Vanessa stood in the hallway alone and glanced at her foot which were bare in the chilly weather. Her every step felt like she was walking on ice.
But Austin didn’t bother about it and didn’t even give her time to wear shoes since her comfort was never his concern!
When she was in a daze, she reminisced the incident that happened last week when Isabella Green was about to go out in her sandals in a hurry and how Austin stopped her with never ending patience, his gaze so tender and he squatted in front of her and helped her put on the socks and sneakers to keep her feet warm.
He even warned her to take good care of herself and not to get hurt, but that held his hidden concern which was known to her.
But He never gave a second thought on how Vanessa was feeling, and it wasn’t new to her now.
Still, it hurt her heart every fucking time when he did such things to her. It didn’t matter how hard she tried to not get affected, it always successfully broke a tiny part in her scarred heart.
When she was in her thoughts while dragging her weak body to the basement hall, the heavy breeze hit her, and she shivered since she wasn’t even well dressed.
Her chest hurt knowing what was coming in her way and what can she do except accepting everything that came in her way?
With a sigh, she decided to fight head-on. This time she won’t bend her head and succumb to the demands of the Jones family.
A determination flashed in her eyes since it didn’t change the cold heart of her husband even if she was obedient and that was a hard learned fact.
So, what was the point in obeying their wilful wishes when her relationship with the Jones family itself was a joke?
By the time she reached the basement hall, the members of the Jones family were all present and were eagerly waiting to watch her demise.
When she was about to occupy a seat, she heard the head of the Jones family speak in his unwaveringly cruel tone, “did you think you deserve to occupy a seat?”
After that, he gave a cold snort, “sinners like you are only allowed to kneel down here.”
Hearing his malicious words, her breath hitched, and her body quivered. She glanced at Austin hoping he could help her, but his indifferent gaze had her heart shook in immense pain as if it was cut into numerous pieces.
Her breath became labored with the amount of internal struggle she was having, and her high fever wasn’t helping her either. The throbbing headache had increased while the ache in her muscles made her sweat in the chilly climate.
There were almost twenty people present in the hall, but there was no one in her aid. Everybody gazed at her with different emotions but none of them had the tiniest bit of concern for her,
They all treated her as their demise, a devil who would break hell loose in the Jones family.
But what wrong did she do to suffer like this?
Wasn’t it unjust for her?
They wanted her to kneel down and accept the crime she didn’t even commit? Not even in their dreams!
Vanessa rooted there and eyed the old man whose face had wrinkles but the power in his tone and eyes hadn’t vanished yet.
With a determination to fight her own battle, her face turned cold, and she uttered a word for word, “I didn’t do anything wrong, and I won’t kneel.”
Her strong tone reverberated in the silent hall making the people’s eyes go wide with her outburst. They couldn’t believe their eyes and ears!
When did the meek woman, Vanessa Grant have the guts to against the head of the Jones family?
Seeing that, the old man’s face turned black in anger. His veins shook in his forehead and he roared while he made a sound with his walking stick which broke the nearby vase and terrified the hell out of everyone present in the hall, “Kneel down, You ungrateful wench.”
The sharp shards of glass were scattered across the floor where Vanessa stood still and a few pierced into her skin making her wince in pain but she bit her lips so hard to not make a sound.
Although she was scared, she was determined not to show it on her face.
Her legs started to bleed as drops of them were falling on the floor slowly and the pain in her body made her extremely uncomfortable while her head was spinning, but she didn’t admit defeat!
Seeing the unwavering nerve of Vanessa, the old man was pissed off. His body shook in fury which alerted the attention of Austin, and he held the old man while his gaze sent daggers onto Vanessa.
“Vanessa. Kneel and apologize now and I’d let you live in the Jones family.” The old man stated while his tone was extremely firm which made her body tremble.
Vanessa nibbled her lips hard to control the pain and held the tears in place to not let them fall down.
With her head held high, she squared her shoulders and pushed her chest out, she peeped at the old man without backing off and muttered in an equally strong voice, “I’m not the one responsible for Sister-in-law’s fall. I won’t kneel and apologize for the deeds I haven’t committed.”
Seeing the audacity of Vanessa, he announced while viciousness danced in his eyes, “since you don’t know how to accept and repent. I’ll help you learn it.”
“Force her to kneel.” The Old Master Jones said while pointing his finger, his face turned brutal as if he was ready to force Vanessa to death if she didn’t admit now!
The other members of the Jones family jumped into the conversation and mumbled, “She deserved it. How dare she act like she’s innocent when she killed Isabella’s child?”
Another cast a disgusting glance and added, “We should teach this cunning bitch a lesson.”
Mia Jones cast a disgusting glance and said in a malicious tone, “Yes, or else who knows what dirty plots she had cooked in her mind to harm the Jones family.”
They sneered, “The only bloodline of Master Jones was gone! What a pity!”
…
Despite all their hateful stares, and their mutters as if she were a clown in the Jones family, she stood tall and didn’t bow her head. Although her insides were bleeding with the harshness of the reality she was facing, she put on a brave façade, but whom did she have to vent it out? No one except herself!
