Chapter 33
"Audrey!!!"
Chad shouted his sister's name in a fit of rage. With fear in their eyes, Audrey and Angelina immediately stepped back from Marlie, before they could hit her further. They were stunned as to why Chad was there in the first place. Is he not supposed to be at the office? Why would he come back to the house before closing hours?
Chad's face displayed a mixture of anger and coldness. He was furious and had even raised his hand to strike his sister, but stopped himself midway when someone pulled him back. He really wanted to kill both his sister and Angelina at that moment.
Gideon rushed to pull Chad away from Audrey, fearing that he might harm her if he got any closer.
Chad wanted to rush back to his sister's side and give her a good slapping to wake her up but Gideon held on to him tightly, refusing to let go.
"Didn't I warn you not to touch her or go near her ever again?" Chad questioned Audrey, pointing his finger at her vigorously. His whole body was trembling with anger. Had it not been for Gideon holding him back, he sure would have killed those two crazy women in front of him.
"She provoked me!"Audrey tried to explain. Shouting back at Chad, Audrey also pointed her finger at Marlie.
Spark helped Marlie up and guided her to sit on the couch. Her hair covered her face, as she wanted to appear weak from the beating.
With the help of Ken and Gideon, Chad managed to calm himself down. They believed it was necessary to prevent their friend from hitting or causing harm to a woman, especially his own sister.
Chad rushed to Marlie's side and gently held her face. He moved the hair away from her face and asked if she was alright.
"Charlie.... Are you alright? Does it hurt?" He asked with so much concern, shocking all his friends and even Marlie.
Marlie just shook her head feebly without saying anything a first before throwing herself into Chad's embrace and wept bitterly.
"Chad... It's hurt! My whole body hurt!!" She cried like a child wanting to be consoled as she held onto Chad tightly.
Chad was visibly and emotionally distressed. He never knew his family treated Charlie like that behind his back.
He had witnessed them verbally assaulting her and he always defended his wife or stood by her side whenever such situations occurred. Who would have thought behind his back this is how his wife was treated?
Yes, he might not love Charlie as a husband. However, he still considered her as a college friend and respected her as his wife.
The nerve of these two bitches!!!
"Shhh... Shhhh.. It's okay. I'm here now. Stop crying Charlie. I will take you to our room, alright?" He coaxed her, adding another shocking blow to the onlookers, including his friends.
He lifted Marlie up, much to Spark's discontent, and headed towards the stairs. Before climbing, Chad turned to face everyone's gaze, particularly Angelina.
"Without my permission, don't step foot in this house," he warned Angelina with a cold and hostile gaze.
Angelina was shocked and heartbroken at the same time. She could only shed tears in response.
Vien suggested that they all sit down for coffee, but Spark preferred to stand and keep an eye on Chad's door, feeling both worried and angry.
When he shifted his gaze, he noticed Audrey and Angelina still standing there, with tears.
Angelina seemed to be shedding more tears than Audrey which he found disgusting.
"That's why no sensible guy would want to be with you," Spark remarked, causing Audrey to glare at him while tears rolled down her face.
Spark glared back at them in rage. Just who the hell did these two think they were? They are just spoiled brays who want to have the whole world wrapped around their fingers without checking if they even deserve it.
However, Soark wasn't don't with them yet. These to dare to lay their filthy hands on Charlie? Ha! What a bold joke!
"The fourth guy you dated almost made the mistake of marrying you, right?" Spark asked Audrey sarcastically.
Audrey could only glare at him without having any reply to his statement.
"Are you sure he was in his right sense or did you just pay him to engage you?" Spark continued, scoffing with disdain.
Ken, Gideon, and Vien, who had dismissed all the servants from the hall, nodded in agreement this time. They also find Audrey's sudden engagement perplexing.
They couldn't understand why Audrey, being a woman herself, would treat another woman in such a manner and expect any man to love her.
As for Angelina, did she really think Chad would look at her the way she wanted, resorting to such tactics? What a joke! She's nothing but one of the women who wished to have Chad.
Spark had some harsh words for Angelina as well. He gave her a disgusted look and taunted her,
"Was taking advantage of his vulnerability on his wedding night not enough for you?"
Spark's words didn't come as a surprise to anyone, except Vien, it was her first time hearing that. The rest of them knew very well about Chad and the events that took place on his wedding night. And mostly, the actual truth.
The knowledge was widespread among the others that on the night of Chad and Charlie's wedding, Chad felt immense unhappiness about marrying a woman whom he only regarded as a friend and nothing more.
He was consumed with regret on the very same day he wedded Charlie and was unable to share a room with her. In order to spare her feelings, he resorted to lying and claiming urgent work that required his immediate attention.
