When she heard her husband's voice, Gina's hand that was holding the chopsticks began trembling non-stop, and the color on her face also drained completely.
When Laurie heard him scolding her elder sister, she was a little angry. When she saw her elder sister's reaction, she suddenly understood why her sister asked if Claude had violent tendencies.
Could it be that Elder Brother-in-law Gary really abused her elder sister?
Gary kept cursing as he quickly walked to the dining room.
When he saw the muscular Claude, his cursing stopped abruptly. He then looked at Laurie, who was nearby, and his eyes were filled with insatiable desire.
"Laurie, you're here too?" Gary didn't feel embarrassed at all that other people overheard him scolding Gina. Instead, he reached out to grab Laurie's hand.
However, before Claude could do anything, Gina stepped forward and pushed Gary away.
Her voice was a little shaky, but she stood in front of Laurie firmly.
"Aren't you on a business trip? Why… why are you back now?"
Laurie could clearly see that her elder sister was trembling, but she still stood in front of Laurie to shield her.
"Hehe." Gary sat nonchalantly in the seat where Laurie was sitting just now. "I heard from my neighbor that something happened at home. I'm worried about you."
His eyes were still darting to Laurie.
Another figure blocked his line of sight at once. "I am Claude, Laurie's husband."
When he felt the sense of oppression from the man in front of him, Gary stood up awkwardly.
"I am Gary, Gina's husband." Then he added, "Also your elder brother-in-law."
He extended his hand and tried to shake Claude's hand like a gentleman, but the moment Claude grabbed his hand, Gary felt as if his hand was about to be broken off. Nonetheless, he held on and didn't scream.
Claude's eyes were a little icy. When he recalled what Gary said earlier and his gaze on Laurie, as well as Gina's reaction, he could guess what was going on.
Thus, he said, "Laurie misses her elder sister, so we're here to pick Gina up to stay with us for a few days. It just so happens that you are on a business trip too."
"How can you do that?" Gary retorted instinctively.
However, when he saw Claude's gaze, he swallowed a few times. "Why would she stay at your place? If Laurie wants to visit us, I welcome her anytime."
Claude ignored him and turned to Gina. "Since you have no objection, go pack your things, Sister."
Gina was a little hesitant and also a little scared, but Laurie looked at Claude gratefully and then pulled Gina to her room to pack her things.
When he saw that Gina was really about to pack up and leave, Gary became a little anxious.
"Are you really leaving?" he threatened in a low voice.
Laurie stood in front of her elder sister. "Aren't you going on a business trip? Sis will stay at my place for a few days. We are leaving."
She dragged Gina and her luggage and left first, while Claude stayed behind deliberately. He did not give Gary any chance to go after the women.
Gina only stopped trembling when she got into the car.
Laurie wanted to ask her elder sister what was going on, but Claude shook his head gently at her, so she gave up.
When they got home, Claude placed Gina's luggage in the master bedroom.
"You sisters will stay in the master bedroom. I'll go to the second bedroom." He gave an eye signal to Laurie. "Let me know anytime if you need anything."
Laurie nodded gratefully and pulled her sister to the bedroom.
As soon as she closed the bedroom door, Gina could no longer hold it in and burst into tears.
"Sis? You…" Laurie was at a loss to know what to do.
As she watched her elder sister cry, Laurie did not ask further. Instead, she hugged her gently, hoping to give her some comfort.
Gina cried for more than ten minutes before she finally stopped.
"Sis, are you feeling better?" Laurie asked somewhat worriedly.
Gina simply shook her head. She, her mother, and her younger sister had always depended on each other all this while. In order to reduce the financial pressure on the two sisters, her mother returned to her hometown.
Gina had always reported only the good things and never the bad things that happened to her. Today, the true colors of her married life were revealed in front of her younger sister and younger brother-in-law. Not surprisingly, Gina completely collapsed.
"You heard everything today, right?" Gina lowered her head, not daring to look her younger sister in the eye.
Laurie clenched her fists. "Did he hit you? Sis! You must tell me. In cases of domestic violence, there are only zero times or countless times. If you have any difficulties, you must tell me!"
Gina took off her pants in embarrassment. When Laurie saw the bruises on her body, she gasped.
"He did all this?"
Laurie held back her tears and looked at Gina's legs. There were dozens of bruises, big and small, and some wounds that had already healed.
The dense network of wounds and bruises stung Laurie's eyes.
Gina then lifted her T-shirt. Her lower abdomen and back were also covered in wounds.
"Gary is not human!" Gina was choking back her tears as she began to talk about her married life.