Eyeing her pale face with no luster in her eyes while her legs were still bleeding, her mother-in-law, Clara Jones’s heart ached.
Since Vanessa Jonerepeatedly said she didn’t do it, her mother-in-law believed her words since she knew what sort of woman Vanessa was and she also knew Vanessa could never do such malicious deeds!
With that, Clara couldn’t bear it any longer and decided to save the poor soul. She gathered her courage and added, “Dad, she’s too young to understand all this. Why don’t we let her rest for now and in the meanwhile we can investigate the matter?”
After the words left her mouth, the hall turned chilly as if the temperature had suddenly dropped several degrees making them all shiver with the deadly glances from the Old Master Jones, and Clara immediately shut her mouth.
Sensing her persuasion in this matter wouldn’t be of any help, she strode to Austin who stood aside with an aloof and indifferent gaze, and whispered, “Austin. Take her to rest for a while. She’s your wife and she’s bleeding. We could discuss this matter another time.”
Hearing his mother’s words, his onyx eyes turned pitch black as if they would swallow everything that came his way in those depths without leaving a way to get back. His face turned stoic and he said with contempt, “Wife?”
Gazing at Vanessa, he said in a loud tone making everyone in the hall hear him, “I don’t have such a vicious wife.”
Listening to his words, Vanessa’s already shattered heart broke even further If that was even possible and her chest felt a panging pain that she became unable to breathe and disbelief was written across her face.
She squinted at Austin’s gloomy figure while her lips quivered.
Austin came forward to her and poked her chin with his index finger to reach his eye level, his piercing glare had a deep hatred for her, and he didn’t hide it either. Eyeing her pale face, he coldly muttered, “from now on, you only have yourself!”
Just by thinking of how his brother’s child ended up in a pool of blood and the reason was ‘his wife’, his blood boiled and he wanted to tear Vanessa into pieces.
With one last cold glance at her, he took his mother aside and left since his heart felt uncomfortable when he saw Vanessa.
Mia smirked as she saw the pitiful appearance of Vanessa. She was always against Vanessa and now when she got a chance to humiliate Vanessa, could she let it slide? Never!
With her clicking heels, Mia strode towards Vanessa and kicked her bleeding leg with her high heels to make her kneel down, but Vanessa held the support of a nearby wall and straightened herself without showing any emotion on her face.
Vanessa was beyond determined to not bend her head in front of the Jones family!
Seeing that, Mia sneered, “kneel down, Vanessa !”
“Don’t act so proud and arrogant! You insolent piece of shit!” Mia spat at Vanessa and kicked her legs again and again.
“Grandpa wants you to kneel down. He’s giving you a chance and you don’t even have any respect and was disobeying his order?” She sneered and Vanessa still remained the same.
Seeing that, Mia’s insides burned in rage, and she furiously gripped Vanessa’s arm and slapped her hard on the face.
With the heavy blow, Vanessa’s lips bled in the corners and her face swelled but she didn’t kneel down!
Vanessa rubbed her face with her palm while tears pooled in her eyes. Seizing her movements, Mia held her hair in a tight grip and kicked her knees with full force making her tremble!
Vanessa was rooted in the same place while her posture was slightly tilted and the people present in the hall were glancing at her with mocking glances.The traces of Mia’s ruthless kicks with her high heeled shoes were still present on the back of Vanessa’s knees.Her face was bruised, her hair was a terrible mess, the floor was stained with her bloodied legs, and the glass shards scattered across the hall. All in all, it appeared as if she was hit by a typhoon!Well, with the viciousness the Jones family displayed, it wasn’t any less than a cyclone that was aimed to destroy her life.Just like her broken heart, everything near her vision was broken and the room was a chaotic mess since Mia furiously broke everything near her because she couldn’t make Vanessa bend her head down!What a shame to Mia Jones!Even with the slightest movement, Vanessa’s body ached painfully and if she wasn’t careful enough, she would fall to the floor on her knees in a miserable way which would mean she a
Austin sat in his office chair leisurely with his legs crossed, while a frown was settled on his cold yet handsome face as he was deeply thinking about the words Vanessa had said earlier that morning.When he was about to hop onto his car, he heard Vanessa's hoarse voice and his steps halted. His aloof gaze landed on her pale face, her lips were chapped, and she appeared as if she had suffered grievances and had lost weight overnight.But he didn't bother about her and scrutinized her with his piercing glare when she muttered without any emotion in her voice, her usual luster eyes now seemed cold with a hidden rage in them, "I want a divorce, Austin ."Hearing her say those words so nonchalantly had made him uncomfortable, but he didn't let it show on his face and gave a sharp glance at her and left with a slight nod.He was too stunned to say anything else to her as those words were stuck in his mind and kept on reverberating in his brain, forcing him to think of it.Austin actually
