Chapter 285 You Bet That He Loves You
Olivia said, “Amelia, even if you and Oscar plan to divorce, I don’t blame you. However, you shouldn’t take advantage of Oscar’s love and make him give you Tony’s custody. I don’t know why you’re insistent on the divorce, but I’m certain that he didn’t ask for this. Everyone knows how much he loves you, but you’re treating everyone else like they’re fools.”
Amelia leaned back in her seat, looking grim.
“Amelia, I know you’re an intelligent woman. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have waited five years before you were certain about Oscar’s feelings for you. You then wanted to use Tony as a bargaining chip to go against our family. I think this is a wrong move on your part. You should just take the money and leave. This way, at least we can retain our relationship after this,” Olivia said.
Amelia lifted her head to forcefully suppress her tears.
Focusing her attention on Olivia, she smirked. “Mom, I’ve never wanted to take advantage of anyone. I’ve always been sincere in treating you as an elder too. We’ve been getting along well these past few years, so I don’t want to go against you. It makes me upset that you’re not feeling well. You can think of me as an ungrateful person, and I can give up everything after the divorce. However, there’s no way I’m giving up Tony.”
Olivia lifted her hand to fix her hair, appearing to be calm. The elegant aura she exuded made her feel very intimidating.
“Amelia, I’ve treated you so well, but are you really going to go against me and hurt me?”
Amelia shook her head.
She never thought that she would one day be on such hostile ground with Olivia. Knowing that she would be blind soon and that she would lose everything once she left the Clintons, she did not want to lose Tony too.
Even without Tony, the Clintons would have other grandchildren in the future, but she only had Tony.
Olivia stood up and said sternly, “Amelia, you have two choices. One, don’t divorce Oscar and you can stay in the family as our daughter-in-law. Two, get a divorce and obtain a large sum of money. You’ll be able to live a prosperous life even if you don’t have a job. Either way, you can’t take Tony with you.”
Amelia kept her head low, not saying a word. She was in deep thought.
Once again, Olivia spoke up. “Amelia, I like you a lot. Just be obedient and stay with us. I promise that even if Oscar has a lover out there and the woman has his baby, we will never accept the child. Only Tony can inherit our family’s wealth. What do you think?”
Amelia lifted her head and looked at Olivia with mixed feelings.
“Amelia, don’t blame me for being so straightforward, but our family is a prominent family. Men will always play around out there. You’ve always dealt with it so well before, so why can’t you continue enduring it now? You have to tolerate it if you want to enjoy all the wealth and glory of this family. Otherwise, how could you become the lady of the house of such a rich family?”
Amelia smiled, but the smile was mixed with exasperation and bitterness.
Initially, Amelia thought that Olivia was a gentle and loving woman. Now, she realized that Olivia was the same as other women from prominent families. Although she disguised herself well, she still felt that she was superior to others. She would be kind to people who obeyed her. However, if someone went against her wishes, she would reveal her uglier and domineering side to them.
At this point, Amelia could not help but suspect that Olivia had pretended to be ill in order to force her to compromise.
“Mom, I’m just an ordinary person. I just want my husband to be loyal and my children to behave themselves. I’m sorry, but I can’t accept my husband keeping lovers outside. I’m not that generous. If you can accept that Dad has a lover out there, then I respect you,” Amelia refuted.
Olivia’s face darkened when she heard that.
“Amelia, are you disobeying me?”
“No, I’m not. I just don’t agree with what you just said. If a woman can tolerate her husband cheating on her, then that’s not love but cowardice. I’m sorry, but I can’t do that. Mom, you have a happy and blissful marriage, so how could you say something like that?”
The look in Olivia’s eyes changed as she gave Amelia an accessing glance.
At first, she thought that Amelia would be docile, obedient, and dared not go against her. Clearly, she had underestimated the latter. Amelia was presently defending herself after she realized someone was threatening her.
“Amelia, looks like I’ve underestimated you,” Olivia commented.
Amelia felt uncomfortable. If she had a choice, she would not argue with her mother-in-law like that. Just like she said, she respected Olivia as an elder. When she decided to divorce Oscar, she had considered the fact that Olivia would be upset. Alas, her fears were not unfounded, and they ended up having to stand on opposite sides.
“Mom, I’m still who I was before. Even if I divorce Oscar, I still respect you and love you. That will never change,” Amelia confessed as she straightened her back.
The corners of Olivia’s lips lifted, turning into a mocking smile.
“Amelia, if you respect me as an elder, then don’t divorce Oscar.”
