Chapter 279: Caught in the Act?

Saying she didn’t deserve Morty’s affection was a tactic to downplay herself; yet, when Morty heard her self-description, his frown was unmistakable.

“Why do you say you don’t deserve my liking? You’re not me; don’t talk down about yourself like that,” Morty said earnestly. “There’s no such thing as deserving or not deserving affection; it’s all about whether the feelings are genuine.”

Ellis furrowed her brow, puzzled. Is Morty implying, in a roundabout way, that I deserved his genuine affection? It was the first time she’d heard such a thing: setting aside her confusion, she actually felt a bit pleased. Honestly, who wouldn’t like to be acknowledged and complimented!

People always gravitate toward positive emotional values, and sweetness was definitely a great trait. She never got such sweetness from Easton. He never complimented her; he scoffed at her love, clearly not cherishing her feelings for him.

You… Her gaze drifted. “What are you trying to say?”

“Be honest, are you afraid I’m just playing around?” Morty hadn’t initially considered this, but Ellis’s demeanor suggested she was worried he was toying with her. “When we went to see Victoria, did what she said influence your opinion of me?”

Morty’s mention of Victoria gave Ellis a slight jolt. It wasn’t really Victoria’s words that affected her; she was, after all, a mature adult capable of basic logical judgments. Moreover, having suffered from unreciprocated love, she had no desire to enjoy unilateral affection from someone, to let others taste the pain she had endured; that would be unkind.

She sighed in resignation, “Whether you’re just playing or truly serious, I still stand by what I said: I don’t like you, and that’s the main point.”

“Then let me ask you, what do you like about Easton?”

Was Morty trying to compare himself to Easton?

Ellis rubbed her temples, which throbbed slightly. “I don’t want to say too much, but overall, your character is lacking. I don’t like you!” Since politeness hadn’t deterred Morty, she didn’t hesitate to speak more harsh truths. Poor character?

Those words hit Morty like a bolt from the blue, leaving him speechless. Seeing Morty’s prolonged silence, and ensuring they were in a safe stretch of road via the rearview mirror, Ellis, to avoid further awkwardness, attempted to exit the car.

Seeing this, Morty asked again, “I’m not claiming to be a saint, but surely I haven’t fallen to being outright bad?”

Temporarily retracting her move to exit, Ellis shot Morty a cold glance. She had put it bluntly, yet Morty seemed oblivious to any faults in his character. Could he have gotten so used to pretending that he’d forgotten his true nature!

Her lips curled into a scornful smile, “You took photos of me and Casey together and sent them to Easton, misleading him into thinking I was unfaithful. You think I don’t know?”

Recalling this incident still infuriated her. No matter how much Morty touted his character, she would never believe him. He seemed eager to catch her in a misdeed, stirring up trouble to teach her a lesson; she was being generous not settling scores with him, yet he had the audacity to claim he liked her! No matter how desperate she was for a man, she wasn’t desperate enough to settle for him.

Caught off guard by Ellis bringing up the forgotten issue, Morty remembered the photos saved on his phone, his facial muscles tensing to the point where he couldn’t open his mouth. “That… those photos…”

Seeing Morty’s face, struggling to defend himself, Ellis couldn’t help but scoff, “I hate it when people slander me, especially for things I’ve never done.”

Chapter 279: Caught in the Act?

Luckily, Morty hadn’t captured anything that particularly suggested infidelity.

At the time, she and Easton were discussing divorce, and had Easton possessed any alleged evidence that was unfavorable to her, she dreaded how difficult the divorce might have become.

After a long silence, Morty finally asked, “Did Easton tell you?”

The fact that he had taken and sent the photos to Easton was undeniable, leaving no room for Ellis to be deceived. He decided not to explain further, his thoughts inadvertently blaming Easton.

Ellis didn’t respond to Morty’s question, simply rolling her eyes. Easton hadn’t told her; she had deduced it herself. But the unjustified fury Easton had shown at Casey’s house, blaming her for jeopardizing his reputation, had left a strong impression.

She no longer spoke to Morty, stepping out of the car. A truck was ablaze nearby, all other vehicles and pedestrians steering clear, leaving the area eerily empty. This scene, particularly at night, was quite chilling. Ellis strained to see if her own car had been affected.

Returning to the life of an ordinary person, although she earned more than the average office drone, a car was still a significant expense. If her car was damaged, buying a second one would be a major financial hit.