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Chapter 29
Chapter 29
Tears welled up in Laura’s eyes, but instead of breaking down, she let out a hollow laugh. The sound was bitter, full of disappointment.
“Waaaah!” Arianna burst into tears, her tiny voice trembling with fear. “Bad Daddy! You hit Mommy! I hate Daddy!”
Sofia immediately pounced on the moment and scowled at Laura. “You see what you’ve done? You’ve poisoned Ari against her own father! What kind of mother lets that happen? You don’t deserve to be a mother!”
Laura didn’t bother responding to Sofia’s accusations. Her focus was elsewhere. “Sofia, can you give me back the things Doris bought for me?” she said firmly, her voice shaking slightly but holding its ground.
Sofia crossed her arms and sneered, “What’s in this house is part of this house. It’s ours now. I’m not giving them back. What are you going to do about it?”
Laura’s fists clenched at her sides, her knuckles turning white. She locked eyes with Sofia, refusing to back down.
Sensing the tension, Sofia taunted Laura further. “Oh, what? You wanna hit me, huh? Go ahead, Laura. Show everyone what kind of daughter–in–law you are.”
Laura straightened up and turned toward the stairs, saying, “Fine. Then I’ll go to your room and get them myself.”
Sofia’s jaw dropped in mock outrage, and she yelled, “Matteo, look at your so–called good wife! Does she even see me as your mother? You can’t even control her, huh?”
Matteo’s expression turned serious as he stormed after Laura. Grabbing her wrist roughly, he yanked her toward their
bedroom.
Arianna, watching the scene unfold, screamed, “Mommy! Mommy!”
Trying to stay calm for her daughter, Laura forced a smile through the pain. “Ari, don’t worry. Mommy’s okay.”
Arianna broke free from Sofia’s grasp and tried to run up the stairs, but Sofia blocked her path and threatened. “Stay out of it, Arianna. Your mother’s getting what she deserves.”
“Let me go! I gotta help Mommy! I’ll protect her!” Arianna cried, wriggling against Sofia’s grip.
Sofia glared at Arianna, her voice cold and harsh. “Your mother’s being punished for not listening. If you act like her, your father will punish you too.”
“You and Daddy are bad people! I hate you both!” Arianna sobbed, kicking and flailing.
“Ugh, stop crying! You’re so noisy,” Sofia shouted. She scooped up Arianna, carried her to her room, and dumped her on the bed. “Well, cry all you want. See if anyone cares!”
With that, Sofia locked the door and walked away. She crept to Matteo and Laura’s bedroom, pressing her ear to the door to eavesdrop.
Inside, Matteo’s voice was like ice. “Laura, I work hard and raise you, and now you think you can stand up to my mom? You’ve really gotten bold.” Matteo ripped off his tie and glared at Laura. “You need to learn what respect means. I must teach you a good lesson.”
He grabbed her hair and yanked her down, throwing her to the floor. His fists and kicks came hard and fast, anger fueling every blow.
Laura wasn’t strong enough to fight back. All she could do was curl into a ball, using her arms to shield her head as best she could.
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She bit her lip so hard that it nearly Merd, and the did her best to corallone ber cries. She didn’t want Arianna to hear her screams. Tears streamed down her face, silent but unstoppable
Eventually, Matteo grew tired. He stood over her parting “Listen, Laura, from now on, show my mom the respect the deserves. If I catch you acting up again, I beat you twice as hand. Got it?”
Laura lay motionless on the floor, her body aching from head to toe. She didn’t have any strength to respond to Matteo’s
warning
“Stop pretending Matteo sneered, kicking her one last time. He then ordered, Tm hungry. Go make dinner for me.”
Laura couldn’t even move her fingers at all. Each struggle to stand up made her feel like her bones were falling apart.
After venting his anger, Matteo left the room without waiting for a reply.
Downstairs, Sofia was already waiting at the dining table with a smug smile on her face. She had set out the chicken soup Laura had prepared earlier. Once Sofia saw her son walking down, the immediately said, “Matteo, come on and drink some soup,
Matteo sat down and grabbed the bowl Sofia passed to him. As he ate, Sofia beamed.
“You handled her perfectly, son. Women can’t be spoiled. If she doesn’t listen, you have to put her in her place. Trust me, a few beatings, and she’ll behave. Without you, she wouldn’t even survive.”