As he drowned his sorrows with alcohol, his friends couldn't help but accompany him to ensure his well-being, as any loyal friends would.
Chad was completely intoxicated when Audrey and Angelina insisted on taking him home. Only for Chad to confess the following day that he had slept with Angelina, an encounter he had no recollection of.
When he awoke, he found himself in an almost naked state, with Angelina at his side, similarly undressed. She informed him that he had pleaded for her to stay with him and adamantly refused Audrey's offer to take him home.
Instead, he wished to stay far away from his wife, hence opting for a hotel. The guilt he felt burdened Chad's conscience and he simply could not completely remove Angelina from his life even if he wanted to.
He felt obligated to care for her, as he had ruined her life, just as Angelina and his mother and sister claim.
If Charlie went through with the divorce, Chad would have no choice but to marry Angelina as compensation.
Chad had to reluctantly accept that without the woman he loved by his side, any other woman would suffice.
"He may have been foolish to believe your fabricated story, but he had no other option." Spark continued, "You appear desperate for someone else's husband, how pathetic! Do you even call yourself a woman? Where is your kicking dignity?
Let me tell you this... Sooner or later, Chad is going to find out what exactly happened on his wedding night and I swear to fuck that when that happens, I will be here to witness how he tears you all apart!"
Spark finished by hurling insults at her, and it deeply affected Angelina, causing her to flee from the house and into her car in a devastating state.
Audrey promptly retreated to her room, possibly thinking it would be best for her friend to leave the house and for her to flee from the scene in other not to get more insults from Spark.
*********.
In the bedroom, Chad gently laid Marlie on the bed and took the initiative to tidy her hair before reaching for the phone to call the family doctor.
"No, Chad, please allow Doctor Mark to come," Marlie spoke softly.
Chad stared at her in suspicion, why would she suddenly prefer Mark over their family doctor?
" I feel more at ease with him examining me," Marlie's hoarse and weak voice halted Chad in his tracks.
He deemed it best to have Mark assess Marlie since she felt comfortable with him. However, he didn't have the doctor's number, so Marlie handed him her phone to make the call.
Within minutes, Mark rushed to the house to examine Marlie, and Vien escorted him into the bedroom.
"Could you please leave us?" Mark requested that Chad and Vien step aside while putting on his gloves.
Chad, on the other hand, had no intention of leaving. He would remain in the room until the examination was concluded. He felt the need to watch over Marlie.
Many unfortunate things seem to happen when he's not with her recently. Mark was not someone he trusted. Moreover, he was the boyfriend of the only woman he had ever loved. In a way, he was his unknown rival.
"You will obstruct my examination with your presence, please," Mark informed Chad, but the latter stood his ground on not leaving his wife's side.
Why should he leave his wife alone with a stranger to be examined, and to top it off, Mark was like a ghost always hovering around his wife recently like a plague.
These words from Chad disgusted Marlie, leading Mark to reassure him once again that he was not a stranger to Charlie (Marlie). "I'm her late sister's boyfriend!" Mark said with his signature beautiful sad smile.
That was it! That was the last straw, jealousy. Because Mark was Marlie's supposed boyfriend he didn't like him.
Chad stubbornly refused to leave Charlie ( Marlie) with Mark, so Vien stepped in and offered to stay behind and watch over Marlie.
"Watch over her!" Chad ordered Vien before casting an annoyed glare at Mark.
His gaze shifted to Marlie and softened. "Be good, I will be downstairs." He left her with these words.
Chad reluctantly left the room, and Marlie couldn't help but scoff at him, much to Mark's amusement.
"Your husband really cares." Mark teased, but Marlie hissed at him to shut up.
********
Descending the stairs, Chad was greeted eagerly by Spark, who wanted to know how Charlie (Marlie) was doing.
Chad glared at him and took a seat, waiting for the doctor. He didn't even bother to respond to Spark. That his friend had been on his nerves ever since he got together with Charlie in college.
When Spark asked what the doctor had said and if she was all right, Chad remained silent, frustrating Spark who couldn't help but chuckle in annoyance.
"You know, this is all your fault, Chad!" Spark sneered.
But Chad reclined on the couch, with his eyes closed and his head relaxed, paying no mind to Spark's words.
At that moment, he wasn't concerned about himself but about Charlie (Marlie), weak and lying in the room, with that annoying ghost doctor staying around her alone.
"Why would you even care?" Spark questioned, not expecting an answer before throwing another question at Chad, "Don't tell me you have feelings for her?!"
Chad glared at him... "She's my wife and whether I've fallen in love with her or not is none of your kicking business!" Chad snatled coldly at him.