Chapter 108

However, just as I sat down, my phone rang again. It was still Reynaldo.

I furrowed my brows, hesitating again whether or not to accept. What if Reynaldo comes looking for me, and it’s really about the money I owe him?

After a minute of hesitation, Reynaldo called again. I pursed my lips, but couldn’t help answering. As soon as I answered, I heard a deep and suppressed breathing sound from the other end, and my heartbeat instantly quickened. He didn’t speak for a long time.

I asked cautiously, “Is there something you need from me?”

Reynaldo still didn’t speak, he just breathed heavily, as if he was trying hard to suppress something. I felt a little anxious and wanted to hang up.

He finally spoke, word by word, very coldly: “Why did you move away?”

I was startled. What does it mean?

Chapter 108

I had already moved out for a week, and he just realized now? It seems that he didn’t go back to that villa much this week. These days, he should have been with Kimberly. With this thought, my heart calmed down. Since I have decided to let go completely, I will no longer indulge in random thoughts.

I said lightly, “That villa, to be honest, was never really my home. Now I want to live my life alone, so I moved out.”

“Heh, living your own life alone?” Reynaldo laughed coldly, his tone filled with disdain and mockery. “What qualifications do you have to live your own life? Without my permission, you dare to move out, Esmeralda? Do you really think I have no temper?”

How could I possibly think that he had no temper? In my understanding, he was considered to have the biggest temper. Many times nowadays, I was afraid of him.

I could clearly hear the coldness and hostility in his tone, and I pursed my lips, saying, “Reynaldo, you’re really strange. You clearly hate seeing me, and I moved out as you wished. Why are you still getting angry?”

Is it because I didn’t inform you in advance that I challenged your authority? Alright, I’m telling you now, I moved away and I will never go back again, I will never bother you again.

Sometimes, I really didn’t understand this man. That day, he personally told me to leave and personally said he didn’t want to see me. So I moved out, he should indeed be happy, right? I really didn’t know what he was angry about.

On the other end of the phone was his suppressed breath, that overwhelming anger. Even through the phone, I could feel it clearly.

I sighed sadly and said to him, “Reynaldo, don’t be angry anymore. I know I was very unfair to you in the past, so you always wanted to retaliate against me. But don’t you think that keeping someone you despise around you is also a form of punishment for yourself? I knew I didn’t deserve forgiveness, but I hoped you could forgive yourself and live happily with Ms. Palmer. I am a person full of flaws, there is no need for you to seek revenge on me, I have already received retribution, really. So, Reynaldo, spare me, and spare yourself too.”

“Huh, spare you?” Reynaldo suddenly laughed strangely, “If I spare you, then who will spare me?!”

He coldly sneered, “You keep saying that I let you go, but that’s just an excuse for you to be with Winston. Esmeralda, if you wanted to be with Winston, why not just say it directly instead of making it sound so grandiose?”

As he mentioned Winston again, a sense of powerlessness surged within me.

I helplessly said, “Why do you always bring him up? I moved away because I truly wanted to live my own life. I never thought about being with anyone, so please stop making random guesses, okay?”

“Hehe…”

He laughed again, his tone always so mocking. It’s as if, no matter what I did, he always looked down on me from the bottom of his heart.

Sure enough, he said, “You are a pampered young lady who is used to a good life. Can you tolerate a dirty, messy, and dilapidated living environment? Can you endure the hardships of poverty? What can you do? What can you do to get through life?”

Ha!

So in his mind, I had to rely on men in order to survive, right? I laughed angrily, feeling both sad and ironic in my heart. He really… never had any interest in me! During the three years of our marriage, he really suffered as he worked like a horse for me.

Chapter 109

How much perseverance he must have had to be able to tolerate and endure any scolding or criticism from me, a useless person, and still remain gentle and virtuous.

I took a slight breath and said in a deep voice, “Reynaldo, even without a man, I would still live my life well. The former rich young lady can also endure hardships. So, please do not associate me with Winston anymore. I will strive to live my own life well, without relying on any man.”

“Is that so?” Reynaldo remained silent for a moment, sarcastically chuckling. “A few days ago, your father asked me for money. Do you remember?”

My heart sank.

These days, I have been busy with moving and work. My dad hasn’t contacted me either, so I forgot about his investment losses. Reynaldo suddenly wondered, could it be that my dad went to him again in secret to ask for money?

Thinking of this, I suddenly felt full of anger in my heart, angry at my dad. How can I completely break up with Reynaldo if he acts like this? He was like this, I could never hold my head up in front of Reynaldo.

My confident demeanor just now suddenly diminished, and I asked in a low voice, “Did my dad ask you for money again? You wouldn’t have lent it to him… again, would you?”

“No, he did not look for me again.”

I immediately breathed a sigh of relief; my dad didn’t go looking for him again.

Reynaldo chuckled lightly and said, “So, he didn’t come to me. Who do you think he would go to for a loan?”

“What does it mean?” I felt a sinking feeling in my heart.

Reynaldo sneered, “When you were with me, he would come to me. When you’re with other men, he naturally goes to find other men. After all, in his eyes, those men you associate with can help him repay his debts, right?”

“Reynaldo!” I couldn’t help but growl, my eyes burning with anger.

I was useless, but was it necessary for him to speak so harshly? What does "the man I climbed up" mean? In his eyes, am I really that unbearable?

“Esmeralda, you keep insisting that you have no relationship with Winston, well, I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt and believe you. If one day, you let me see you with him, then don’t blame me for being impolite to you!”

He hung up the phone after he finished speaking, with the last sentence wrapped in a chilling hostility.

I anxiously fiddled with my phone, worrying about my father borrowing money. When Reynaldo said that, I did remember. My dad owed so much money, and the only hope was me. He couldn’t have not looked for me these past few days. And Reynaldo said my dad didn’t go to him for a loan again.

So who would he go to find?

The more I thought about it, the more anxious I became, so I quickly dialed my dad’s phone number.

“Hello, Esmeralda, what’s the matter? Are you looking for Dad?”

My dad’s voice came through the phone along with the sound of mahjong. I furrowed my brows. When did my dad learn to play mahjong again? He didn’t used to play this before, did he? And, how did he have money to play mahjong when he owed so much money?

Suppressing the doubts in my heart, I calmly asked, “Didn’t you say last time that you lost seven million in investments? Did you manage to raise the money?”

“Ah, I had already planned it… Ah, the eight of bamboo? Pong!”

My heart sank, and I quickly asked, “How did you manage to raise it? Who lent it to you?”

“Oh, forget about this. Dad borrowed it himself. You didn’t want to help Dad borrow it at that time, so don’t ask now, okay?”

My dad was about to hang up the phone while speaking, and he had a strange tone towards me. I was furious and growled, “Tell me, who lent it to you? If you don’t tell me, don’t expect me to clean up your mess in the future.”

“You, you little brat, how dare you speak like that!” My dad yelled angrily.

I was also angry, and I cried directly. My dad probably heard my crying and then impatiently said, “Alright, alright, I’ll tell you. I borrowed it from Winston…”

“Dad!” As soon as I heard him say it was from Winston, I felt my eyes go black.

Just a moment ago, I confidently told Reynaldo that I wouldn’t rely on men and firmly stated that I hadn’t sought out Winston. To my surprise, my dad had already gone to ask Winston for a loan.