Chapter 419: Chapter 419: Ran Into Trouble
This is a good performance.
Ivana Monroe gave Ian Keane an approving look.
Ian Keane shyly lowered his head.
"Aunt Linden... it’s the weekend, why didn’t you bring little Nicole over to play?"
Timmy Monroe looked behind Ivy Linden, but Nicole didn’t appear, which made him a bit disappointed. Little Nicole is so cute!
Ivy Linden came alone. Upon hearing Timmy Monroe’s words, her expression froze, as if there were unspoken troubles in her eyes, but she didn’t show it. She smiled and said, "Oh, Nicole! She went to play with her dad!"
Timmy Monroe didn’t suspect anything and innocently said, "Then next time Aunt Linden comes to play, bring along little Nicole! I haven’t played with her for a long time."
Ivy hesitated for a few seconds, "Okay."
She didn’t say much more. Agreeing with Timmy Monroe felt forced because she couldn’t tell him that every weekend, Nicole was taken to the Lockwood family ancestral home by Samuel Lockwood... and stayed with his mother.
Timmy Monroe and Ian Keane went off to play.
Ivana Monroe chatted with Ivy Linden.
After chatting for a while.
Ivana got the feeling that Ivy was distracted, as if she had something on her mind.
Ivana asked, "Ivy, have you run into some trouble recently?"
Ivy Linden was startled, "Huh?"
Seeing her expression, Ivana confirmed her suspicion,—Ivy must be in trouble.
Ivana held Ivy Linden’s hand, "You! You’re all absent-minded. If you encounter any trouble, you can tell me, and we’ll figure it out together."
Ivy Linden shook her head, "No... not at all!"
Seeing her evasive eyes, Ivana knew this woman wasn’t good at lying.
She could see through it in one glance.
However, if Ivy didn’t want to talk about it, Ivana would respect her wishes.
"All right! If you’ve got trouble and decide you want to share, you can tell me anytime. We’re good sisters."
Ivy’s fingers trembled.
A moment later, her eyes reddened, and tears started streaming down uncontrollably.
This startled Ivana—what had happened for Ivy to be so upset?
Ivana felt heartbroken. She pulled out a few tissues, handed them to Ivy, and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, saying, "Ivy, what’s really going on? Tell me!"
Who made Ivy feel so wronged?
Ivana frowned, suddenly thinking of Samuel Lockwood and his mother.
Could it be that old hag, his mother, again?
Ivana felt a sense of kinship with Ivy, both dealing with difficult mothers-in-law. Both Samuel’s and Ian’s mothers were troublemakers; Ian’s mother was always busy finding trouble.
However, Ivana was stronger internally, having faced life and death. Why should she fear Ian’s mother?
Ivy was different—she was a gentle woman, kind-hearted, no match for Samuel Lockwood’s mother.
Ivy cried in Ivana’s embrace for a while, then wiped away her tears and shared her feelings with Ivana, "Samuel Lockwood’s mother... she’s pressuring me to divorce him, saying... he already has a woman he loves."
Ivana frowned as she recalled the times she met Samuel. Although their interactions were not extensive, she felt he genuinely loved Ivy.
So, this shouldn’t be accepted at face value from his mother.
This should be heard from Samuel.
"What did Samuel say?" Ivana asked.
If Samuel confirmed his mother’s words, Ivana would fully support Ivy’s decision to divorce. She knew Ivy would be heartbroken, perhaps even devastated.
But... time heals everything.
Better than spending a lifetime with a scumbag.
Ivana had been through betrayal, that gut-wrenching pain.
But when time heals the wounds, you’ll find that a scumbag is disgusting, like swallowing a fat fly.
"I... I didn’t ask Samuel."
Ivy lowered her head.
"Why didn’t you ask Samuel? What he thinks?"
Ivy’s ostrich mentality was not advisable.
"I..." Ivy bit her lip and said, "He’s so good to me. If I question him, it means I don’t trust him. His mother has provoked me like this before. When I confronted Samuel, it really hurt him. He thought I didn’t trust him enough."
"If you trust Samuel, then don’t listen to his mother’s provocations and certainly don’t cry over such provocations... because it’s all lies, it’s Samuel’s mother deceiving you."
"But..."
Ivy hesitated and stopped.
"But what?"
Ivy bit her lip, took out her phone, opened the photo album, and found a picture.
The photo showed a man and a woman; the man was Samuel Lockwood, sitting on an upscale fabric sofa with a beautiful woman nestling against him, a blissful smile on her face.
Seeing the photo, Ivana was furious.
It’s too much! Samuel Lockwood, what a scumbag.
There’s really another woman?
How could he do this to Ivy?
"Ivana, do you think this photo might be photoshopped?" Ivy asked Ivana.
She trusted Samuel greatly and didn’t want to ask him questions that would hurt him.
Ivy considered it could be a doctored photo but didn’t dare have it verified for fear someone with ill intentions might upload it online.
Because of this photo, she couldn’t help but feel sad and heartbroken.
She couldn’t describe it; maybe it’s because she cared too much, leading to uncontrollable emotions.
Ivana, being involved in design, had learned about photo editing. One glance told her this photo was not doctored; it showed no signs of being edited.
She didn’t know how to break it to Ivy.
Ivy trusted Samuel so much, and Ivana feared Ivy might get hurt.
Looking at the photo again, Samuel’s face showed no expression. Clearly, he didn’t mind the woman leaning against him; he might even be used to it.
"I... I’m no expert, can’t really tell."
Ivana didn’t have the heart to tell Ivy the truth.
She tightly held Ivy’s hand, "Ivy, I think... you should show Samuel this photo and ask for an explanation. You can tell him this photo was given by his mother to pressure you into divorce. See how he reacts."
Samuel probably didn’t know that this photo was sent to Ivy’s phone, used as a tool to pressure her into divorce.
Wonder what expression Samuel will have upon seeing this photo?
Ivy hesitated, "Ivana, I... I..."
Ivana said, "Ivy, your tolerance and retreat will only make his mother more aggressive."
Ivy was taken aback.
A moment later.
She took a deep breath and said, "Okay, Ivana, I’ll do what you say. I’ve had enough of his mother. I thought if I backed down, gave her what she wanted, there’d be peace? Haha... She’s not one to stay quiet. Using tricks to call Samuel away every day, calling away her son is one thing, but taking Nicole too—what’s her intent? To isolate me, make me back off?"
"Fine~ if her son says a word, I’ll divorce. Whoever doesn’t is a dog! I just want Nicole."