I Walked Away And He Lost His Mind (Zephyra) novel Chapter 123

It was Mary, and she was shouting. “Why haven’t you been answering my calls? You even hung up on me! Don’t you dare tell me you’re really out cheating with some old man in a hospital!”

Just as I expected. After losing the argument with me at the hospital, Thomas Lancaster had run straight to his mother to complain.

I nonchalantly brushed back a lock of my long, curly hair and smiled. “Let me guess. If I deny it, you’ll say Thomas saw everything and that I’m a lying slut. If I admit it, you’ll curse me from head to toe, drag my entire family tree through the mud, and then call me a slut. Either way, you just want to call me a slut. Am I right?”

Mary was clearly taken aback. She was silent for a moment before grinding out, “Don’t make me sound like some evil mother-in-law. If you behaved yourself, would I have to say anything? Just tell me if what Thomas saw was the truth. What were you doing at the hospital, and who was that old man?!”

I leaned back on the plush sofa, resting my head on my hand. My long curls cascaded over my shoulders as I let out an unbothered laugh. “A dirty mind sees dirt everywhere. Who knows what he thought he saw? All I know is that my conscience is clear. I’ve upheld all my duties as a wife. If you don’t believe me, Mother, you can either shut up or convince Steven to divorce me. Don’t bother trying to change me, because it won’t work.”

My attitude or my words—or both—seemed to infuriate her. Her voice became shrill. “What is that tone? How dare you speak to me like that! Yes, I know you’ve been wronged, but even if Steven has his… shortcomings, you can’t just go out and disgrace the Lancaster family by having an affair!”

“And what do you mean, shortcomings? Don’t you dare spread such lies. He’s been working so hard for so many years. He’s probably just under a lot of pressure. As his wife, how can you be so inconsiderate?”

“Me what?” I cut her off. “You weren’t going to say it’s because Steven is unfilial, were you? How is he unfilial? Don’t you dare spread such lies. He’s been working so hard for so many years. As his mother, how can you be so inconsiderate?”

“Besides, you’ve lived with him for over twenty years, and he still refuses to come home. Have you ever stopped to think that maybe the problem is you? Have you considered whether you’ve been serving him well enough, whether you’ve been taking proper care of him? Maybe you haven’t been treating him with the respect a son deserves?”

Silence fell on the other end of the line, broken only by Mary’s ragged, furious breathing. I could imagine the rage contorting her face, but I wasn’t afraid. In my past life, after we married, Mary had criticized me relentlessly. She’d called me a “hen that can’t lay eggs” and a “dog that doesn’t know how to wag its tail.” In her eyes, I was less than human. Back then, she had been domineering, and I had been meek and withdrawn.