Saren lifted her head to speak, but Derick grabbed her hand and smiled. "Grandma, we're working on it!"
Saren tried to pull her hand away, but Derick's grip was too tight.
If he wouldn't let her be, she wouldn't make it easy for him either. She turned to Maya. "Grandma, I'm looking for a job right now, so having children might have to wait."
The room fell silent.
Derick's grip on Saren's hand tightened painfully, and she winced.
Mark glanced at Derick's hand on Saren, noticing the bulging veins, then looked away indifferently.
Derick's aunt, Anne Clarkson, sneered. "Saren, don't blame me for being blunt. You've been married for years. How can you not have a child yet? If it weren't for Derick insisting on marrying you, do you think your family could have ever married into the Clarkson's?
"You should be grateful. If you don't want to have Derick's child, there are plenty of women who do. If someone else steps in, you'll be the one looking foolish."
Besides, Anne thought, "Who knows if Saren is fertile?"
She sounded like she meant well, but her gaze at Saren was filled with an air of superiority.
Maya frowned at Anne, disapproving. "Anne, enough."
Anne pursed her lips but stayed silent.
Maya turned back to Saren with a kind smile. "Saren, you and Derick are still young. If you don't want children yet, that's fine. Just don't overwork yourself. Our family isn't short on money. You can work if you want, but take it easy."
Saren nodded. "I understand, Grandma."
With that, the awkward moment passed, and the room returned to its previous warmth.
Seeing the attention shift away, Derick pulled Saren out of the living room. Once they reached the gazebo in the backyard, he released her. "Saren, have you lost your mind? Do you want everyone to know about our fight?"
Saren rubbed her sore hand and said, "I was just being honest."
"Honest?" Derick scowled. "Should I call your father then?"
Harry Torres was ill and couldn't handle stress. Saren planned to divorce Derick before breaking the news to him gently.
She glared at Derick. "You wouldn't dare! You were the one who cheated. What right do you have to be so self-righteous?"
Derick clenched his hands, a flicker of guilt crossing his face before it was replaced by impatience. "I promised it wouldn't happen again. If you don't want to see Jaylene, I'll fire her. What more do you want?" Saren felt like there was a communication breakdown between them and turned away. "I don't want to argue with you here."
When Derick saw her red-rimmed eyes, he softened. "Saren, I truly know I was wrong. Just don't mention divorce, and I'll make it up to you. I love you. I can't let you go."
Saren found it laughable. How could he claim to love her while being with another woman? Just thinking about him with someone else made her sick.
"I will never forgive you."
Betrayal was her bottom line. She couldn't pretend nothing had happened or reconcile with him.
Derick knew Saren well enough to understand that he had to be patient. He believed she still had feelings for him. Otherwise, she would have made a bigger scene when she found out. As long as he refused to divorce her, she would eventually forgive him.
"Fine, we won't talk about it now. If you don't want kids yet, we'll postpone it to two years later. Since you want to work, I'll have my secretary find you a position at the Clarkson Group."
Saren laughed at his arrangement, a mocking look in her eyes. "Derick, do you see me as a puppet you can control?"
Hurt by her gaze, Derick frowned. "How am I controlling you? You don't want kids now, so I agreed to wait two years. You want to work, so I'll arrange it. What more do you want?"
"Stop pretending. I don't want kids because I want a divorce. I want to work to sever ties with you."
Derick looked at Saren's stubborn face, displeased. Since their wedding, she had been like a canary in his cage. He couldn't let her go.
"As long as I don't agree, this marriage won't end. Even if you tell a lawyer I cheated, do you have any proof?"
"No, you don't". He smirked.
Derick's confident tone and controlling demeanor made Saren step back, trembling with anger. She finally saw how selfish and disgusting he was. She had wasted eight years the best years of her life, from 18 to 26-loving this man.
"You make me sick, Derick!"
Seeing the undisguised disgust in Saren's eyes, Derick grabbed her chin to force her to look at him.
"Saren, I understand you're angry, but I don't want to hear those words again."
His Saren should love him forever. He couldn't stand her looking at him with such contempt.
Saren slapped his hand away. "Don't touch me! You're filthy."
"Filthy?" Derick snickered, stepping closer and pinning her against the gazebo's pillar, kissing her forcefully. If she didn't stop saying things he didn't like, he would shut her up another way. Saren turned her head away. Derick's warm lips landed on her cheek, making her skin crawl. "Let me go, Derick!"
"Fine, as long as you stop saying things that hurt me."
"Never!"
"Then, I'll have to silence you my way."
"What? You're going to force yourself on me right here". Her eyes filled with disappointment .
Derick grabbed her chin, kissing her fiercely. Just as his lips were about to meet hers, a soft cough interrupted from behind them.
"Derick, am I interrupting something?"