From Forgotten Wife To Fierce Queen - Chapter 318: Chapter 318

The car was quiet on the way back. The two kids had played all day, and after eating and drinking their fill, they fell asleep not long after getting in the car.
Paisley turned her head, looking out the window, her face expressionless and silent.
Max observed her through the rearview mirror, unable to hold back any longer. He asked, "Are you upset?"
"Hm?" Paisley was momentarily taken aback, then quickly denied it. "No."
"Then why aren't you talking? Are you tired?" Max asked with concern, his eyes filled with warmth in the mirror.
Paisley took a deep breath, turned to look at Max, and said, "Actually, you didn't have to provoke Dominick."
Max was visibly startled, his lips twitching slightly as he instinctively wanted to argue or explain. However, the words never left his mouth.
Finally, he sighed and smiled, admitting, "How did you know I was doing it on purpose? Did you hear what I said? Or do you understand lip reading?"
At that time, Paisley had just come out of the bathroom with the two kids. She was far enough away that it was impossible to hear Max's words meant to provoke Dominick. Unless, of course, Paisley could read lips.
"I don't understand lip reading," Paisley said, slightly pursing her lips. "But I understand Dominick."
Max's hand on the steering wheel tightened, though his expression remained calm.
Paisley turned back to look out the window, continuing, "Dominick definitely has flaws in his personality, but he's not someone who lacks boundaries. If he wanted to target someone, he'd use his power and methods to cause trouble for them, rather than doing something as stupid as physically hurting someone."
Just like with Nathaniel, he didn't want Nathaniel to interact with Paisley, so he used his influence and methods to have Byron send Nathaniel to a remote factory.
If they hadn't found out Nathaniel was Paisley's nephew, they would've never had a chance to be together. He probably still would be at that factory, looking at the plant right now.
Of course, Max's status was much higher than Nathaniel's. And this was Montera, Max's territory. Dominick couldn't target Max as easily as he had with Nathaniel, but if he really wanted to, he could still cause Max some trouble.
Getting into a physical fight was something Dominick would never stoop to. It was neither clever nor efficient.
"Unless he's been provoked beyond tolerance, he would never do something so foolish." Paisley concluded directly.
She didn't ask Max what he had said to provoke Dominick into wanting to fight. It was clear that whatever it was, it had something to do with her.
Max listened quietly as Paisley spoke, listening to her insights about Dominick. In that moment, he envied Dominick. He envied that Dominick had a set of memories that belonged only to him and Paisley.
Though those memories didn't have the happiest ending, their beginning had been incredibly beautiful. They had been together because they loved each other. They had loved each other. That alone was enough to make Max envy him to the point of madness.
"Since you know I was intentionally provoking him, why are you still so indifferent to him?" Max suppressed the jealousy rising in him and asked, trying to remain rational.
"Because I want him to see reality and stop holding onto any hopes about our relationship," Paisley replied. She could see things clearly, but she was willing to pretend to be clueless.
Sometimes, being too clever wasn't a good thing. Sometimes it was better to pretend to be a little ignorant.
"Paisy, I—"
Paisley interrupted Max before he could say anything more. She didn't know what Max was about to say, but her intuition told her she should stop him.
Max paused for a moment. They were both smart, and he could tell that Paisley had deliberately cut him off.
"Go ahead," Max said, smiling, his deep eyes showing a hint of sadness.
"I've always wanted a brother who would pamper and protect me. Maybe heaven heard my wish and brought you into my life. So now, I'm really happy. Thank you," Paisley said with a smile, and the happiness on her face was so genuine and sincere.
This sincerity and genuineness fell deeply into Max's eyes. His hands gripping the steering wheel tightened, so much so that his palms started to change color.
After a long red light, the man let out a breath. This time, his smile was especially beautiful, and he gently ruffled Paisley's hair with one hand. "As long as you're happy, that's all that matters."
The car started up again and headed toward the Godard family mansion.
When Kayla's call came in, Dominick was drinking.
"Are you drinking again?" Kayla asked loudly. Every time she called her brother recently, he was always drinking.
"What is it? Spit it out." Dominick leaned back on the sofa, his gaze unfocused.
The frustrating part was that even though he had drunk so much, his mind was still perfectly clear. Flashbacks kept hitting him: Paisley holding the kids, leaving with Max.
On the phone, Kayla sighed, "Your son is worried about you and told me about what happened at the restaurant. He wants me to tell you not to be too upset. He said he'll stay with Mom and keep the uncle away from her.
"Hey, did you deliberately have Sonny follow Paisley around? You sneaky old man, using the kid now?"
"I'm using the kid?" Dominick laughed bitterly. If he had ulterior motives, he wouldn't have fallen for that despicable Max's scheme.
"Sonny told me. He said he saw you almost got violent and made Paisley angry. Why'd you even get physical? Since when did you get so impulsive?" Kayla kept complaining, completely forgetting that Grayson asked her to comfort Dominick.
"Because he asked for it! He dared to covet Paisley! And that fool Paisley, she can't see anything! What happened to her usual sharp mind? Is it all used up on me?" Dominick got angrier and angrier, hating that he didn't land that punch earlier.
"I don't know, but this feels kind of familiar," Kayla said on the phone, chewing her words.
"What do you mean?" Dominick was still caught up in his anger.
"Well, when Paisley was still my sister-in-law, every time she was upset by Marissa, you didn't notice anything either."
"I-I was just—" Dominick tried to defend himself but couldn't find the words. It seemed, as Kayla said, that things were actually quite similar. "But I—"
"But what? Back then, you and Paisley were still married. Now Paisley is single, so I don't know what you're upset about." Kayla didn't hold back, especially since he was her older brother.
"Don't you want next month's allowance?" Dominick knew how to manipulate people, and this comment hit the mark.
Immediately, Kayla backpedaled. "Dear brother! It's Christmas, can we not say such cruel things?"
"Is there anything else? If not, hang up. Listening to you is making me frustrated." Dominick gave his ultimatum.
Kayla could tell that her brother was in a bad mood after the recent upset, so she decided not to add fuel to the fire. "Alright. Just stop drinking, it's bad for your health."
"Mm." Dominick hung up the phone. He stared at the glass of alcohol in his hand, feeling utterly drained. It didn't help him forget; if anything, the more he drank, the clearer his mind became.
'So, Paisley, is this your way of punishing me for my past?' he thought.
Over the past while, he had put himself in Paisley's shoes and tried to experience what she had gone through. But he knew, his situation wasn't even one percent of what Paisley had endured.
Even so, he was already mentally and physically exhausted. Only at this moment did he truly understand why Paisley had left him so decisively.