Chapter 93: Guess Who’s Calling
Ellis had never really thought about who took the photos of her and Casey, or how they could have obtained them. But seeing Morty, it all clicked—she was sure he was behind it. The new grudge piled on top of old resentments, and she wished she could send both Morty and her deceitful husband packing once and for all.
But she had work to prioritize. Since Easton hadn’t explicitly said Morty took the photos, and without solid proof, she couldn’t confront him directly. Reluctantly, she held back her anger and turned to look elsewhere.
Unbeknownst to her, as she turned, Morty caught sight of her and flashed a mischievous grin.
After wrapping up at Casey’s, Ellis left his house. Unexpectedly, on her way to the community gate, she spotted a flashy car parked on the side of the road. Morty, that scoundrel, was standing beside it, smiling vaguely as if he knew she would pass by.
She didn’t believe for a second that Morty being there was a coincidence. Does he hold a grudge from the drink I threw at him last Sunday at the bar? Does he want revenge?
Although Ellis wasn’t afraid of Morty, she couldn’t help but feel like he was a mad dog that wouldn’t let go. With no one else around, she knew better than to engage with such a man, especially when she couldn’t physically overpower him. Swiftly, she turned and ran back towards Casey’s house to hide.
Morty was quicker, blocking her path in a few strides. Standing tall among her peers but short compared to men, Ellis stepped back to lessen the imposing feeling his height brought. “What do you want?”
“Nothing much,” Morty looked around casually. “Just catching up?”
“Who wants to catch up with you? Get lost, creep!”
“Divorcing Easton makes you vulnerable? Are you scared of me?”
Even if she hated to admit it, Ellis had to acknowledge that being Easton’s wife offered a layer of protection. After all, not coming from the upper echelons of society, even the least significant person in that circle could easily crush her if she wasn’t Easton’s wife.
She controlled her panic and eyed Morty disdainfully. “Scared of you? Let me tell you, I haven’t divorced Easton. I’m still his wife!”
“Easton didn’t divorce you yesterday?” Morty paused. “Didn’t happen yesterday; it will happen soon! Victoria’s back; you don’t think you can stay his wife for long, do you?”
Morty’s words reminded Ellis of his previous mention that Easton and Victoria had visited Sophia. Her thoughts scrambled. She couldn’t understand Sophia’s motives. Easton had taken Victoria to meet Mom; couldn’t Mom see their unusual closeness? Why does Mom ask me if Easton is cheating and act clueless, yet seem eager to defend me?
She might have been misled into believing that the cheating wasn’t something Carly told Sophia about, but rather something Sophia learned from outsiders, completely forgetting whether Sophia had known all along and was just putting on a show in front of her.
She considered herself foolish for hoping Sophia would help solve her current predicaments.
Waiting for Ellis’s rebuttal, Morty raised his voice, “Hey!”
Snapped back to reality by Morty’s voice, Ellis looked him straight in the eye and scoffed, “Don’t you have anything better to do? So concerned about whether Easton and I are divorcing…”
Everyone, including herself, knew Victoria was the new Easton’s wife. Morty, being Easton’s childhood friend for over twenty years, undoubtedly heard about their rekindled romance before she did. His certainty that Easton would divorce her for Victoria, as if using that to break her, was naive!
“I’ve got plenty of serious things to do!” Morty said, hand in his pocket. “I’m advising you, be smart and divorce Easton sooner! You can’t compare to Victoria, and you’re not a match for Easton. The bond between Victoria and Easton isn’t something you can break.”
“I’ll only say this about the divorce. I want the divorce; Easton doesn’t. If you really have that much free time, why don’t you persuade Easton? Lecturing me endlessly, what are you even talking about?”
It had been a few minutes since she had encountered Morty, who was blocking her way now. Ellis realized he was just being a verbal nuisance, which she found tiresome.
Dropping a few pointed remarks, she walked past Morty, abandoning the idea of returning to Casey’s, and continued towards the community gate.
However, Morty, like a bad penny, followed her, pressing, “You’re lying, aren’t you? How could it possibly be you who wants the divorce? It must be Easton!”
Ellis ignored everything Morty said. But she hadn’t expected him to be so annoying as to follow her all the way out of the community. Really frustrated, she retorted, “Why would I need to lie? If you don’t believe me, go ask Easton!”
“I’ll ask him right now and expose your lies!” Morty immediately took out his phone and dialed…