“Oh, really? What have you been thinking about? Do tell me.” Clarissa grinned coldly.
Her heart was buzzing with excitement as she flaunted such an attitude.
I feel like a big boss right now, while Mr. Tyson here seems like a nobody.
Matthew shifted uncomfortably as he eyed her cautiously. He was trying to think of what to say as he faced Clarissa.
Meanwhile, Clarissa was laughing on the inside as she remained a straight face.
“Tell me,” she repeated.
Matthew curled his lips as he met Clarissa’s burning gaze on him. “Honey, I’ve reflected on myself for a long and hard time. And my conclusion is…”
He paused for a moment, which made Clarissa more eager to know the answer.
“So? What have you learned?”
“Darling, from now onwards, I’ll do whatever you say. Anything at all! If you want me to go left, I’ll go left. If you want me to go right, I’ll do exactly that too.” Matthew flashed his pearly whites at her.
Clarissa went silent at his response and smirked coldly.
“So this is what you came up with?”
“Indeed.”
At that, Clarissa turned to leave, but Matthew quickly stopped her, knowing she would not be satisfied with his answer.
“Let go of me!”
Despite that, Matthew trapped her in his arms and lowered his head. “I’m not done yet.”
“Then spit it out!” She looked at him with her lips pursed.
Matthew chuckled as he stretched out his hand to pinch her lips. However, Clarissa returned him with a glare and slapped his hands off. “Hurry up and tell me. Also, get your hands off me.”
“Come on, Clare. We’re a couple. Physical touch like this is nothing…” Mathew joked. However, he instantly stopped as he lifted his hands in surrender when he caught sight of Clarissa glaring at him.
“Okay. I know the reason you refuse to do a DNA test. You don’t want others to think of you differently. Although their opinions don’t matter, it still upsets you, right? Besides, we’re talking about you and Damian here. What you care about most is how people think of you and Damian.”
Even though Clarissa did not answer him, he knew she agreed to his words.
Matthew leaned in and hugged her. “Clare, I wouldn’t doubt you for the world. I merely wanted to do it for George’s sake. I didn’t expect you to react in such a way…” he explained gently.
“There is another reason,” Clarissa spoke. “If we go for this DNA test, the public would believe that our identities were once doubted by your family. Do you realize what kind of harm this would bring about to us?” she said calmly.
Hearing that, Matthew’s heart throbbed painfully. “I—”
“You don’t have to explain yourself. After all, I may be overthinking things. But thankfully, only a few people know about this. Think of it this way, how would things play out if you decide to announce to the public that Damian is indeed your son with the DNA test as proof? It would mean that you’ve once doubted if Damian was truly your son. Imagine what the public would say? Their speculations and malicious comments would humiliate and hurt us. That’s why I strongly objected to the idea of the DNA test. How you ever considered how Damian would feel?”
Matthew was lost for words at that point.
I thought it was merely a simple procedure. I guess I was too insensitive to see that it would
lead to such severe consequences.
At the thought of that, Matthew’s eyes darkened as a hint of guilt flashed across his face.
Clarissa continued, “Matthew, I wouldn’t be able to forgive you for the hurt you would have inflicted on Damian if I wasn’t in love with you. I would—”
Matthew quickly covered her mouth before she could say anything that she’d regret.
“Okay, Clare. I got it; I’m so sorry. I was wrong, terribly wrong…”
Clarissa pushed his hands away and said, “I’m not that upset now. Anyway, you should be thankful that I didn’t do anything else but return to my parent’s place.”
Matthew was dumbfounded at her comments.
He cupped her cheeks in his hands and kissed her. “Clare, please forgive me,” he said gently.
What else can I say besides apologize?
He was so mad with himself as he felt the sense of guilt and distress taking up his entire mind and body.
She has every right to be upset with me; I mean, how could she not? I should bear the consequences…
“I forgive you.”
Clarissa then continued, “I forgive you, okay? Now move back. I have to go downstairs to check if dinner’s ready.”
However, Matthew did not let go of her as he had other plans in mind.
It’s been some time since the last time we were intimate—all thanks to this incident. Well, now that we’re talked it out and Damien’s asleep, I think we should get it on before dinner.
With that, Matthew nibbled her ear and said seductively, “Clare, I’m really upset with myself. This is all my fault. It’s an indescribable feeling that’s tormenting me inside. I wish I could rip my heart out, so you could do whatever you want to it. I’ll gladly accept any form of punishment from you. I—”
Just before Matthew’s hand could explore further, Clarissa pinched it, stopping whatever he was trying to do.