It was a bright morning with the sun kissing her cheeks while she was still resting with her eyes closed in the hospital bed.With the blazing heat searing her skin, she slowly moved and opened her eyes while rubbing them with her hands.She glanced at the wall clock, and mumbled in astonishment, "seven a.m." It means she was out all yesterday!Vanessa nibbled her lips while lifting herself up since the pain in her muscles hadn't subsided yet and it felt as if her body was fractured!She sighed in disappointment since she was feeling so damn weak and there was nothing she could do to reduce her physical injuries.By then Fiona had just opened the door and stepped in with a bottle of pomegranate juice and a light porridge.Eyeing the awake Vanessa, Fiona felt delighted and jumped towards Vanessa in a swift move making her startled and chuckle at the same time.But Fiona didn't bother about Vanessa's chuckle and asked seriously, "how are feeling now?"She put her hand on Vanessa's foreh
Vanessa propped herself up and rested her head on the pillow while a sly smirk danced on her face, but she appeared calm, in fact too calm when she talked about divorce.Eyeing Vanessa talking so nonchalantly about divorce while her lips curled slightly upwards with a flash of coldness in her amber pools made Fiona wonder whether Vanessa was really serious or joking about it.Fiona was worried that if Vanessa had become soft hearted like she was before with Austin, then she would be bullied by Austin again.That thought alone made Fiona’s insides burn and her brows furrowed when she heard Vanessa mumble while fiddling with her fingers leisurely, “Take out the divorce agreement in my suitcase.”Listening to it, Fiona almost jumped in happiness and exclaimed, “you’re really serious!”Thinking back on how Vanessa had suffered all these years in the name of her love for Austin, Fiona had tears swelled in her eyes.Fiona sniffed while glancing at Vanessa and patted her shoulder in encourag
Vanessa entered and left Austin Jones's cabin in a fraction of a twinkle as if she didn't have another second to spare a glance at her husband! Well, he was about to become an ex-husband!Seeing Vanessa's leaving back without a care in the world, his eyes followed her loud footsteps, which reverberated her confidence, while she swayed her hips and his gaze darkened while his fists clenched involuntarily.With scrunched brows, he grabbed the divorce agreement she had placed. Eyeing her clear signature in the black ink, he gritted his teeth and focused on the empty column next to her signature, which was for him to sign.A simple signature could terminate their three years of marriage in the span of a single day.Austin inhaled a chunk of air, and he felt complex emotions swirling in him, but he didn't understand what they were.Shaking his head in disapproval since he was thinking too much about an unworthy Vanessa, Austin again concentrated on the agreement which was just a single pag
After Vanessa calmed down a little bit, she wiped her tears with the back of her hands and took a deep breath with her eyes shut, and muttered, while the grip on her mobile had tightened as if her life had depended on it, "I'll come home soon, Dad."With a small pause, she added while her voice had become raspy due to her crying, but she tried her best to not let her father know, "Once I wrapped everything up here with no loopholes, I would come back to Los Angeles."Though Vanessa had successfully managed to muffle her sobs, she couldn't fool her father, who knew inside and out. Just by hearing her tone, he understood that his assumptions had come true.He didn't know what troubles his daughter had faced, but he was sure she was wronged!As the realization sunk in his mind, his throat felt dry all of a sudden, and his eyes watered, but he quickly get a grip on himself and said in his doting tone, "Alright. Take your time but be quick. Your mother and I would prepare for your arrival!
Vanessa gracefully stepped down from the car and strode to the court with her head held high while the chilly breeze hitting her made her silky hair flow freely, and she brushed it behind her ear with her slender fingers keeping a gentle expression on her face while all the gazes nearby glanced at her in awe with her dazzling beauty.Her every step displayed her confidence and she had an imposing aura lurking in the shadows, although she appeared tender which made her even more attractive.When her steps finally halted in front of the court, she eyed her watch, and a satisfying curve settled on her lips since she was five minutes earlier than her appointed time.By the time she reached the arena where the divorce cases were handled, she was the only one present, but her eyes roamed across the large queue on the other side where marriage certificates would be issued and a panging pain hit her chest as the realization sunk in that she was really going to get a divorce with Austin Jones!
After a really long day, Vanessa got down from the car and moved into Fiona's house while a cold gleam was dancing in her brown orbs.Seeing Vanessa was already back, Fiona, who settled herself on the sofa while watching television, was surprised and couldn't help but take another glance at Vanessa and eyed her watch."Wow, you were awfully fast!" Fiona commented, making Vanessa's eyebrows twitch, but she didn't respond and sat on the opposite chair and grabbed the bottle of water.Quickly, she gulped down as if she was deserted for a week making Fiona chuckle and asked while enthusiasm was lurking in her eyes, "Did you get a divorce?"Hearing it, Vanessa stopped what she was doing and gave a slight nod while her gaze was focused on the television, but Fiona wasn't satisfied as she was eager to hear everything that happened at the court."Show me the divorce certificate!" Fiona demanded while Vanessa was getting a headache with her excitement, but she couldn't do anything to Fiona and