Chapter 75: A Toast to Troubles

“Of course, it matters! You’re Easton’s wife, and since Easton and I have been friends since childhood, I definitely care about what happens to you both,” Morty kept his eyes mostly on Maya. “Ms. Maya, you’d agree, right? Who wouldn’t care about a good friend!”

Maya found Morty’s apparent quest for fairness odd. She had met him once, and his remarkable memory was evident. Three years had passed since their last encounter, and he recognized her immediately, remembering that she was Ellis’s close friend.

Maya remained silent, waiting for Ellis to speak.

“Cut the crap,” Ellis said bluntly to Morty. “Were you born a two-faced creep? Showing one face here and another behind someone’s back—isn’t that disgusting? Want me to record you and show Easton? Hear what he thinks of you?”

Previously, Ellis had thought it best to avoid trouble, never considering exposing Morty’s true character to Easton. Now, she was tempted to capture Morty’s two-faced antics on video and show them to Easton to see what kind of friend he really had.

“Let’s make a bet then—will Easton watch it? And after watching, will he believe my explanation, or… ignore you?” Morty directed the server where to place the drinks. “Our friendship of over twenty years won’t break just because of you.”

After scolding Morty, Ellis felt a surge of irritation at his immediately sour demeanor. Morty’s smile twisted into a sneer. “Easton was forced to marry you. Now that you’re divorcing, I’m happy for him; he won’t have to be dragged down by someone like you who can’t even show her face in public.”

There’s a saying Ellis found quite accurate: the way a husband’s friends treat you is a reflection of how he treats you himself. Easton often mocked her, disregarded her completely, and humiliated her without restraint. His childhood friend naturally followed suit. It was simple—people took cues on how to treat you, especially when they knew you had no backup.

“What are you, anyway?” She grabbed a glass of wine and splashed it toward Morty. “Think about it; I’ve never wronged you, yet you repeatedly say these awful things. Who do you think you are, controlling everything, and even who Easton marries?”

Soaked with wine, his clothes stained, Morty’s smile froze.

Seeing the conflict heat up, with the air thick with tension, Maya tugged at Ellis’s sleeve, signaling her to move closer and avoid giving Morty a chance to retaliate.

Ellis wasn’t afraid of Morty. After a cold laugh, she slowly set down her wine glass.

Contrary to Maya’s expectations, Morty made no move to retaliate. Instead, he pressed a few buttons on his phone.

Soon, he was clearly making a call. “Easton, I’m at the bar; guess who I ran into? I met Mrs. Hudson and her friend, Maya. They were discussing Mrs. Hudson going to the Civil Affairs Department tomorrow to get a divorce. I just wanted to check if that’s true.”

Without waiting for a reply, he glanced at Ellis and Maya. “I just asked Mrs. Hudson a few questions out of concern, and she lashed out at me, splashed me with wine. Mrs. Hudson’s temper really has grown, hasn’t it? You must have a tough time.”

Ellis and Maya both went silent; this was their first time witnessing such a blatant tattletale move. As they watched in amazement, Morty walked away with his phone. Ellis and Maya exchanged a look of disbelief.

Maya’s mouth twitched. “What kind of a scumbag does that?”

“A bottomless scumbag,” Ellis said, fed up with Morty making it seem like she had a vendetta against him, even though he was always the instigator.

“Cut from the same cloth; Easton’s a scumbag too,” Maya stated matter-of-factly. “But here’s the problem: you splashed Morty with wine; what if Easton gets mad and hassles you?”

“Easton shouldn’t get mad,” Ellis said confidently.

Thinking about it, Easton had never been upset about such matters. If she did something he didn’t like, he simply showed his impatience and disgust by ignoring her—effectively giving her the cold shoulder. His preferred method seemed to be enjoying watching her struggle for his attention. Was seeing her struggle a form of entertainment for him?

Ellis wasn’t worried about Easton getting mad, but Maya was more concerned. They were on the verge of finalizing the divorce; they couldn’t afford any complications.

Contrary to Maya’s worries, Easton, who was still on the phone with Morty, furrowed his brows upon hearing Morty’s words, his attention lingering on the discussion about going to the Civil Affairs Department. Whatever else Morty was saying, he wasn’t really listening.