Chapter 569 569

"I wanted to run away. I tried to escape from the clutch of that bastard to no avail. He got everyone believing that he was the best husband and also best father to me and Vincent."

"I was like a caged canary. I could only watch as he kept bringing more and more women into the mansion and fucked them. Sometimes he forced me to watch," Dorothea's voice started getting shaky as she tried to remember all the horrible things Vaughn did to her back then. "So I thought all I could do was to raise Vincent to be a good man. Since I've failed as a wife, I would at least not fail as a mother."

"And you think you didn't fail as a mother after abandoning and abusing me?" Vernon interrupted. "You need to get your mind checked, Dorothea. Crazy bitch."

…

Again, Dorothea wasn't fazed by his provocation, much to Vernon's annoyance.

He disliked how Dorothea tried to act like a normal person as if she wasn't the one who'd cry hysterically and beat Vernon whenever she felt like it.

She was his monster, and he hated seeing his monster acting so pitiful, as if she was also a victim.

"Oh yeah? So what if you got beaten by Vaughn? Did that give you the right to beat me back? You hated me just because of Vaughn?" Vernon asked though it sounded more like a challenge.

Dorothea swallowed her saliva. Her body started shaking as she tried hard to maintain her dignity and composure in front of her son, so she wouldn't look like a crazy bitch he could easily kick out.

"Just like what I told you before. I got baby blues after I gave birth to you. But my baby blues happened for a reason," Dorothea explained. She took a deep breath and continued, "Back then, I had no intention of having another child after Vincent, especially not from Vaughn. Just the idea of conceiving his baby made me sick. But he raped me. He beat me up until I was half conscious and then raped me, and you… you're the product of that rape, Vernon…."

SLAM!

CRACK!

Dorothea almost jumped out of fright when Vernon suddenly slammed the table until there was an obvious crack in the middle. He glared at Dorothea with a gaze full of rage, but there was also a tint of grief in it.

Vernon opened his mouth a few times but then closed it as he didn't know what to say. Many mixed feelings were brewing inside his mind, so much so that he didn't know what to say anymore.

There was a long silence between them, but Dorothea noticed Vernon's eyes were glazed with tears. Her heart ached for him, but she had to tell the truth, so Vernon knew she also had a reason to experience such crazy turmoil in her life when Vernon was around.

Vernon was a product of rape, and though it wasn't his fault to be born in such a condition, Dorothea's mental condition got hit severely whenever she saw Vernon around her.

"This is bullshit," Vernon murmured. His voice was hoarse. "I don't want to believe an abuser like you. You told me that I'm the product of a rape? HAH! THAT'S BULLSHIT!"

Vernon already knew that it was definitely the truth. It all made sense how Dorothea treated him so differently compared to Vincent.

Dorothea hated him because his existence was unwanted.

Dorothea must've been filled with loathing whenever she saw Little Vernon, and if this whole rape stuff was true, then even her hatred toward Vernon was justified.

But if Dorothea's hatred and abuse towards Vernon were justified, where would Vernon place his vengeance?

All this time, he always believed that he would avenge all the pain he experienced in the past for the Gray family. But now that he discovered that Chloe and Dorothea were abuse victims, he had no right to hurt them. Because no matter how hurt and angry he was, he would never hurt someone who had been abused.

He had experienced a childhood full of beating, so he knew how traumatizing it was.

Vernon clenched his fist until his whole body trembled out of rage. He got up and kicked the table until it flipped to the side, shattering the wine glasses and bottle.

Dorothea flinched out of fear. She closed her eyes immediately, scared Vernon might beat her up because she told the truth.

But she felt nothing after a few seconds, and once she opened her eyes again, she saw her son who stood still, with his fist clenched and tears wetting his cheeks.

The ruthless and powerful Vernon Phoenix Gray, the second son that never shed a tear after getting beaten by her back then, actually cried.

Vernon's tears gave a mental shock to Dorothea. Because she didn't expect Vernon to actually cry. She just thought that Vernon would go on a rampage and kill her.

His tears also evoked Dorothea's motherly nature. She got up and tried to hug her son, wanting to comfort him.

But Vernon quickly shook off Dorothea's arms to avoid the hug, "DON'T YOU DARE TO HUG ME, YOU OLD BITCH!"

Dorothea was shocked by Vernon's refusal. She really thought that Vernon had opened his heart after knowing the truth.

Dorothea was saddened. She wanted to hug her son since they had never done it before.

But she respected his refusal and took a step back.

Vernon wiped the tears and glared at Dorothea with his red eyes. He refused to show weakness in front of his estranged mother.

"Do you think that I will suddenly accept you after you told me about your life story? Hah, that's ridiculous!" Vernon yelled. "You're telling me all this to show that Chloe is just like you, right? Both of you are victims of domestic abuse and suffering under the hands of evil husbands."

Dorothea nodded. It was her original intention. So Vernon knew that Chloe's sympathy towards her wasn't unfounded, and she didn't try to manipulate a kind woman like Chloe.