Chapter 35
Chapter 35: A resounding slap echoed throughout the banquet hall, silencing everyone instantly. All eyes were wide with disbelief, unable to comprehend the spectacle they had just witnessed. This evening had turned into quite the revelation. Belinda, known for her elegance and composure as Kristopher’s wife, not only voiced her complaints and declared her intention to divorce, but she also”¦ slapped Maggie across the face, leaving behind a vivid red mark! The women who had earlier mingled with Belinda were completely taken aback. Could this really be the same Mrs. Cox, who was always the epitome of grace and wore a constant, gentle smile? Maggie, hand pressed to her stinging cheek, turned to Belinda with eyes brimming with shock. How could she dare slap her? “Maggie!”’ Cathy, jolted from her daze, hurried over, a look of concern etched on her face as she reached for Maggie’s stinging cheek. “Are you alright? Is it very painful?”’ Maggie, now visibly reacting to the pain, gripped her face tighter, her lip quivering as she fought back tears. “Yes, it hurts! It really hurts! Not even my own parents have ever hit me like this!”’ As the cherished daughter of the Cox family, Maggie had led a sheltered life, never once having been slapped. “It’s completely swollen.”’ Cathy gingerly touched Maggie’s cheek once more, her tone laced with worry. “Do you think it’ll scar?”’ “Bitch!”’ Find the latest stories g’±¯lnÏvð’ls”¤com Rosie, usually so composed, was standing at a distance when she lost her calm. She stormed toward Belinda with wild fury, arm raised to strike. “How dare you hit my Maggie? Are you looking for trouble?”’ Historically, when Rosie became emotional while berating Belinda, she could have resorted to physicality. Belinda, seeking to maintain family peace, had always silently absorbed these outbursts, acting as if they had never happened. Rosie anticipated the same response this time. That Belinda would just endure. However, this time was different. Belinda agilely sidestepped Rosie’s attempted slap. Unbalanced, Rosie stumbled and almost crashed into the dining table. If not for Kristopher’s quick reflexes in grabbing her arm, the table could have capsized under her nearly 200-pound frame. Once steady, Rosie shot Belinda a furious look, her face flushed with rage. “You dare to dodge?”’ Belinda’s sneer was sharp as she retorted, “I’ve told you, I’m not putting up with this any longer.”’ Her gaze was cold, cutting deeper than her words. Kristopher watched, a frown creasing his forehead, feeling an odd twinge in his heart. It was evident that she meant every word. She was resolute about divorcing him and severing all connections with the Cox family. In the bar the other night, she had looked at him with those same eyes. When his grandfather was present, Kristopher noticed her patience and felt a brief happiness, thinking she could revert to her former self. But he was mistaken”¦ She had been suppressing her feelings, waiting for his grandfather to leave before letting them burst forth. As it turned out, the person she truly cherished in the Cox family wasn’t him, but his grandfather. “Are you going to defy me?”’ Rosie’s face flushed a deep red with anger. “Kristopher, divorce her immediately! This woman doesn’t deserve to be my daughter-in-law. Just seeing her disgusts me!”’ “Alright.”’ Belinda turned to grab the divorce papers she had previously placed on the table, only to find Cathy examining them. Rather than tussle with Cathy, she pulled out another set of papers from her bag and slammed them down on the table. “Sign this now!”’ She thrust a pen into Kristopher’s hand. “Mr. Cox, you always do what your mother says, right? Just sign it right now.”’ With the pen in hand, Kristopher glanced at the divorce papers Cathy held, then at the new set on the table, his eyes narrowing. “You intended to divorce me today even before you arrived, didn’t you?”’…