Chapter 184 Why Do We Have to Leave?
The emotions that had built up for days on end without Courtney’s awareness erupted at that moment.
It was the first time in all these years that Alexander felt like his behavior was out of his control. Even though he knew that she was in pain and that doing this would result in an emotional rift that could never be repaired, he was unable to restrain himself. He wanted her even through violent and unreasonable means.
“Ah…”
The moment he violated her, her shrills became hoarse. She only felt a tearing pain splitting her in half while he held her legs up and continued to push into her like a savage wild beast.
He disregarded her will and forcibly became one with her.
Inside the bathroom, the sounds of dull panting and flesh colliding were dulled by the sound of water. Courtney was glaring at him through bloodshot eyes. While tied up, her wrists had become swollen and covered in bruises.
It was unclear how much time had passed before the brutal act of violence came to an end with a man’s low groan.
It was then that Courtney also fainted.
Tears seeped out the corners of her tightly shut eyes. They rolled down the sides of her cheeks and plopped into the icy cold bathtub.
Seeing how dejected she looked, Alexander suddenly became flustered.
He was almost at a loss for what to do and only carried her back to bed a while later. When he was pulling the covers over her, he heard a somber voice from the direction of the bed.
“Is this what you wanted? Are you satisfied now?”
His hands that were on the edge of the covers quivered and remained in the air for a moment before he pulled the covers all the way up to her shoulders.
“Don’t touch me.” Before his hand touched her face, he was met with her unfriendly gaze. “Get out,” she seethed through tightly clenched teeth. Her delicate face looked pale. After the climax faded, all that was left was a cold body.
She never would have imagined that this man she once thought of as her soulmate would force her into doing something like this.
A look of frustration flickered across his eyes. He remained silent for a long time, then he eventually left the room without saying anything.
He could not take back what he did. Moreover, the cracks in their relationship could not be fixed with words alone. He had taken extreme measures to deal with the problem. He was wrong, but he could not bring himself to say sorry even at that moment.
The house became quiet.
Before he stepped out, he left a dim light turned on in the living room. The bedroom door was closed halfway, allowing the light to come in from outside and make the room feel less isolated.
Nonetheless, Courtney still felt a chill in her heart. Every slight movement she made was followed by excruciating pain from the lower part of her body. That evident pain served as a constant reminder of the frenzied act he had inflicted upon her.
That night, she decided to leave the Duncan Residence.
Tina was awoken from her sleep. Sitting up in bed, she rubbed her eyes and looked at the familiar silhouette in the dark. “Mommy.”
“Tina, put on your coat and come with me.”
She was in a daze and her voice was still hoarse. “Where are we going, Mommy?”
“Home.”
Courtney put the coat over Tina and lifted her off the bed. Just as they were about to leave, Courtney spotted a small figure on the other bed looking at her. She did not know when he woke up, but he remained still and quiet as if he had sensed her downcast mood.
After a slight hesitation, she called, “Jordan.” A deep sense of despair grew within her.
If she had custody over him, she would bring him out of the Duncan Residence with her without a second thought. They would all return to America and never return to that sad place again.
But she knew that taking him away now would ruin everything they had painstakingly worked for. Alexander was someone who was capable of doing anything once he was provoked, and she could not put Jordan in danger.
Shutting her eyes, two streaks of tears rolled down the sides of her face. With determination, she held Tina in her arms and walked out.
Suddenly, a hoarse voice came from behind her. “Mommy.”
The boy still had a sweet and innocent voice. Perhaps it was because he had not spoken for a long time; his voice sounded hoarse and fragile, but it was also filled with grief and longing.
It seemed as though he was begging Courtney to stay.
Unable to stop her tears from falling, she turned around and returned to the side of the bed again.
Jordan grasped her sleeves with tears already welling up in his eyes.
Courtney was heartbroken, but she looked straight into his eyes and tried to suppress her shaky voice. “Jordan, listen to me. I will come back to get you. It’s just not a good time right now. If I take you with me now, your dad will not approve of it, and I won’t get to see you again. You have to be a good boy and trust me, okay? I won’t abandon you again.”
Six years ago, she feared that the person who stained her and forced her to give birth to the baby would find out about Tina. She fled to America where she endured six full years of guilt and sorrow, unsure of how her son was doing. It always weighed down on her and was also the reason she could not part with this city.
Since she reunited with him, she was not going to give up that easily.
Even if she made a clean break with Alexander, she had to take Jordan with her.
His small hand finally let go of her sleeve. After a few sniffles, he turned around and buried himself under the covers. The quiet sob that sounded from beneath felt like a dagger in Courtney’s heart.
Afraid of staying any longer, she carried Tina and left the place in a hurry.
It was late in the night. The Duncans’ ancestral home was located in a remote area, so she was unable to get a cab. With Tina on her back, she walked along the main road under the cloudy sky that indicated a downpour was soon approaching.
From behind her, Tina asked, “Mommy, Jordan is so upset. Why do we have to leave?”
“Because this is not our home.”
“Did you break up with Mr. Alexander?”
“Yes.”
It was the first time Courtney was upfront with her daughter about the problems in her relationship.
In the past, she used to think that Tina was still too young so she did not want to elucidate these trivial matters. These days, however, she came to realize that a child often had a better understanding of things than they were given credit for.
Without being told, the two children were able to tell that the Lewis Family intended on becoming the Duncans’ in-laws.
“Will your break up with Mr. Alexander make me sad?”
“Maybe a little.”
While sprawled out on Courtney’s back, Tina let out a sigh. “It will probably only be because you’re sad. If I had known that Mr. Alexander would make Mommy this sad, I wouldn’t have wanted you two to be together.”
“Is that so?”
Courtney let out a dry laugh, uncertain of whether she should feel gratified or sad.
s they continued to walk along the road, Tina suddenly exclaimed, “Mommy!”
“What’s wrong?”
“I think you should make up with Daddy. Even though Daddy is never home, he still brings a lot of gifts for you whenever he returns. He treats me well too.”
Courtney furrowed her brows and fell silent for a while.
“You’re big now, Tina. There’s something I want to tell you. Before I do, you have to believe that no matter what, I always love you.”
“What is it?”
“Do you remember your twin brother I told you about?”
