Chapter four

LEXI

Ryan stepped into the field at the same time, and his eyes darted over Jasmine, who had just fallen into the pool. I don't know if she wasn't a swimmer, but she was struggling to get out of the pool. Or maybe she wasn't really trying to get out. She was just putting on a show. His footsteps slowed down as he was shocked by the scene he met.

"Oh my! What the hell happened here? Jasmine!" He called, jumping into the pool. He brought Jasmine out, carrying her in his arms in a bridal manner. They dripped with water.

As he stepped out of the pool, he glared at me with accusing eyes. I didn't need to be told that he blamed me for everything, even without hearing from me or asking me what happened. How do I let him know that I didn't do it? How do I prove my innocence?

"Is this how desperate you are, Wench?" Can you tell me how much more desperate you can be?" He shouted with spite; balls of hatred rolled in his eyes as he pierced them into mine. I felt lumps of tears clogging my throat as I looked at him.

"I didn't do it, Ryan. I swear... I... She jumped... " Before I could complete my statement, he snapped at me, "Shut the fuck, Lexi. How dare you lie when I saw what happened with my own eyes? Is your evil not enough?" He fired in a hoarse voice, causing me to flinch slightly.

"Ryan, you have to believe me. I am your wife. You have to believe your wife," I let out, tears welling in my eyes as I pleaded in a croaky voice. I had underestimated Jasmine; I didn't know that she could be this desperate.

"I promise.. I am going to strangle you to death if you call yourself my wife ever again. I hate you, Lexi. Everything about you irritates me." He spat in my face, his veins puking out of his skin due to his indescribable anger. My eyes coincidentally fell on Jasmine, who had buried her face in his arm, and I could see a sinister smirk etched at the corner of her lips.

That bitch! She must be enjoying the show now. Everything she planted was going as planned.

With moist eyes, I pointed a finger at Jasmine's lips and said, "Look at the smirk on her lips. Look at her smirk. She threw herself in the pool, Ryan. You have to believe me. You really have to." I spurted out in a shaky voice, hoping that he would really believe me even though I knew it was just a wish that wouldn't come true. He was already charmed by Jasmine. The last thing he would do was believe me over her.

"I thought I should make you feel like a human since today is your daughter's birthday, but I ended up stabbing myself. You are inhumane, and you aren't meant to stay with humans. You are meant to be locked up somewhere. I want you to pray, Lexi. Just pray that nothing happens to her. You will have yourself to blame if anything happens to a strand of her hair," he threatened with anger vivid in his pair of eyes. The workers and some of the customers had come to the field and surrounded us. I could hear a lot of them whispering and blaming me for what they knew nothing about. Why do I have to be the one at fault? Why is everyone blaming me without hearing my side of the story?

Water welled in my eyelids, threatening to flow out, but I held back. I shouldn't show everyone here that I was a weak woman. They wouldn't believe me anyway.

"I..." I wanted to defend myself. I wanted to talk, but his hateful stare forced the words down my throat, causing me to remain silent. He hissed and walked away from the field with Jasmine in his arms. That bitch didn't open her eyes when Ryan was talking, but she stuck her tongue out when he was turning and was about to walk away.

Even when Ryan and Jasmine had dispersed and weren't in view anymore, I couldn't move from where I was. I stood transfixed with my legs trembling. I was extremely embarrassed to raise my arms and head and walk among the crowd who were pointing accusing fingers at me. Soon, they started leaving one after the other until there was nobody left, and that was the time I had the nerve to pick my remaining broken self up and leave, but not without picking up Isabelle, who was left alone in the private room.

When I saw Isabelle crying in the room, tears fell from my eyes. The strong facade I was putting on shattered into unreasonable pieces. Ryan left his child alone just because his concubine fell into the pool. He didn't even care about the poor girl. What if something had happened to her while she was here alone?

I hailed a taxi that took me back to the Middleton mansion. Fortunately, I had a few dollars in my purse, which I paid the driver with. However, on getting to the mansion, I met Emily and my second grave enemy in the living room, laughing erratically. My steps slowed as my eyes fell on Zoe Middleton, Ryan's mother.

"This woman is going to worsen my bad day. Let me just hide somewhere until she leaves," I told myself as I veered around. Just as I took the first and second steps, I heard a familiar voice mention my name, causing my body to stiffen. Guess luck wasn't on my side because the voice was Zoe's.

"Is my wonderful daughter-in-law running from me?" Zoe's voice resounded into my ears, causing inexplicable irritation in my stomach. I disliked this woman a lot, and it was also bad enough that Emily, her daughter, inherited the same annoying behavior from her.

Swiftly, I replaced my frown with a fake smile as I turned to face her. "Oh no! Mother. Why would I do that?" I muttered, holding onto my daughter in my arms.

She stood up and snapped at me with a frown, "Do not call me mother. I am not a mother to a pauper."

Since her irritating attitude didn't start today, I swallowed back my words and flashed a cheeky smile at her, "Okay, Mrs. Zoe." I wasn't in the best of mood. So it was only ideal that I give the devil its food and move away from it on time.

She swayed her gaze over me, looking at me with hatred and contempt. Rolling her eyes, she said, "I heard Ryan; my son took you out to celebrate your daughter's birthday. I hope you haven't constituted a nuisance over there. You will be in trouble if the name of the family is soiled because of you."

Tssk... I have always been the dirty daughter-in-law who would soil the name of their family. Nodding my head, I clarified myself, "You don't have to worry about a thing, Mrs. Zoe. Nothing happened, and the precious name of your family is still intact, clean, and twinkling." My voice had a hint of mockery, and Emily could discern that easily.

Impatiently, she attacked me, rushing toward me, "Bitch! Does this seem like a joke to you?" She yelled, glaring at me as her chest hurled up and down due to anger.

Intentionally, I ignored her by not sparing her a glance; I focused my eyes on Mrs. Zoe instead. "Please, I have to prepare Zoe for her afternoon nap. She is stressed from the outing," I muttered in a soft tone, made a curt bow, and strolled toward the stairs, knowingly brushing my shoulder with hers.

"Mum, she... That bitch just mocked us." I could hear Emily's bitter voice, and I couldn't help but smirk inwardly. "Bastard,"

*

Getting into Isabelle's room, I took her to the bathroom, washed her up, and changed her clothes into a more comfortable one. Gave her some cereal, and she dozed off before she could even finish that. A smile broke on my dried lips as I gazed at her pretty sleepy face. She was my life. My everything. She was the sole reason I was still putting on with the Middleton's irritating behavior. I didn't want her to suffer. I wouldn't be able to give her the kind of life she deserved if I agreed to divorce Ryan as he wanted. She might end up like my pathetic self if I move out of the Middleton mansion. That was my fear. Isabelle must not become a woman with zero dignity like myself. I was ready to endure all the hardship and disrespect because of her.

I picked her up from the baby seat and carefully tucked her into her bed. I was just coating her with the duvet when the door to her bedroom went ajar, revealing the exasperated and fierce face of Ryan.

"Alexandra Lexi!" He shouted in a terrifying voice.

"What...." Before I could ask him a question, two uniformed cops appeared behind him and closed up on me. "Mrs. Lexi, you are under arrest for the attempted murder of Miss Jasmine Stephenson," one of the cops announced, holding my hands and putting handcuffs on them. I couldn't believe my ears and eyes.