She locked gazes with Matthew’s lustful eyes and replied, “In that case, I forbid you to sleep on the same bed as me for a month… as your punishment.”
As soon as those words left Clarissa’s mouth, Matthew narrowed his eyes and looked at her in resignation.
“Um, Clare? Is it possible if we go with something else? Perhaps—”
“No. I think this is a great idea! It’s going to leave a lasting impression, am I right?”
Matthew’s face fell upon that. Well, I’ll have to agree with her on this one—this sure is going to leave a deep impression.
After that, Clarissa turned and headed towards the door. Suddenly, she stopped by the door and turned back to face Matthew, feigning a smile on her face.
“Hubby, I’m sure this isn’t something you can’t handle, right? I mean, I could tell how upset you are. So, the more severe my punishment is, the more your heart would feel at ease, right?”
Clarissa stopped smiling as soon as she said those words and left.
After she left, Matthew was then left alone in the room, feeling defeated.
Meanwhile, Kayla was thrilled to see Shermaine getting out of prison. She was in tears of joy while Shermaine seemed very calm, with a faint smile across her lips on the entire journey home.
After lunch, Shermaine suggested to the pay the Wynters a visit. Initially, James and Kayla intended to do so, but both of them were beyond happy to see their daughter that they had forgotten about it.
Thankfully, their visit wasn’t terrible.
However, Kayla started to ramble as soon they left the Wynters.
“James, did you see that? Sandra’s expression was unbearable. We’re a family, and Shermaine is their niece, for goodness’ sake. Yet, they treated her so unwelcomingly compared to Clarissa. Have they forgotten that we’re enemies? How could they do this to us?”
“It’s inevitable since we shared some misunderstandings in the past. Let’s give them some time. Besides, we did wrong them in the past. But thank goodness things are better now. All we need to do is apologize when the time is right—”
“Apologize? Why should we? They should be apologizing to us, not us to them! And Shermaine, aren’t you mad at all? Who does Clarissa think she is anyway? Matthew is so obsessed with her that he turned his back on you. Even Jacque and Sandra are now on her side. Are they secretly hoping for us to live in misery?”
Shermaine appeared nonchalant when she heard Kayla’s words. In fact, not a trace of anger was found on her face.
“Mom, she has nothing to do with us anymore, so why bother? It’s also none of our business if she’s close with Uncle Jacque and Aunt Sandra. If you’re displeased with their attitude, then we can stop visiting them in the future.”
“How could you say that? If it wasn’t for her—”
“Mom!” Shermaine interrupted her coldly.
Kayla was startled by Shermaine’s sudden behavior. She even thought she was imagining things.
Yet, in just a split second, Shermaine quickly hid her cold attitude and smiled.
“Mom and Dad, I’ve reflected so much while I was in prison, and I’ve decided to live a simple life now that I’m out. So please, let’s not talk about them anymore.”
“Alright. Let’s not talk about them,” Kayla shuddered while saying.
Following that, Shermaine hugged Kayla as a sign of affection towards her mother. Just like that, their mother-daughter relationship was mended through a hug.
“Thank you for not giving up on me, Mom and Dad. I’ve been a disappointment in the past, but I promise you things will be different from now on. I’ll do my best to be a good daughter.”
Hearing that, James was comforted by how Shermaine had become more mature.
Kayla, similarly, was also touched by Shermaine’s words as her eyes began to tear up.
After they arrived at the Smallwood residence, Shermaine continued chatting with her parents for a while before she headed back to her room.
When Shermaine left, Kayla sat by James and smiled. “Shermaine’s like a new person now. Yet, I’m not sure if that’s something worth celebrating. My heart aches whenever I see how sensible she is around us. It just reminds me of how much suffering she has been through in there.”
“Come on, Kayla. She’s changed for the better, right? She’s still our daughter, and that’s all that matters, so don’t worry. The worst is over for us and Shermaine. Things would only get better now.”
“But she’s gone through so much. How is she—”
“That’s not a problem. She is our daughter, after all. People will eventually forget as time goes by. Besides, money can solve most problems, and most of all, she has us backing her up. So who would dare bully her then?”
“You’re right. No one can ever harm her with us by her side.”
On the other hand, Shermaine got into the shower once she had made a call. Then, she lay comfortably on her bed as she caught up with the latest news.
