Chapter 3
Dahlia, tears streaming down her face, threw herself into Darren's arms.
"Darren, Yareli accused me of trying to seduce you. When I denied it, she slapped me and even said Eliana is our illegitimate child. She doesn't care at all if Eliana lives or dies," Dahlia sobbed.
Darren fixed Yareli with a cold, ruthless stare, his eyes full of chilling indifference.
"Yareli, was that whole generous act just for show? I'm honestly disappointed in you," Darren said.
I clutched my aching waist and unsteadily got to my feet, my heart numb with despair.
"Darren, she made Eliana breathe in formaldehyde on purpose, and now Eliana's got leukemia because of it. And you're still going to take her side?" I shouted.
Darren immediately jumped to Dahlia's defense.
"What nonsense are you spouting? Dahlia wouldn't even hurt a kitten or a puppy. How could she possibly harm her own child?
"Are you done with this crazy talk? Apologize to Dahlia right now," Darren warned.
I wasn't afraid at all.
"Or what?" I shot back.
With things getting heated between Darren and me, Dahlia clung to him, whining about her pain.
"Darren, Yareli hit me way too hard. I can't even catch my breath," Dahlia whimpered.
Darren's anger only grew when he saw where she was hurt.
"If you don't want me to file for divorce, you'd better apologize to Dahlia," Darren said coldly.
With that, Darren scooped Dahlia up and walked out. Not long after they left, I suddenly coughed up blood.
Fighting to stay conscious, I managed to dial 911 before everything went dark. When I woke up, I was already in the hospital.
Two days later, I was discharged from the hospital. When I saw Darren again, his face was still icy, and he looked at me like I was his worst enemy.
"Dahlia is my brother's widow. Your jealousy is out of control. There's got to be a line. If word gets out, how am I supposed to hold my head up? How could I ever answer my brother who's gone?" Darren snapped.
I looked at him and let out a cold, mocking laugh.
Taking care of his brother's widow, such an excuse could only be believed by himself.
I was left hurting for two whole days and nights after he kicked me, while Eliana was stuck in the hospital with no one to care for her.
Meanwhile, Darren was glued to Dahlia's side at the hospital, doing her laundry, even her underwear, and cooking meals for her.
I saw all of this on Dahlia's social media posts.
Seeing that I still refused to do what he wanted, Darren's face darkened with frustration. He slammed a divorce agreement down in front of me.
"You've got two choices now. Either apologize to Dahlia, or divorce," Darren said.
After Darren left, I signed the divorce papers. The papers would be on his desk the next day.
After that, I took Eliana with me.
Before I left, I made sure to leave behind proof of Dahlia's abuse, along with a farewell letter laying out every truth I'd uncovered.
I wanted Darren to know that I was never fooled by his games all these years.
*****
Early the next morning, Eliana and I boarded our flight.
I figured Darren must've gotten the divorce papers by now.
Just as I expected, Darren called, and his tone was way softer than before.
"Glad you finally decided to apologize, Yareli. Guess I kicked you a bit too hard yesterday. When I get back, I'll give you a massage," Darren said.
Judging by his reaction, he clearly hadn't read the divorce papers at all. Bet he thinks I'm just backing down.
I asked, keeping my tone casual, "Where are you right now?"
Darren lied, "Where else would I be? I'm at the hospital with Eliana."
I let out a laugh. Eliana was sitting right next to me.
Today was Dahlia's birthday, and he was busy picking out a gift for her.
I silently hung up, erased every trace of his contact info, and cut him out of my life for good.
Meanwhile, Darren was having a great time celebrating Dahlia's birthday.
Suddenly, his secretary rushed in, panic written all over her face. "Mr. Yates, Eliana's gone."
Darren froze. "What? Wasn't Yareli taking care of her?"
The secretary added, "And Mrs. Yates is gone too."
Suddenly, something clicked for Darren. He tore through his desk, searching for the divorce papers, and when he finally found them, his eyes landed on my signature.
His face went dark as a thundercloud. He called James Warren over, his voice tight with anxiety.
"Did Yareli ever contact you? Did she say where she was going?" Darren demanded.
Seeing Darren so distraught, James couldn't help but sigh deeply.
"I've told you before. You never should've trusted Dahlia with Eliana. The kid looks more and more like Yareli every day. Even an idiot would notice," James said.
Darren just kept stubbornly denying it, refusing to listen to a word.
Seeing this, James gave up and silently handed Darren a report.
"I just got the results from the paternity test Yareli did at my hospital. See for yourself," James said.
The moment Darren got the paternity test results, his legs nearly gave out. He rushed home as fast as he could.
When he got there, I was long gone. All that was left was a stack of photos and a letter.
The photos showed Dahlia slapping Eliana, kicking her, and performing every kind of cruel act.
As for the letter, I only wrote one sentence.
[I know all about the disgusting things you've done.]