"Mr. Clemons, I… I was just trying to discipline my daughter!" Arthur felt like his bones were about to break when Brendan gripped his wrist. He put on a flattering smile as beads of sweat formed on his face. "She's been disobedient lately, so I need to set her straight. I am her father, after all. Brendan threw Arthur's arm aside, and then he placed his arm around Adeline's shoulders. "You're trying to discipline her?" He shot Arthur a cold glance and continued, "Adeline is my wife and she's a member of the Clemons family now. How dare you hit my wife? Are you trying to humiliate me?". Arthur was rendered speechless Was Brendan furious at him? . Cold sweat broke out on his forehead. When Brendan held Adeline tightly, she could smell the faint scent of tobacco from his shirt. He looked so manly. She then placed her hand on his chest, enabling her to feel his steady heartbeat. At this moment, they looked like a very affectionate couple. For just a few seconds, she felt flustered. But she soon pulled herself together and tried to push him away. "What are you doing here?". The excessive intimacy left her nonplussed. Brendan stared at her pretty face and found there was not a trace of gratitude on it; only indifference. She even asked him what he was doing here. Was he not allowed to be here? . Was she implying that she didn't want to have anything to do with him anymore? . If so, who would she rather come here and help her? Rodger Stevenson? . "Honey, why didn't you tell me that you were coming to visit your parents? If you told me, I would've accompanied you," Brendan said while chuckling and raising an eyebrow. The more she tried to sever ties with him, the more it made him want to go against her will. They really looked like a loving couple at this moment. Adeline pursed her lips. "Weren't you supposed to get divorced?" Kaley asked in disbelief. She sounded disappointed. Just now, she thought that she'd have the chance to become Mrs. Clemons if Brendan really divorced Adeline. But in the end, it was just a pipe dream. She was frustrated over the idea that her father didn't just beat the crap out of her stupid half-sister. "Divorce?" Brendan shot Adeline a glance. He wondered if she had told her family that she planned to divorce him. Was she serious about this? . He put his hand on her shoulder and said, "It was just a fight. We're not going to get divorced. Then, he turned to Adeline and asked, "Were you messing with your dad?". Adeline was rendered speechless. Though it annoyed her to admit it, this man was quite the actor. How was he able to act like nothing bad happened between them? They should give him an Oscar for this! . "Oh, I see. That's good to hear. " Arthur breathed a sigh of relief. Regardless of the pain coming from his wrist, he mustered a smile and said, "She's very lucky to have married a man like you, Mr. Clemons. Why would she ever want to divorce you? Actually, that's why I was trying to discipline her. But I'm glad to hear that it's just a joke. Brendan glared at him. "She is my woman. If she needs to be disciplined, I'll do it myself! Don't poke your nose into my affairs. If I see any of you try to lay a hand on her again, you'll face my wrath. Do you hear me?". Despite the fact that he spoke in a modulated voice, his mere striking gaze was enough to send shivers down everyone's face. Arthur trembled in fear. Moments ago, he was about to beat the crap out of Adeline. But now, he was sweating buckets in front of Brendan. "Of course, Mr. Clemons. It was just a little misunderstanding. Brendan glanced at Martha and Kaley from the corner of his eyes. "Yes, that's it! A misunderstanding. " Martha was just as frightened of Brendan

She took a step forward and added, "Adeline is our child. We'd never tyrannize her. Um, Adeline, dear. Make sure to look after yourself from now on, okay? The only way your mother can rest easy is when she knows that you're living a good life. Do you understand me?". She winked at her to imply that she meant something else. Adeline, on the other hand, gritted her teeth and wished that she could just let all hell break loose and tear their ugly, hypocritical mugs into pieces. Brendan was sensible en ough to notice that she was trembling all over. He squinted at her and asked, "Are they telling the truth, honey? Are you sure th at the Dawson family isn't bullying you?" . Adeline was fully aware that he could aveng e her with a snap of his fingers, but she h ad already made up her mind to divorce him. She'd rather not rely on him again. In her opinion, he was just pretending to be concerned about her. Why woul d he eve n care? . When the thought c rossed her mind, s he faked a smile. "They weren't bullying me. " She was determined to save h er mother by herself. No matter what, she didn't want Br endan's help, so she didn't want to tell him the truth. Brendan could tell that she was hesitant to say the truth, so he had to grit his teeth and take a step back. "I see. Then, it's ti me for us to leave. You don't plan on having dinner here, do you?" . "No, you're right. I t's time to go. " Ade line shook her head. She wanted to shake his hand away, but he was holding it too tightly. Once they had walked out of the villa, Adeline looked ba ck to make sure that those Dawson assholes weren't looki ng at them anymore, and then she stopped in her tracks. Thereafter, she removed his arms from her and kep t her distance from him. "How did you find out th at I'm here?" . In the past, he wouldn't visit her family with her even if she asked him to. It was clear to her that her family wasn't as powerful as the Clemons family, and she was well-aware that Brendan looked down upon Arthur. Their marriage w as simply a contract of sorts, so she understood why he refused to come here. And for that mat ter, she never f orced him to go. As a res ult, des pite her . being married to him