Chapter 204
chapter204
Although Abellyn had mentally prepared herself for the possibility of Ryder discovering the truth, she was still taken aback by the intensity of his reaction. Confronted with his rare and terrifying fury, she instinctively tried to divert the blame.
“Are you listening to yourself, Ryder?” she cried out, her voice trembling. “Who could have possibly filled your head with such lies?”
“It was Emmanuel!” Ryder shouted, his hands trembling with a mixture of betrayal and grief. “He saw you with another man at the lounge with his own eyes. Do you think a man like him would make up something so serious?”
Abellyn’s heart hammered against her ribs. She had always relied on Ryder’s honesty and mild temperament to keep him under her thumb, but now that he was truly enraged, she felt a chill of genuine fear.
“He... he’s lying! That’s it!” Abellyn retorted vehemently, searching for any possible excuse. “Emmanuel is still holding a grudge because of our past disagreements. He’s trying to drive a wedge between us to get back at me! Can't you see he's trying to settle a score?”
“Nonsense!” Although Ryder wasn't a man of many words, he wasn't a fool. “I’ve known Emmanuel since we were children. He is a man of integrity and a dedicated professional. He would never accuse someone of such a thing without proof. He caught you, Abellyn! What else is there to say?”
“I didn’t do it!” Abellyn insisted, her voice rising in a desperate attempt to sound convincing.
The argument escalated as Ryder’s frustration boiled over. He felt humiliated and heartbroken, the years of his devotion seemingly crumbling in a single night. “How can you keep lying to my face? After everything I’ve done for this family, you still treat our marriage with such disrespect!”
In her desperation to regain control of the situation, Abellyn shifted from defense to offense. “If you’re going to believe a stranger over your own wife, then maybe we shouldn't be together! I’ll leave, and I’ll take Tommy with me. You’re the one destroying this family with your accusations!”
Her threat of divorce only fanned the flames of Ryder’s anger. He felt trapped between his love for his family and the crushing weight of the evidence against her. The more he realized how much he had cherished her, the deeper the wound of her betrayal cut.
“Fine! If you’re so innocent,” Abellyn challenged, her eyes wild as she tried a risky psychological ploy, “why don't you have someone verify your claims? Emmanuel is a doctor, isn't he? Why don't you bring him here to confront me? I’ll show you that I have nothing to hide!”
She knew Ryder would never actually do it. The shame of bringing a third party—especially a professional colleague like Emmanuel—into their private domestic crisis was more than Ryder could bear. He understood all too well the pain of keeping family matters behind closed doors.
“Why are you just standing there?” Abellyn continued, realizing she had momentarily paralyzed him with her audacity. “If you don't apologize for these baseless accusations and for losing your temper, I will never forgive you. I’ll call my parents, and then we’ll see who has to answer for what happened tonight!”
“No! Don’t call them!” Ryder’s anger was replaced by a sudden, hollow fear. The thought of their private shame becoming a family-wide scandal was his breaking point. He reached out to stop her, his movements frantic. If her parents were brought into the fray, the house would be in total chaos, and any chance of a quiet resolution would vanish.
“Are you afraid now, Ryder?” Abellyn sneered, sensing she had regained the upper hand through intimidation. “You didn't think about the consequences before you started making accusations. I won’t let this slide easily. You have to make this up to me.”
“What... what do you want from me?” Ryder asked, his voice sounding small and defeated as the weight of the situation threatened to crush him completely.