shock, Ryder watched the deranged woman before
him, horror etching across his face. “Abellyn, what are you doing? Have you
gone mad?” he cried out.
“Mad? I’m perfectly sane!” she retorted and her voice was ice cold. “Are you
thinking about your cousin’s wife all day long? Do you find her more
attractive, more beautiful, and more graceful than me? If so, go be with her!”
With that, Abellyn once again lunged at Ryder with the knife.
However, despite Ryder’s humble demeanor, he was no pushover. Swiftly
sidestepping the cleaver, he grabbed hold of the woman’s wrist and
immobilized her with his legs, effectively halting her frenzied attack.
While Abellyn was consumed by rage, Ryder’s heart was aflame with a fury
that surpassed hers.
He had worked tirelessly for their family, earning money for her frivolities,
cooking for her, and treating her with the utmost respect. Now, she dares to
assault me with a knife simply because I have taken a call instead of
preparing her dinner?