Chapter 536: All Just Excuses to Escape Punishment!

Chapter 536: Chapter 536: All Just Excuses to Escape Punishment!

Cameron protected her stomach, looking somewhat at a loss.

She certainly knew her mother meant well, but giving up the baby had never crossed her mind.

Mrs. Yorke stared intently at her daughter before letting out another helpless sigh. Her daughter was completely trapped in this mess. Looking at Cameron’s resolute expression, Mrs. Yorke ultimately compromised. She felt there was no other way. This was her only child, and with her and her husband keeping an eye on things, the situation couldn’t possibly get too out of hand.

Given Cameron’s insistence, Mr. and Mrs. Yorke finally caved in.

Before leaving, Mr. Yorke specifically called Danny outside. The two men talked for a good while before parting ways. Meanwhile, Mrs. Yorke repeatedly instructed Cameron to endure any conflict that might arise and wait for them to arrive before addressing it. After all, Cameron was pregnant; if it came to a physical altercation, she would be the only one to suffer.

Cameron nodded, holding her mother’s hands, and promised she understood and would be careful.

In the days that followed, Danny and his mother seemed to have truly turned over a new leaf. They showered Cameron with daily care, constantly asking if she felt any discomfort or if they needed to change anything they were doing. Mrs. Dunn corrected her poor hygiene habits, learned to respect Cameron’s privacy, and began knocking before entering her room. Danny also learned to control his temper.

It was as if their previous behavior had merely been a prolonged nightmare. Now that she had woken up, the happy marriage she had originally hoped for had finally arrived.

Five months passed in this manner, and Cameron was now six months pregnant.

Around this time, Danny started leaving early and returning late. Some days, the young couple wouldn’t even see each other. Cameron was in an emotionally sensitive phase. As time dragged on, she began to doubt herself, wondering if she had gotten fat and ugly, which was why he refused to come home.

This paranoia caused her to lose a lot of weight. When Mr. and Mrs. Yorke noticed this, they visited the couple again, determined to get to the bottom of the situation for the sake of their daughter’s health.

Cornered at home, facing his in-laws’ interrogations and his wife’s uneasy expression, Danny bashfully explained that he felt their current house was too small. Since they were having a baby, they ought to have a more stable residence. He claimed he had been working overtime recently to earn a little extra and save up for a down payment, and admitted it was his fault for neglecting Cameron’s feelings. Looking at Mr. and Mrs. Yorke sitting opposite him, Danny sincerely promised that this wouldn’t happen again.

Cameron was deeply moved. Mr. and Mrs. Yorke didn’t state their stance right away; they simply left after making sure nothing serious was wrong.

Over the next week, Danny seemed to have improved again. Although he was still working desperately, he would occasionally send Cameron messages to update her and soothe her emotions.

Seeing their daughter’s condition recover, Mr. and Mrs. Yorke finally made a decision. During their next visit, they brought out a property ownership certificate. They had bought a house for the young couple, hoping Danny could relax a bit and spend more time with their daughter.

Staring at the certificate, the Dunns were filled with pleasant surprise. They nodded repeatedly, vowing to take good care of Cameron. For the next two weeks, they indeed acted as promised, devoting themselves entirely to Cameron’s physical and emotional well-being.

However, once Cameron was eight months pregnant, the Dunns probably felt secure. With her belly so big, she couldn’t possibly get an abortion, so they gradually shed their disguise.

Mrs. Dunn reverted to her old hygiene habits, filling the house with an unspeakable stench once more. Whenever she was upset, she would bang things around and make snide remarks directed at Cameron. Danny was the same. His temper grew more explosive by the day, and he would shove Cameron whenever things didn’t go his way.

Facing her mother-in-law and husband’s sudden change in attitude, Cameron wasn’t stupid. She quickly figured out the underlying reason: their previous pretense had all been a scheme to coax her into giving birth to the baby. Now that she was far along in her pregnancy, they were certain she wouldn’t bear to part with the child. Furthermore, a late-term abortion would cause too much damage to her body, leaving her with no choice but to grit her teeth and endure it.

At this point, Mrs. Yorke took a sip of water, shot a vicious glare at Danny nearby, and continued. "Things went exactly as they expected. For the sake of the baby, my daughter endured it.

"She originally planned to divorce him right after giving birth. But coincidentally, we were sent on an overseas assignment for two months at that time. What’s more, that mother-and-son duo used their identities as the father and grandmother to take the baby away.

"Left with no other option, my daughter had to return to them. Yet, while she was still recovering in postpartum confinement right after giving birth, his mother ordered her around to do chores!

"Later, she proposed a divorce, but they refused. It’s been a tug-of-war ever since.

"A couple of days ago, she dropped the baby off with us, saying she had to settle this matter and get the divorce finalized within these two days. Who would have thought the next news we heard would be a phone call from the police."

After speaking, Mrs. Yorke leaned against Mr. Yorke’s shoulder, her expression sorrowful. Her child had suffered so much and was now lying in a hospital bed.

"We understand the general situation. We will contact Ms. Yorke regarding the remaining matters," Evan Keller said, putting away his voice recorder.

He now had a clear grasp of the case’s outline. The victim could no longer endure the marriage and filed for divorce. However, the husband’s side refused and kept stalling. This culminated today when the husband’s mother doused the victim in gasoline and came at her with a kitchen knife, attempting to hack her to death.

Coupled with the fact that while the perpetrator was being escorted away, she had yelled that a dead person wouldn’t fight her son for the house, Evan reasoned it was likely related to a property dispute. He decided he could have someone investigate the properties under their respective names later.

Having recounted the story from start to finish, Mr. and Mrs. Yorke looked at Heath Hale and the others with expectation. "You know the whole story now. Can the perpetrator be sentenced to death? Throwing gasoline into someone’s eyes and hacking them with a meat cleaver—this is premeditated murder!"

Hearing this, Danny, who had been silent all this time, could no longer sit still. He hurriedly spoke up, "You can’t! My mom didn’t do it on purpose. She can’t be sentenced to death! Mom! Dad! You know my mom is in poor health, which affects her emotions. She didn’t really mean to attack!"

"Bullshit! Is that an excuse? Why don’t we see other sick people taking revenge on society? To put it bluntly, your family is just malicious! My daughter bore a child for your family, and now the relationship is broken. An amicable split would have sufficed! Yet you actually wanted to kill her! Let me tell you, this isn’t over. I will definitely make your family pay the price!" Mr. Yorke hugged his wife’s shoulders, glaring furiously at Danny nearby, and mercilessly rejecting his words.

He thought that all this talk about poor health and not meaning to do it were nothing but excuses to escape punishment.