Chapter 41

I let Jared get in first. As I was about to follow, Nathan reached out above my head, making sure I didn’t hit the roof of the car.

“Have a safe drive home,” Nathan said, and his thoughtful gesture made my heart race.

I gave him a pointed look, but Nathan just curved his lips into a smile, waved at me, and closed the door.

Inside the car, Jared pressed his hand to his forehead, clearly feeling the effects of alcohol. “Call Yvonne and see if she wants to come home tonight,” he mumbled, still thinking about what Yvonne wanted even when drunk.

I called Sally, my mother-in-law. It sounded like she was in the middle of a noisy card game. She quickly passed the phone to Yvonne.

“Mom, are you calling to apologize?” Yvonne asked, sounding way too grown-up for her age. “I’m not ready to forgive you yet.”

Her aggressive tone made my heart heavy. “Your dad just wants to know if you want to come home tonight. If you do, we’ll come pick you up,” I said.

Yvonne huffed. “You don’t even like me anymore, so why should I come back? I’m staying at Grandma’s home.”

“Alright, it’s your choice,” I said, and then I hung up.

It was all my fault that Yvonne had become so pushy. I had spoiled her, and now she spoke to me with no respect, and I just had to put up with it.

“Yvonne’s not coming back?” Jared said with a deep frown.

I nodded. “She’s still mad at me.”

Jared winced like his headache was getting worse. He leaned in close, his presence making me feel trapped.

“Tomorrow afternoon, buy her something to cheer her up,” Jared murmured, his warm breath sending shivers down my neck.

“I’m not going to coax her,” I snapped, my temper rising.

Jared paused for a moment and then asked, “Are you really going to stay mad at her forever?”

“If she can’t respect me as her mother, then being enemies is an option,” I said, my voice calm and firm.

“Victoria, come on. You’re a grown woman. Why stoop to her level?” Jared shot back, his gaze heavy.

I met his angry stare and couldn’t help but smile. I was getting better at pissing him off. In my previous life, Jared was always cold and polite, never showing real emotion. Now, it felt like I could get under his skin whenever I wanted.

“Babe, do you still love me?” I asked softly, meeting his angry eyes.

Jared furrowed his brow, clearly not wanting to get into this.

I lowered my gaze, feeling disappointed. “They say the best thing for a child is to see their dad love their mom. Maybe that’s why Yvonne doesn’t respect me because you stopped loving me, so she’s acting out.”

“I’m not made of stone. If you push me too far, I’m going to snap,” I said in a cold voice, looking out the window.

Jared said in a low, mocking tone, “So why didn’t you snap before? Were you just being calculating, or are you really that patient and even able to put up with it for six whole years?”

My heart ached at that. Actually, I’d endured thirty years in my previous life. I was practically numb to it.

I was done with this relationship anyway. I didn’t care about walking on eggshells anymore. Since Jared asked, I might as well give him an answer. “I put up with it because I loved you. But if that love is gone, you’re nothing to me.”