“Mom, Oscar and I have made the decision. Our relationship has come to an end. We won’t be happy if we stay together.”
“Can you honestly say you don’t love Oscar anymore?”
Amelia fell silent. She could not bear to lie.
“If you still love him, then why insist on getting a divorce?”
A buzzing sound rang in Amelia’s head, and the pain was terrible.
Faced with Olivia’s aggressiveness, she almost retreated.
“All right. I won’t force you to stay, but you have to give up Tony’s custody. He’s the eldest grandson of our family, so you can’t take him away.” Olivia refused to compromise on the matter. “Amelia, you can’t blame me for being cruel. You want to divorce, and I respect your decision, but the child must stay. After you take the money, you have to cut off all contact with our family. You’re not allowed to see Tony anymore.”
At those words, Amelia could only stare at Olivia in a daze. Her hands were clenched tightly by her sides.
“Amelia, I’m doing this for your own good. I won’t stop you from getting the divorce. However, you’re still young. You’ll get married again in the future. It’s difficult to find another man if you have a child with you. Let Tony stay here. It’s not only good for you, but it can also even train Tony to be independent. Don’t become indecisive just because of familial affection. It’s taboo as an heir. You can understand my concerns, right?”
A bitter laugh left Amelia’s lips. She did not expect Olivia to be so cruel. Not only did the older woman want to take Tony away from her, but also her chance to actually see him. She started to wonder if this woman before her now was the same one who had loved her all these years.
At that moment, all Amelia could feel was bone-chilling coldness.
“Mom, I’m sorry. I can’t agree to that. I’m taking Tony with me.” Amelia took several steps back, trying to escape from the suffocating atmosphere. “I-I need to go now.”
Olivia demanded, “Stop right there!”
Amelia came to a halt, at a loss for what to do next.
“Amelia, I’ll give you another chance. If you don’t divorce Oscar, you’re still my daughter-in-law. I’ll pretend that nothing has ever happened,” Olivia stated.
Looking at the closed door dumbly, a complex series of emotions rose in Amelia’s heart. She was mentally and physically exhausted from all the chaos that had been happening recently.
Tilting her head up slightly, she tried hard to suppress the tears in her eyes. After pondering for a moment, she said, “Mom, I’m sorry.” With that, she opened the door and walked out.
Staring at the closed door, Olivia’s gaze turned cold while a sinister expression appeared on her face.
After Amelia left the study, she wanted to see Tony at first. However, upon arriving at the nursery, she changed her mind and walked downstairs, heading for the parking lot. She opened the car door and moved to get in, but when she thought about her deteriorating eyesight, she got out again before she closed the door.
Looking at the beautiful scenery around her, Amelia felt lost. She chose to divorce because of her eyes. Yet, due to the divorce, she had turned her back on the Clintons. She had even provoked the two elders of the family deeply.
Just when she wondered what her next step should be, her phone rang.
She returned to her senses and looked at her phone. It was Tiffany calling.
After taking a deep breath, she answered the phone.
“Hello, Tiff.”
“Babe, have you signed the divorce agreement with Oscar?” Tiffany questioned.
Amelia let out a bitter chuckle. “We’ve run into some trouble here, so we haven’t signed it yet.”
“What’s going on? Didn’t you say that Oscar prepared everything last night? He agreed to give you Tony’s custody, right? Are they going back on their words again?” Tiffany asked anxiously.
“His parents disagreed. They said that Tony is the eldest grandson of the family, so he’ll become the future heir. They won’t let him stay outside the family.”
Tiffany fell silent when she heard that.
Amelia did not say a word as well. After a long time, she said exasperatedly, “Tiff, was I wrong to do this? I’ve offended the two elders, and Stephanie keeps insulting me. Everyone thinks that I’m ungrateful. They said that I shouldn’t insist on getting a divorce just because of Oscar’s tiny mistake. Am I being melodramatic? Why does everyone keep blaming me for this?”
Tiffany was silent for a while. “Amelia, didn’t you expect this when you planned to get a divorce? The Clintons have such a huge business. If they use force, you won’t get anything, including Tony’s custody. The only reason you dared to bring up divorce is that you’re taking advantage of Oscar’s love for you. However, if he doesn’t love you, then you would have lost completely. Weren’t you aware of all this since the very beginning?”
Amelia was rendered speechless.
It was true that she brought up the divorce because she knew that Oscar loved her. If Oscar did not love her that much, she would lose everything.
By then, not only would she be blind, but she would even lose Tony.
