Whitney shook her head with a pragmatic tone, "Divorcing him means I'm done with marriage. I really don't care what others think. To be honest, Uncle, the real reason I married Bryce was to save Sammy. Sure, I had some fondness for him, mostly moved by what he did, feeling I couldn't let him down. I thought he could be someone I could rely on for the second half of my life, so I married him."
"But I've recently realized that I don't truly know him. Being with him is exhausting, and I can't get close to him. As a result, he's shown sides of him that I never knew existed. Of course, I'm at fault too. Now, I'm not even sure if he's a good person."
Keegan was taken aback, his gaze turning frosty, "If he's not a good man, then your uncle won't stand for you being miserable with him. How can a decent man ever lay a hand on a woman? You're my niece, and I'll support you in whatever you decide. I believe your dad feels the same. Even if you decide to stay with the Sheldon family for life without marrying, your dad can surely take care of you."
Keegan didn't care if his niece was at fault or not; she was a Sheldon, and what man wouldn't want her? He had liked Bryce before, but the moment he learned Bryce had hit Whitney, he was disgusted.
"Uncle, I know you're worried about me," Whitney's eyes warmed, "You and my dad are my strongest supporters. But please, don't go to my dad with this. I don't want to worry him. I'll handle it and gradually divorce Bryce."
"Ah, well, if you say so, I won't speak of it then. Just be careful," Keegan sighed helplessly.
Outside the study, Danny and Sammy hid, overhearing Yael's footsteps approaching and quickly dashed back to their room. The brothers locked eyes, fury blazing in Danny's, as he punched the bed, "I can't believe Mom's face was swollen because of that jerk Bryce! I've always said Bryce was no good, and nobody believed me."
Disbelief and pain flashed in Sammy's eyes, filled with regret, "From now on, I won't even call him Bryce. If he dares to hit Mom, he's dead to me."
"Danny, I've hated him for a long time!"
"Me too," Sammy's usually bright eyes darkened, his small fists clenched. He had been fooled into thinking Bryce cared for their mom; was it all a lie?
Ludwik had warned them; Bryce wasn't as simple as he seemed.
Had both he and Mom been wrong about him? The thought that he had once tried to bring Mom and Bryce together gnawed at Sammy with remorse.
Anyone who dared hurt his mom deserved to pay!
For the first time, Sammy hated his own weakness, not being strong enough to protect his mom immediately.
Bryce was far from a good man, even worse than Ludwik in his betrayal.
Sammy's heart made a final verdict against Bryce, his eyes reddening, "Danny, we have to grow up fast, to protect Mom."
"We should make him pay! Are we just going to let Mom's suffering at Bryce's hands go unavenged?"
Danny growled, pulling out his phone, "I'm calling Dad right now to tell him everything!"
The call went through quickly.
Sammy watched closely, not stopping him.
"Danny, what's happened since Mom brought you guys home?" Ludwik's deep voice came over the line, mixed with the sound of flipping pages, making Danny's eyes well up. He quickly complained, "Dad..."
"What's wrong, why does your voice sound choked up?" Ludwik's voice cooled, "Did Bryce go after you guys again?"
"It's not us he went after; it's that Bryce hit Mom! She wore a mask today because her face was so swollen from his hit..." Danny said, heartbroken.
"What? Bryce dared to hit her?" Ludwik stood abruptly, nearly smashing the phone in anger.
He recalled seeing Whitney with a mask that afternoon, finding it odd. She had mumbled something about having a cold.
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