for three years, Brendan had only come to visit the Dawsons a few times. For that very reason, she fo und it all the more surprisi ng that he came here today. The vigilance on h er face made Brend an a little upset. But then, he noticed a wound on Adeline' s forehead. Earlier, she had gotten hit by the teacup that Arthur threw at her. Seeing her wound made his hea rt sink. He couldn't imagine how painful it must've been. To his surprise, Adeline just gritted her teeth an d kept silent. Was her heart made of iron? Why cou ldn't she just trust him and rely on him for once? . He then reached his hand out to touch the wound on her forehead. "Did that bastard, Arthur, hit you? Does he beat you often?" . Brendan knew that Arthur was a violent man. The jerk pro bably treated her like crap. If he hadn't shown up just n ow, she would've been beaten within an inch of her life. The Dawsons were all ruthless assholes. She must've lived a harsh life being b orn into a family of devils like them. "I'm used to it. " Adeline kept her head down. "You don't have to conce rn yourself with me and my family. She then started walking away. However, aft er only taking a few steps forward, she fel t her head spinning and she soon collapsed. "Ad eli ne!" . Brendan quickly held h er tightly. "I'm takin g you to the hospital. "No!" Once Adeline was able to pull herself together, she shook her head in protest. She wasn't sure if she was just imagining it or not, but for some reason, Brendan seemed much kinder to her than before. Was he show ing concern about her? . No. That w ould be im possible. They had been married for three years , yet he never once regarded her as hi s wife. She must be imagining things

Realizing that she was lying in his arms, she pushed him away without hesitation. " I'm fine, Mr. Clemons. You should go back to work. You and I have nothing to do wit h each other anymore, so there's no need or you to stick your nose in my business. She wanted to break free from his arms, but to her surpri se, he slid his arms down from her shoulder to her waist. And instead of letting her go, he held her even tighter. "Stop fooling around, Adeline. " There was a trace of anger in h is voice. "We haven't even gone to court yet, which means you're still my wife. Enough arguing. I'm taking you to the hospital!" . "I said it's none of your business! " Adeline argued. Why was he caring abou t her now? . And he was even spe aking to her in such a commanding tone. All these years that they were married, Brendan always acte d like he was above her. If he wanted her to do something fo r him, he would speak to her like he was giving her orders. Not once had h e cared about her feelings. Even now that she had decided t o put an end to their marriage, he still wanted to control her. Three years of being married to him felt like being shackled. All it brought her was suffering and sorrow. Just thinking of the days she spent with him made her feel like she must've been crazy to be so damned in love with him. She thought that she might've been a mas ochist or something. Thereafter, she pushed him away and said firmly, "I'm going to say this again: we'r e going to get divorced! If it weren't for your grandfather, we would've gone to co urt by now. Thank you for your help today, but I won't need it again in the future. She didn' t need him anymore. Now, she realized that it was so easy for her to s ay those words out loud. Once in her life, she thought it would be difficult to reject Bren dan and to speak harshly to him. Right now, her heart felt like it was being torn into shreds. But when she recalled all the thing s that Brendan did to her, she made up her mind. It was time to end it. Brendan was an noyed by what she told him. She kept on talking about divorce. When would she st op spouting that nonsense? . He was so frustrated with her that he gripped her wrist tigh tly, and his face was sullen. With eyes wide open, Adeline asked, "What do you want from me?" . She wanted to push this jerk away, but she wasn't strong enough. Brendan tra pped her between the car and his body. The very next sec ond, he planted a kiss on her lips. "Br end an!" . Adeline was dazed. It took her a while before she fi nally came to her senses. What w as he doing? . Was he k issing he r again? . When she finally managed to gather her composure, she bit his tongue as hard as she could. Suddenly , the strong odor of blood pervaded in her mouth. Brendan was taken by surprise. His face wa s distorted by pain. While he was s tunned, she pu shed him away. She then wiped her mouth with her palm and growled, "Brendan, if you're me ntally unstable, go visit the fucking asylum or something! Stop harassing me. If you dare to touch me again, I'm going to beat the crap out of you!" . While raising his eyebrows, Bren dan wiped the blood off the corn er of his mouth using his thumb. She had learne d to resist him ? Interesting! . "Did you just refuse to kiss me? Adeline, have you forgotten the nights we spent toget her? You're the one who seduced me. And now you're pushing me away? Remember, you're st ill my wife! I can kiss you and do whatever the fuck I want with you, whenever I want!" . He stared daggers at her and continued, "Or are you rejectin g me because you've fallen for another man? Is it Rodger? Do you honestly believe that I will show him a shred of mercy?" . "You. " Adeline cou ldn't speak out of an ger and frustration. Why had she not realized a ll these years that this m an was a horrible person? . In the past, no matter ho w hard she tried, he woul dn't even glance at her. But now that she wanted to get divorc ed, Brendan was trying every means he could to stop her from leaving him. "It's none of your business who I date, Brendan. Once we get divorced, I'll marry someone else sooner or later. Stop bad gering me, you jerk! You're just making me look down on you