Upstairs, Laura lay on the floor for a long time, her body trembling with pain. Through the ringing in her ears, she thought she heard Arianna’s cries. Slowly, painfully, she forced herself to her feet and staggered toward her daughter’s room.
She turned the lock and pushed the door open. Arianna’s tear–streaked face lit up when she saw Laura Arianna cried, running toward her. “Mommy!”
Laura tried to catch Arianna, but her strength gave out, and they both tumbled to the floor.
“Mommy, are you okay?” Arianna asked, her small hands holding onto Laura’s shoulders for support.
“I’m fine, sweetheart. Mommy’s fine. Laura pulled her daughter close, gazing into her innocent face.
Arianna’s big eyes studied Laura’s bruised forehead, and her expression twisted with worry. “Mommy, does it hurt? I can make it better. Let me blow on it.”
She leaned in, her tiny lips puffing out gentle breaths onto Laura’s forehead. “Mommy, it won’t hurt anymore. See? Just like magic.
Laura gave Arianna a soft smile, her heart aching and warm all at once. She wrapped Arianna in a tender embrace and replied, “It doesn’t hurt anymore. Thank you, Ari
In the darkness of her life with the Webb family, Arianna was Laura’s only source of light.
“Mommy, Arianna said firmly, “I’ll eat properly and grow up to be strong. Then I can protect you.”
Laura’s eyes stung with fresh tears. “Good girl.”
“I love you, Mommy.”
“Mommy loves you too.”
Meanwhile, Doris was on the subway, her thoughts swirling with everything she had witnessed. Sofia’s cruel behavior toward Laura weighed heavily on her heart. She couldn’t stop wondering how she could truly help her sister.
When she finally got home, the apartment was dark. Lewis wasn’t back yet, yet her stomach was growling. Giving in to
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hunger she made herself a quick hot dog and scaffed in down.
Just as she finished. Lewis werktesh in. Be took a seat on one of the bar stools, his face calm but curious. “You went to see
Laura Howe is she?
She’s not okay. Not even close, Doris said with a heavy sigh. “I dated Ryan for three years, and then he went behind my buck and got engaged to someone else.
Maneo promised to wet Laura lie queen, but now look at her–she quit her job to focus on the family, and all she gets in return is disrespect. Manee’s mother treats her like garbage, throwing insults like she’s nothing.
Don’t even get me started on my dad. He never respected my mom, not once. His word was law, no matter how unfair it
Honesty, what do women even get out of marriage? It’s like poison–no, worse, it’s toxic waste! I swear, all I want now is to work hard, make a million dollars, and retire early”
Lewis could tell Doris had been deeply angered. He leaned forward to ask in a gentle voice, “Does Laura need my help? If she’s being mistreated. I’m here for her. I’m your husband now, so she’s family. If someone’s giving her trouble, we must stand up for ben.”
Doris bunked at him, momentarily taken aback. She knew Lewis had no obligation to involve himself in her sister’s mess, yet he offered his support without hesitation. She felt a flicker of gratitude for his sense of responsibility.
Laura and Mameo need to figure it out themselves. It’s their business, anyway,” she finally replied. “Marriage is complicated. Even as her sister, I can’t just step in.”
She sighed. Tm tired. I’ll head to bed. At least I can get a day off tomorrow.”
Doris had barely started enjoying her long–awaited chance to sleep in, yet a loud, urgent knock shattered her peace early the next morning. She groaned, fumbled for her phone, and found it was only 8 a.m.
“Coming,” she replied groggily while shuffling toward the door. When she opened it, something furry and fast launched itself at her, clinging to her pants.
Doris let out a startled scream, nearly falling over. “Oh my! What the-? You again?!” She looked down to see that familiar corgi gnawing at her pants.
“Biscuit, come here. Lewis’s voice called from the hallway. He stood in the doorway to the bedroom, gesturing at the little dog
Biscuit immediately let go of Doris and trotted over to Lewis, wagging his tail like he’d just found his best friend. He rubbed his head against Lewis’s leg, clearly very pleased with himself.
Lewis crouched down, scratching Biscuit behind the ears. “Good boy. You know she’s not a dog person. Don’t scare her.”
As soon as Biscuit left her room, Doris slammed the door shut, leaving only a tiny crack open. She peeked out and asked, “Why is he even here??
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