You're Just My Ex-Husband,My Lord-Chapter 47- Did Dave bully you again?
Laurent’s insistence on divorce had left Dave simmering with rage. His bruised ego felt trampled, and he couldn’t bear the thought of letting her live comfortably after humiliating him.
Tiffany, utterly exasperated by his shameless attitude, untied her apron, tossed it aside, and grabbed her bag.
"Do whatever you want! I’m done dealing with you," she snapped, storming towards the door.
"There’s soup in the pot. Drink it or don’t—I don’t care!"
She slammed the door on her way out, her anger palpable.
What on earth was wrong with her son?
She had always thought he was mature and sensible, but now he seemed incapable of listening to reason, whether kind or harsh.
To Tiffany, it was obvious that Dave still cared about Laurent but was too stubborn to admit it.
After his mother’s departure, Dave sat silently on the sofa for a while, his expression unreadable. Eventually, he got up and went to the kitchen.
He grabbed a bowl, served himself some soup, and took a sip. His face immediately twisted in a grimace.
What was going on with his mother lately? The soup tasted awful.
Laurent, meanwhile, had taken a cab directly back to her parents’ home. Thankfully, she had her wallet in her bag and didn’t have to worry about paying the fare.
Her parents lived on the first floor.
The new place not only spared them from climbing stairs but also featured a small courtyard. They could grow fruits and vegetables, ensuring clean, fresh produce while giving her father Alex a hobby to occupy his time in retirement.
Of course, compared to a family background like Dave’s, hers was far less impressive. But when compared to ordinary people, it was still considered good. She hadn’t suffered much hardship or endured much misery growing up, except for the big blow she had taken from Dave.
When Laurent got out of the car, Alex was in the small yard, loosening the soil and fertilizing the vegetable garden. Since she had told her parents that she was going to Marilyn’s place, Alex was quite surprised to see her walk in through the gate of the yard.
"Laurent, why are you back? Didn’t you...?"
Before Alex could finish his sentence, Laurent’s tears started to fall.
"Dad—"
Thinking about how she had been so unfairly bullied by Dave at the airport, Laurent felt incredibly aggrieved. She didn’t want to cry because it would make her seem weak, but the tears stubbornly kept falling.
Seeing her tear-streaked face, Alex glanced behind her. She wasn’t carrying any luggage, so he could probably guess what had happened. He got angry on the spot.
"Did Dave bully you again?"
Before the divorce, Laurent had been trying her best to maintain the relationship between Alex and Dave. But now that they were divorced, she didn’t feel the need to put in that effort anymore. After returning home, she sat on the sofa and told Alex everything that had happened at the airport with Dave.
Alex was furious.
"That’s going too far!"
"I’ll go to the county town and settle this with him!"
Alex had always been dissatisfied with Dave, but had tolerated him for her sake. Now that he and Laurent were divorced, and he was still bullying his daughter, how could Alex let it slide?
As the saying goes, "Old grudges fuel new anger," and Alex, fuming with rage, grabbed his coat and prepared to go out.
He was stopped by her mother Cassy.
"Calm down. What will it accomplish if you go and confront him like this?"
Laurent also got up and pulled Alex back.
"Dad, don’t go, and don’t try to defend me. Let’s just cut all ties with him. I’ve had enough of him."
Alex was still fuming, so he turned to give her a final piece of advice.
"Don’t let him fool you with his sweet words again. If he comes looking for you, you’re not allowed to see him!"
Laurent smiled bitterly.
"Don’t worry, Dad. Now that he’s divorced me, he’ll probably be with his new lover soon. There’s no way he’ll come back to me."
Laurent thought Alex was overthinking it. She didn’t see any possibility of meeting Dave again in the future.
Whenever she visited her daughter, she could just pick her up at Tiffany’s place. Her daughter didn’t live with him, so even if he was there, she would try to avoid him.
Alex still wasn’t reassured. After thinking it over, he spoke again.
"Laurent, the money your mother and I saved for you to study abroad has never been touched. If you’re willing, it’s never too late to go abroad and start over."
In Alex ’s view, going abroad and distancing herself from this place was the only way she could completely break free from Dave.
"Dad, Mom, I don’t want to go abroad. I just want to find a job and start over."
"Laurent, going abroad would be good for you. Not only can you get away from Dave, but you can also improve yourself. Don’t worry about the money."
Laurent felt a little helpless. She knew Alex was concerned that she still had feelings for Dave. But in reality, his concern was unnecessary. Since she had made the decision to divorce, and done so decisively, there was no way she would still be holding on.
"Dad, don’t overthink it. I just want to get up where I fell down."
Laurent tried to reassure Alex, and his expression softened a little. Cassy also respected her decision.
After the conversation with her parents, Laurent borrowed Cassy’s phone to log into her social media and check in with Adeline, Marylin, and the others.
As soon as she logged in, she saw that in their small group chat, they were all venting about Dave. She glanced through a few messages and quickly understood why they were so angry.
However, after seeing what Dave had said, she wasn’t angry at all.
What did it matter what he said? The things he talked about hadn’t actually happened.
She told Marylin and the others about the series of events at the airport, and explained that she had been in the taxi on her way home, not in Dave’s bed. This only made their condemnation of Dave worse, especially after hearing about the shameless things he had said and his unreasonable behavior in forcibly stopping Laurent.
Vivian, in particular, was so furious that she once again insisted that Laurent should be with Leonardo, or else she would cut ties with her. This left Laurent feeling quite helpless.
If it were really that easy for two people to be together, then she wouldn’t have her failed marriage now, and there wouldn’t be so many people who loved but couldn’t be loved in return.
Laurent tried to calm them down, telling them that she wouldn’t have any more contact with him from now on, and it wasn’t worth getting angry over someone who wasn’t important to her.
Marylin asked what her plans were, whether she still wanted to go out with them to unwind. Laurent thought for a moment and decided not to go. Now that she was back, she didn’t feel like going out again. It was better to focus on finding a job and starting a new life.
She shared her thoughts with them, and Marylin was disappointed.
"Well, I was hoping to take this chance to spend some time with you. Over the years, your life has revolved around your child and your family. The three of us have gotten together several times, but you weren’t there."
Laurent gave a bittersweet smile.
She had married Dave right after graduation, and at the time, she was pregnant. However, around the 60th day, the pregnancy stopped progressing—what they called an "embryonic death." She had to painfully terminate the pregnancy.
This was also why, after five years of marriage to Dave, their daughter Emma Washington was only a little over three years old.
Then came the period of recovery, and half a year later, she unexpectedly became pregnant again. This time, everything went smoothly, and she gave birth to Emma Washington. Then it was the exhausting, sleepless life of raising a child.
Where was there any time to hang out with friends? Her time was all given to her child and Dave. In these years, apart from Marylin and the others, as well as Adeline, she hadn’t made any new friends.
She never had the opportunity or energy to meet new people.
Now that she thought about it, she had really lived too closed off in the past.
