Chapter 95
I opened the screenshot. Nevin had posted about a family reunion on Instagram. The picture showed everyone enjoying dessert and coffee in the Parker family's yard. Joanna sat next to Hayden, shyly smiling. Layla, Hayden's mother, sat beside her, holding her hand and speaking to her.
It hit me then. Joanna's recent absence was explained. She'd clearly grown close to Layla. I remembered my past attempts to win Layla's favor. Lucy, always kind to Layla, had turned against her after discovering Layla's criticisms of me.
Lucy's flurry of messages followed my reply to her: "You going would make it a real family reunion. You’re still not divorced from Hayden, and they’re blatantly letting Joanna in? That’s too much. They clearly don’t respect you at all. Do you want me to come with you and crash their party?!"
My forehead furrowed at the first part, but I laughed at the end. Crashing the Parker residence? The Parker family was untouchable in Elysiumville; even Lucy's father was polite to Hayden. Attacking them would have dire consequences.
After a pause, Lucy asked, "So what are you going to do? Let them get away with this? It’s outrageous!"
"No," I typed, pausing before adding, "Lucy, help me get some things ready. I’m going to the Parker residence."
"What? You’re going back there?" Lucy's surprised reply was cut short by Nevin's message—more pictures of Joanna and Hayden, intimately close. "[See that? Now that’s what a married couple looks like]," he taunted.
They seemed to revel in my pain. Ignoring them, I stood and headed for the door. Ethan arrived to pick me up, first collecting Lucy, then driving us to the Parker residence.
I hadn't planned on returning today, but Nevin's taunting changed my mind. My mother's warnings in my dreams—not to let Joanna take everything—echoed in my head. Even though Hayden had never truly been mine, I wouldn't let Joanna gloat so easily. As Lucy said, I was divorcing him anyway; I had nothing to lose. Since the Parkers didn't care about making fools of themselves, neither did I.
Around noon, we arrived at the Parker residence gates. Ethan opened my car door. Seeing me hesitate, he asked, "Mrs. Parker, is something bothering you?"
Smiling, I turned to him. "Ethan, if things get rough, can you protect me?"
"Of course," he answered firmly.
"The Parker family's bodyguards are top-notch. Are you sure you can handle them?" I pressed.
"I'm sure!" he said confidently.
His assurance calmed me. "Alright, if I come out in one piece, you get a bonus," I said cheerfully, stepping into the Parker residence.
The entrance was imposing, a clear statement that entry wasn't easy—a threshold designed to exclude those they considered beneath them. They'd looked down on me; now, they did the same to Joanna. They must be using Joanna to push me out, I thought.
The maid at the door gasped, rushing inside to shout, "Yvonne's back!" After Hayden's mother returned, the maids' demeanor changed. Every maid I passed looked terrified—they'd seen Joanna and were now shocked to see me. Ethan, meanwhile, was mapping escape routes. He probably thought I'd start a fight, but the battles here were far more insidious than any battlefield. At least on a battlefield, the weapons were visible. Here, every corner held a potential ambush.
Finally, we entered the villa. The living room was empty, but the dining room was full. Xander and Deborah sat at the head of the table; Hayden and Joanna to the left; Layla and Nevin to the right. Lucy's words echoed—it did look like a family reunion. My presence felt unnecessary.
Their laughter and chatter ceased the moment I walked in. A chilling silence filled the room. Joanna's smug expression said it all: I'm sitting where you should be. Everything you had, I'll take. She reminded me of Sophia, and I wondered if Sophia had treated my mother similarly.
Layla broke the silence: "I thought someone had barged in. Turns out it's you. You had to come back now, huh? Were we supposed to wait around for you?" Her sharp tongue instantly cast me as the wrongdoer. I used to wonder if Hayden was truly her son, given their contrasting personalities.
"Yvonne, that's where you're wrong. You should apologize to Mrs. Parker," Joanna interrupted, displaying loyalty to Layla, though their closeness seemed less than I’d expected.
"Exactly. No need to put on airs," Nevin sneered, dismissing me. Hayden shot him a cold glance. Nevin mumbled, "Exactly," and looked away. Hayden was staring at me. Is he trying to see how miserable I am? I thought.
"Mrs. Parker, don't be angry. It's my fault. Hayden didn't tell me the time, so I overslept," I said with a smile, reining in my sharp edges.
Layla stiffened, then sneered, "Hayden stayed home last night. Sounds like you two are separated." Joanna looked surprised. I offered a cold smile. What a wonderful mother, I thought. Bringing up her son and daughter-in-law's private matters in front of everyone. This meal won't be peaceful.