Chapter 3
"Aurora, you'd better just tell the truth now. If you keep pushing Bruce, there's nothing I can do to save you," Rebecca said.
I rolled my eyes.
"Oh, please. Drop the act—I know exactly what you're thinking," I snapped back.
As soon as I spoke, Bruce slapped me hard across the face.
"Shut up!" he roared.
"You cheated on me without a shred of guilt, and now you think you can judge Rebecca?"
My cheek swelled up instantly.
When Edward saw me get hit, he launched himself at Bruce, furious, biting and kicking him.
"How dare you hit my mom! I'm gonna beat you to death!" Edward yelled.
"Edward!" I screamed.
Bruce grabbed Edward with one hand and lifted him up like he weighed nothing.
My heart was racing—I was scared out of my mind.
"Bruce, let go of my son! Put him down right now!" I yelled desperately.
Ethan jumped in, his face pale as he lunged to protect Edward.
"Put him down, now!" Ethan shouted anxiously.
"If anything happens to that kid, Logan's gonna make you pay!"
Everyone around here knows Logan spoils Edward rotten—he wouldn't even dream of laying a finger on the boy.
Bruce just sneered.
"If you don't wanna get hurt, stay outta my way! Tonight, I'm gonna make this mother and son pay!" he growled.
My heart clenched in fear.
"Bruce! What the hell do you think you're doing?" I shouted.
He had a thundercloud over his face, and the atmosphere around him was chillingly cold.
"You cheated on me and had a kid behind my back. Legally, I could throw you out of the Freeman family with nothing, and you'd have to compensate me for everything I've lost!" he snarled.
The truth was, we were never even married.
I was shaking with rage.
"Bruce! We were never married! How can you accuse me of cheating?"
"Put my son down, now!" I shouted.
Edward was left hanging in the air, but the kid wasn't scared at all—he kept kicking and punching at Bruce, refusing to back down.
But as more and more relatives showed up, none of them dared to do anything to Bruce, too afraid he'd lose control.
All anyone could do was keep trying to talk him down.
But Bruce just kept staring back at them in total disdain, never once wavering.
"Once I'm done with this little bastard, I'll deal with you myself," he snarled.
Saying that, he grabbed Edward by the collar and started dragging him outside.
No one moved a muscle. They just exchanged glances, too scared to stop him.
Finally, Ethan stepped in to block his way.
Bruce's face twisted in anger. "You dare get in my way?"
Ethan was sweating bullets, but he forced himself to stay calm.
"Calm down! Just let go of the kid first!" Ethan pleaded.
With Bruce held back, I quickly reached out, desperately trying to get my son back.
But Rebecca grabbed my arm, smirking, looking all pleased with herself.
"Aurora, what do you think you're doing? Trying to make things worse for yourself?" she jeered.
I slapped her hard across the face.
"If anything happens to my son, I'll make you wish you were never born!" I shouted.
Rebecca stumbled to the side, her head slamming into the corner of the table. Blood started to trickle down her face.
Bruce's eyes burned with rage, and all that fury was now aimed straight at Edward.
"You damn bitch, how dare you mess with Rebecca? I'll make sure this little brat pays tonight!" he bellowed.
He hoisted Edward up, about to slam him down onto the ground.
I could barely breathe.
Before I knew it, I hurled myself forward, shouting, "Edward!"
Edward had always been tough, but at the end of the day, he was just a kid—and now he broke down crying, his sobs full of fear.
Bruce snarled through gritted teeth, "Get the hell outta my sight! I'll deal with you in a minute!"
I wrapped my arms around Edward with all my strength, desperate and shaking, refusing to let go no matter how hard Bruce tried to pry us apart.
Bruce finally snapped and kicked me hard in the chest.
The impact knocked the wind out of me—it felt like my lungs just stopped working.
Everyone rushed over to stop him, but Bruce, lost in his fury, just threw them off one by one.
"Stop it! That's your sister-in-law!" Ethan shouted desperately.
Even with everyone crowding around him, Bruce was still itching to take another swing at me.
Just then, a cold voice rang out from the doorway, cutting through the chaos.
"What the hell is going on here?" Logan demanded. "You'd better explain yourselves."
"You'd better explain yourselves."
Bruce was so lost in his rage, he didn't hear a thing.
But everyone else instantly perked up, their faces lighting up with hope, and Ethan—who'd been holding Bruce back with all his strength—finally released his grip.
"Logan, you're finally back!" Ethan called out.
Logan walked in and the first thing he saw was me, huddled on the floor with Edward in my arms, looking utterly battered and miserable.
My hair was a wild mess, my cheek swollen and burning red.
His face went cold in an instant. That piercing gaze of his swept across everyone present, making the whole room tense up.
But Bruce was all fired up, totally missing Logan's cold stare. He just started blurting everything out, desperate to make his case.
"Logan, you're finally here!" Bruce called out.
"You gotta stand up for me! Aurora's got no shame—she hooked up with some other guy behind my back and popped out a kid! Did she really think I wouldn't catch on? Just look at how old he is now!" Bruce snapped.
"I swear, I'm gonna teach both of them a lesson they'll never forget!"