Chapter 229: His Sincerity Was Met with Ingratitude

The Quirk family didn't understand Isabella's amusement, but they surmised her laughter stemmed from frustration. Meanwhile, Roland's revelation caused a collective gasp, and everyone stared at Ethan with suspicion.

"Really? He's that school bully?"

"But he doesn't look like it."

Several high school classmates, present at the gathering, remembered Ethan from their school days. Owen sighed in relief, having initially believed Roland's discovery was more significant than a simple recognition of Ethan as an old adversary. Stephanie, shocked, exclaimed, "What are you even talking about! You must have mistaken him for someone else! How could my boyfriend be such a despicable person?"

"Ms. Nox, your boyfriend's name is Ethan Tucker, right? Has he had plastic surgery?"

Stephanie was startled. Ethan had undergone plastic surgery; she'd seen old photos. His explanation had been a car accident.

Roland, his gaze icy, stated, "Back then, he bullied a classmate, and I ended up hitting him. He was expelled and went abroad for plastic surgery. I'm surprised you have the nerve to show your face around us again!" His fist clenched, threatening violence.

Alexander's other friends arrived. Aiden blurted, "Is he that bully? Damn, how dare he show up here?" Damien countered, "Even if he is, why this moment? Roland's a cop; this impulsivity is unlike him." Ines, puzzled, asked, "Could Roland have been afraid his appearance would frighten Sasha?" Clifford, exasperated, replied, "Then he should have found a discreet opportunity." Deborah, though silent, agreed with their assessment of Roland's impulsiveness.

At that moment, Alexander understood Roland's reaction. Knowing Roland's personality, if he'd discovered Sasha's affair, he would likely confront her first, resorting to violence only afterward. Instead, his immediate reaction mirrored their high school brawl, fueled by the memory of Ethan's malicious imprisonment of Sasha. In his rage, he'd beaten Ethan severely.

Having realized this, Alexander felt lost. Nearby Quirk family members gathered, their curiosity piqued. Christopher asked, "Alex, what on earth is Roland thinking!"

Isabella's inner monologue answered, her thoughts deeming the situation absurd. She mused that even the most unfortunate people possess kindness, rarely resorting to suspicion. Yet, Sasha's demeanor was misleading. In high school, she hadn't shown strong feelings for Ethan. Surveillance videos later shown to Roland further misled him.

The Quirk family wondered about these videos. Alexander recalled how Ethan appeared to forcefully pull a reluctant Sasha, her head lowered, seemingly struggling. From a normal perspective, it appeared Ethan held leverage over her, forcing intimacy. An impartial observer might believe Sasha was the victim; she seemed to be playing hard to get, unwilling to cheat but unable to resist. Her internal struggle was evident. Even the police might have drawn the wrong conclusion. But Ethan had no leverage.

The Quirk family finally understood. Alexander sighed. He murmured, "Why didn't she tell me?" referring to Sasha's deception, despite their three-year relationship and shared child. The family cursed at how Sasha’s weakness made her easily manipulated, explaining Roland's misunderstanding. Alexander speculated Roland believed Ethan had compromising material on Sasha.

The memory of everything became clearer. Sasha's attempts to conceal the child and distance herself from Jake were just a facade; her feelings for him remained. The Quirk family doubted her ability to conceal her true feelings. Alexander pondered if Sasha's actions were truly self-preservation or something else.

(Note: Several fragments of seemingly random text were removed as they appeared to be unrelated to the main narrative.)