The video on James' phone showed Dustin getting violent.
First, he kicked James, then he pushed Florence aside, causing her to fall onto the floor and bang her head against the door.
Finally, it ended with Dustin slapping James twice.
The start and end of the video had been edited out, and there was no audio, only images.
After watching it. Dahlia was frozen.
She couldn't believe it before, but the video was right here; she had to
believe it.
"Dahlia, you saw what happened, right? This is proof that he beat us! Mom
is already getting old; she can't handle that piece of trash's beatings!
We already went to the hospital to get checked out. The doctor said that
her concussion is so severe that she might develop Alzheimer's disease!
Not to mention, she even broke a few bones. She'll have trouble looking after herself in the future. Dahlia, do you still want to believe such a savage?! "James spat through gritted teeth, looking downtrodden and furious.
"Why? Why would he do that?" Dahlia clenched her fists, and her face was
pale.
Their relationship had just begun to improve. She was even considering re
marrying him.
But why did Dustin hit her mother?
Could he have lost all feelings?
"Dahlia, not only did that brute hit me, but he also framed Julie and sent her to jail!" Florence said gravely.
"What? Julie is in jail?" Dahlia's eyes grew wide.
"That's right! Today, Julie went to the Harmons' to buy Immortunol and go
t into a disagreement with Dustin. Then, that bastard wanted to
take revenge, so he
got someone to arrest Julie and charge her with theft." James said venomously.
"I was there the whole time. I can vouch for it," Matt chimed in from the
side.
Naturally, he wouldn't give up an opportunity to kick a man while he was
down.
"Dahlia, did you hear that? That bastard, Dustin, is an ungrateful son–
of–a–
bitch. We were all fooled by him back then. He has already shown his true
colors now, and he does not want to forgive and forget. How can you trust a man like him?!" Florence added, stoking the flames. As she spoke, she
began to cough again.
She looked like she was at death's door, and Dahlia's heart clenched at t
he sight.
The last ray of hope in her heart was completely extinguished. Instead, i
t was replaced by fury!
Without another word, she took out her phone and dialed Dustin's number.
"Hello? I demand an explanation!"
"An explanation? For what?" Dustin responded calmly.
"I'm asking you whether you were the one who beat my mother and
James up?!" Dahlia asked, suppressing
her anger.
"I did hit James, but he deserved it. As for your mother, she caused her
own fall by accident."
"By accident?" Dahlia's voice rose sharply.
"You say it like it's nothing! Not only did your so–
called accident cause my mother to break her hands and legs, she even suffered a severe concussion!"
"Is it that serious?" Dustin was suspicious of that claim.
She's lying in bed, unable to move due to her injuries. Do you think that
's not serious? According to your logic, does my mother have to die on the spot for her injuries to be serious? Are you even human?' Dahlia's blood
was boiling.
"You'd better calm down and take your mother to have her injuries examine
d," Dustin said.
When Florence left earlier, she had been fine. There was no way she was t
his badly injured all of a sudden.
"Have her examined for what? I've already seen it with my own eyes, so why do I need to get her checked out? Are you still trying to justify yours
elf at this point?" Dahlia said, fuming.
He had beaten up her family. Now, not only was he refusing to apologize,
but he was also acting so
righteously.
When did he become so unreasonable?
"Since you believe your mother's story, then why are you asking me?" Dust
in's tone grew cold.
"What? Are you throwing in the towel just because you've been caught? You
're the one who beat them up; are you saying you were in the right?" Dahl
ia said.
"Fine. Let's say I did beat them up, but did you ever ask why?" Dustin sa
id.
"Of course, I asked! My mother asked you for the formula; not only did yo
u refuse, you even said some harsh things. She told you off, and then you
beat her up. Isn't that what happened?!"
"Heh If that's what you think happened, then that's what happened." Dusti
n snickered.
The current him was too lazy to explain. No matter what he said, they wouldn't believe him.
"Dustin, ch, Dustin. I really didn't expect you to be this kind of person
! Did you have to go that far over a formula? What would have happened it
you'd given her the recipe? Would you lose a limb? You know what, I can
just pay for it! Is one million dollars enough? Or two? Name your price,
and I'll buy it no matter the amount!
Dahlia grew angrier and angrier as
she spoke. Her hands started to tremble with rage.
"Do you think this is about money? To tell you the truth, I've already given the formula away." Dustin stated indifferently.
"Who did
you give it to? Was it Natasha? So are you saying that you would rather give her the formula for free
than sell it to me?"
"Can you be more reasonable?"
"Am I being unreasonable, or are you just a cold and heartless person who
grew tired of your old toy in favor of a new one? Am I not even worth on
e formula in your eyes?!" Dahlla was about to lose her mind.
She wasn't this upset earlier, but at the thought of Natasha, she felt a
knife pierce her heart.
She couldn't help but feel as if someone had taken something important fr
om her.
"Dahlia, I don't want to argue with you. If you called me to talk about t
his, then I don't think we have anything to talk about," Dustin said, taking a deep breath.
"Fine! Let's not talk about the formula–
let's talk about Julie! Were you responsible for her
arrest?" Dahlia changed the subject.
"If I said no, would you believe me?" Dustin said indifferently.
"Do you think I would believe you? Matt saw you plant fake evidence with
his own eyes and got Julie sent to jail! I know you don't like her, but must you be so petty? How could you do such a cruel thing over a small conflict? That's my cousin! How could you do such a horrible thing?!" Dahlia
was practically roaring by the
end of the sentence.
"So you'll believe whatever Matt says? Am I such a narrow–
minded asshole in your eyes that you'd rather believe Matt over me?" Dust
in asked, his eyebrows knitting together.
"You've done so many terrible things. How can I believe you?" Dahlia retorted back.
When Dustin heard those words, he fell silent, his mouth curving into a s
elf–
deprecating smile. He didn't want. to explain further, nor did he have the energy to do so.
Once the seeds of doubt were planted, they could never be removed.
There had always been a chasm between him and Dahlia. It was due to a lack of trust.
No matter what he did or said, he would never receive an acknowledgment.
But whenever there was a minor misunderstanding, it would explode into a
full–blown argument.
That was the crux of their problems.
He had really done his best.