Mia suddenly stopped her sentence midway as she looked like she had just discovered a new world.
To which Ivy simply replied with a passive smile.
"Haven't you heard that famous saying, 'only those who we love are capable enough to hurt us for we do not care about the actions of strangers.''
Looking back at Ivy with her eyes wide open, she asked her.
"Then what about now V? do you still... "
Ivy looked at her friend as she understood the words which were not said out loud. And with resoluteness in her eyes, she shook her head,
"No, not anymore.... me and him are impossible. He has hurt me and James enough.''
Mia pressed her lips when she heard her and thought for a second before she continued.
"V... I heard it from some of my contacts and I am still not sure about its authenticity but, I heard that he has a new fiancée selected by his family even though it is yet to be announced.''
The silence which ensured the room was suddenly broken as Mia's phone rang, giving it a glimpse she looked at Ivy as she excused herself.
"Sorry V. I will be right back.''
As she left the room, Ivy looked out of the window as her mind once again flew into the past.
******
A young Ivy merrily walked back to the home she shared with her husband and her beloved son with spring in her steps.
'Today, I will tell him everything.'
She thought to herself.
She decided to tell her husband everything about her mission because today was the day she had finally completed it, it wasn't that she had not tried telling him earlier but it was him at that time who had stopped her, telling he had zero interest in her matters.
But today she had successfully destroyed the drug cartel in the country and had also collected substantial evidence against the ones who had a hand in her mother's death.
She promised herself that she will do everything to make it up to her husband. She knew she was wrong in her actions, but she had no choice but to still follow the plan.
She would also make sure to make it up to her son, whom she had no choice but to ignore in order to not mark him as a target.
Walking inside the house, she was startled to see that her entire family was present there as a heavy mood lingered inside.
Her father Gilbert Brown, her father-in-law Noah Wood with his wife Charlotte Wood and her aunt Olivia Green with her cousin Millie Green.
Her husband was also there, as he sat on of the sofa's opposite to his father.
But this was not what startled her.
What truly startled her was the scene of her son sitting on the floor, crying his eyes out.
Running inside, Ivy picked him up as she tried to soothe him and asked the others present there.
"What is happening here?"
When Charlotte Wood heard the blatant anger in her voice, she coldly humped as asked her back.
"We should be the ones to ask you that question! How dare you do something of that kind to my son!''
The look of Ivy's questionable face was met with the remark from her cousin,
"We know the truth now sister, how could you do that to brother-in-law? We know that the two of you do not have a successful marriage but still.''
When Ivy asked to be told what was happening, her own father stepped forward as he slapped her harshly on her right cheek, nearing tripping her.
Upon seeing her swollen cheek, Charlotte pointed her finger at her as she yelled.
"You are still asking about what happened! After you have paraded that wild child all over the place.''
She said as she tried to shove her down.
Shock was written all over Ivy's face as she tried to comprehend what she had heard.
Seeing her face, Olivia began talking as she shed crocodile tears.
"We just heard the truth from Millie, Ivy dear why did you do this? She just told us that James is, in reality, the child of you and Harry.''
And that is when Ivy realized that all of this set up by her aunt and cousin in order to ruin her, the same way they destroyed her mother.
She tried to calm herself down as she looked at her husband and told him.
"If you are suspecting James, then we can do a DNA test.''
Upon hearing her Charlotte once again erupted,
"What nonsense are you spouting! I believe Millie and I surely would have been happy with her as my daughter-in-law rather than a w***e like you! You are just like that mother of yours, going around seducing men while still being married.
Now I know the truth! You must have drugged my son into sleeping with you that night so that you can cover up the secret behind his birth and have my son take responsibility for him.''
The one-year-old James in Ivy's arms began to cry upon hearing such loud commotion.
When Charlotte heard him cry, she grew angrier as she snatched James from Ivy's protective arms and roughly threw him onto the ground.
When Ivy saw James being thrown, her body reacted on its own as she rushed forward to catch him.
A loud thud could be heard as Ivy's knees came in contact with the floor.
And this was the last straw, Ivy looked up furiously at her husband only to see him silently sitting there as if the child who was just thrown had nothing to do with him.
She laughed coldly while still looking at him,
'Even if James was not his son, but he still raised him for a year... how could he simply sit there watching him get hurt.
Never mind the legitimacy, but does his heart not shudder seeing a child so small injured and crying his heart out?'
Ivy thought as her husband continued to sit there calmly.
With her eyes red, either from anger or from the pain she felt when she heard her son cry loudly.
Ivy stood up straight as she looked at each and every one of them in the eye as she told them, her voice cold from her suppressed anger.
"I will make sure that you all will regret this."
After which she turned and left.
*********
Ivy snapped back from her thoughts when she felt someone shaking her.
Looking up she saw her friends concerned gaze as she asked her,
"Are you alright V? I called your name a few times, but you didn't answer me.''
Shaking her head Ivy assured Mia that she was alright and then asked her about the phone call.
"Oh, it was nothing. Anyways I have to go back V let's meet again next time and also introduce me to James.
Mia said as she rushed out of the room, leaving Ivy inside.