Chapter 809: Mysophobia

Bernice gritted her teeth and pushed through, her vision darkening in waves of agony. What hurt more than the physical pain was the thought of the neighbors peeking from behind their doors. She could easily picture their judging stares. Despite her efforts to block them out, her mind spiraled. Years of grueling effort had been ruined by that despicable man, dragging her back into the mud. She might never have the chance to turn her life around.

No, she couldn’t give up. She still had a chance. Ethan Hawthorne still needed her to handle business with Mad Lord. She had her uses. It didn’t matter if Ethan never touched her again; as long as she stayed by his side, she could still turn things around.

Bernice slowly calmed down, her mind racing to concoct the most advantageous excuse. She had to explain last night’s events to him. She definitely couldn’t admit she was out paying the final installment to the thugs. Ethan could never know that she was involved in the incident with Rosalind Green and his son. And Jacqueline Spann… it had been so long, yet the girl hadn’t come out. The commotion outside had been so loud that even a deaf person would have reacted. Jacqueline was usually so sharp; what was wrong with her today?

Ethan suppressed his anger and hurried home. The door was open, but the house was empty. Jacqueline was nowhere to be found. Bernice stumbled in shortly after. Seeing her disheveled, wretched state, Ethan made no effort to hide his disgust. His icy glare was sharper than a blade, piercing deep into her heart.

She finally accepted reality. She and Ethan would probably never be together again. He was a neat freak who would never accept a defiled woman. She knew him too well, which was exactly why she had sent men to ruin Rosalind’s innocence. Yet now, she was the one who had been ruined. In the end, other women would reap the benefits. Bernice was filled with bitter resentment. She hated that strange man to the core and vowed to drag that bastard out and get her revenge.

“Go wash up,” Ethan said coldly.

Bernice bit her lip and kept her head down as she headed to the bathroom. Immersed in the bathtub, the hot water warmed her body, but her heart remained freezing cold. Tears flowed into her mouth, tasting bitter and astringent. Covering her face, she wept softly.

Ethan sat in the living room with a gloomy expression, leaving several more cigarette butts in the ashtray. He didn’t care if Bernice lived or died. What infuriated him was the humiliation he suffered in front of the neighbors today. Most of the current residents were new, as the old ones had largely moved away. The new neighbors didn’t know his wife was Rosalind; they had always assumed Bernice was his lawful spouse. Though he had never admitted it, he hadn’t corrected them either, allowing the misunderstanding to persist.

Once he brought Rosalind and his son back, the family definitely wouldn’t live here anymore, so he had felt no need to clarify things. Now, however, Ethan felt a twinge of regret. If he had known this would happen, he would have made it clear to the neighbors that Bernice was nothing more than an assistant. But there was no cure for regret. He had lost immense face today. Everyone on Ashton Road knew that Ethan Hawthorne’s “wife” had been violated by over a dozen men last night.

To make matters worse, she had been publicly ogled in broad daylight. Almost every neighbor had seen her naked body. A wave of nausea washed over Ethan. Now, just sharing the same air with Bernice in the same room made his skin crawl. This woman had to go. He didn’t want to look at her for another second.

It was the perfect opportunity to make room for Wendy Hughes. Although Wendy wasn’t as capable as Bernice, she won out with her endless charm. Ethan found himself somewhat addicted to her. As for Rosalind, since Goldie Thorne had taken the initiative to request a meeting, there was naturally no need to go to Millstone Peak. He would bring her and their son back once everything was settled.

Bernice still hadn’t finished washing up. Growing impatient, Ethan stood up to hurry her along. Just then, a new commotion erupted outside, drawing closer and closer to his house. He frowned in annoyance. What the hell was happening now?