Chapter 88: Ruined Her
Mrs. Domino vehemently despised North. Upon her arrival, she immediately called North a "little slut."
Raven pursed his lips and calmly regarded the black-clad bodyguard, who respectfully stated, "Madam, Sir Raven, I'll be outside." The bodyguard then left.
Raven tucked his left hand into his trouser pocket; displeasure was evident on his handsome face. "Mom, you know I don't like this," he said.
Mrs. Domino was elegantly dressed, her beauty from her youth still apparent. However, her eyebrows betrayed a lingering resentment. Seeing her son defending North, she tugged on the armrest of her wheelchair.
"Raven, what did I say wrong? North's mother, Gloria, was your father's first love. They had an affair during their marriage."
"Robertson Paulo and I caught Gloria and your father making out at a hotel. Later, Robertson drove Gloria home, and they were both killed in a car accident. The shock of that day caused me to have an accident, resulting in the loss of my legs and leaving me crippled for fifteen years—fifteen good years, Raven."
"Your father was infatuated with that slut, Gloria. After her death, he brought that little slut, North, home. If not for a DNA test, I could have claimed North wasn't his child."
"Raven, don't tell me you don't see your father's manipulation. North is a grown woman, even more beautiful than her mother. Your father has been eyeing that little—that girl."
"Enough," Raven interrupted, his face grim. "Mom, if there's nothing else, I'll call your guard to take you home."
"Raven, what's wrong with you? Both families were ruined when your father cheated with Gloria. North is your enemy's daughter! Don't you feel uncomfortable around her?"
"Or maybe North has cast some kind of spell on you. Not only did your father desire her, but you do, too. Father and son sharing a woman—pathetic!" Mrs. Domino spat.
"Mom, I already told you I don't love her. I love someone else," Raven defended. Mrs. Domino had strict requirements for her future daughter-in-law: she had to come from a respectable family, be highly educated, and absolutely could not be North or anyone related to her. North was a constant thorn in Mrs. Domino's side.
"Since you don't like her, why have you pampered her for all these years? Everyone knows you deflowered her."
Raven looked at his mother, then whispered, "Isn't that the best way to ruin someone? Step by step, I made her fall in love with me. On her eighteenth birthday, she gave herself to me. But my heart has always belonged to another woman. Are you still not satisfied?"
Mrs. Domino was, in fact, satisfied that North had moved out of their house two years ago. However, the fact that North had been involved with her son still disgusted her. Her husband's rage at Gloria—he'd served her divorce papers before Gloria died—was now compounded by her son sleeping with Gloria's daughter.
"Your father and Gloria tortured me. Raven, don't fail me. To fail me now would be to kill me."
Raven knelt before his mother, patting her hands gently. "Mom, I understand. I don't love her, okay?"
Mrs. Domino, who deeply loved her son, patted his head. "Raven, Mother's leaving now. I trust you'll handle things."
The bodyguard entered and wheeled Mrs. Domino away.
Raven remained in the living room for a moment, then looked toward the upstairs room. The door was closed. He went upstairs and opened the door, but the room was empty. North was gone.
Where had she gone? How had she escaped?
He rushed to the balcony. The window was open, and footprints marked the lawn below. She had jumped.
A frost covered Raven's face. He called her, but she'd already left the villa. Her phone went straight to voicemail.
In the past two years, she'd changed dramatically. Once timid and gentle, she'd now jumped from a high balcony.
Icy raindrops began to fall. The rain intensified, and pedestrians hurried home. North stumbled down the street, her legs bleeding, the blood mixing with the rain. Soaked and chilled, she could walk no more. She sat beneath a bus stop shelter, knees drawn to her chest.