From Forgotten Wife To Fierce Queen - Chapter 41: Chapter 41

Nathaniel and Paisley's departure brought a temporary sense of relief to David and the staff at the stables. But deep down, David knew he had caused a major problem this time. Just because Nathaniel hadn't confronted him now didn't mean he wouldn't later.
At this point, David figured his best option was to curry favor with Paisley, hoping she'd put in a good word for him with Nathaniel. Even so, David couldn't afford to neglect Dominick, the more intimidating figure.
David turned toward Dominick and lowered his head slightly. He was just about to speak when he noticed Dominick's dark expression and the suffocatingly tense atmosphere surrounding him.
David hesitated for a long moment, too scared to say a word. He thought, 'I'm done for this time. Ms. Prescott is Mr. Vanderbilt's partner, and now she's injured here at the club's stables.
'To make matters worse, Mr. Beaumont just walked off like it didn't matter. Who wouldn't be furious? It's clear that Mr. Vanderbilt values Ms. Prescott a lot.'
Left with no choice, David forced himself to speak, "Uh, Mr. Vanderbilt, about Mr. Beaumont, he—"
Dominick shot him a cold glare that immediately shut him up again. Then Dominick turned to Grayson. "Do you still want to ride?"
Grayson had already lost all interest and shook his head. He pondered with a heavy heart, 'No, I don't want to ride anymore...'
"Then let's go," Dominick said curtly.
Just then, a choked voice called out from behind them, "Dom... Sonny..."
Grayson suddenly remembered—she was still hurt. He hesitated before speaking, "Dad, what about Marissa..."
His emotions were a tangled mess. He had always liked Marissa, but today, she had lied and even wronged Paisley. He wasn't sure how to deal with Marissa now.
'The Marissa I liked would never lie...' Grayson reflected. 'But that other woman—she lies all the time. Why does it feel like everything's so different today?'
Yet, Marissa had always been kind to him. Grayson couldn't bring himself to ignore her, leaving him caught in an internal struggle he'd never experienced before.
Dominick, on the other hand, couldn't stop thinking about Paisley—how her daughter had clung to Nathaniel, calling him "handsome", and how Paisley had chased after them, her expression tinged with amused resignation.
Dominick mused bitterly, 'Why is it that you can be warm and kind to everyone else but always give me the cold shoulder, Paisley? And your daughter—why does she smile and hug everyone else but see me as the scary and bad guy?'
Dominick spoke sharply, "Julian, take Marissa for a detailed checkup." After leaving that instruction, he took Grayson's hand and walked away from the stables. The others were left exchanging uncertain glances, unsure of what to do next.
The truth was, they were only here because of Dominick's connections. Without him, they didn't have the privilege to use the premium members-only facilities. If they wanted to ride, they'd have to return to their own level-appropriate grounds. But with Dominick gone, what was the point of staying?
For a moment, everyone's thoughts diverged, and they regarded Marissa with mixed expressions. One person wondered, 'Does Dominick truly care about Marissa? If he does, why leave her in the care of an assistant while taking his son and leaving first?
'But if he doesn't care, why does he constantly protect her? And after all these years, she's still the only woman who has been able to stand by his side. That much is obvious to everyone.'
Marissa could feel all the probing gazes in the room directed at her, and she gritted her teeth silently.
In the infirmary, the medical staff conducted another thorough examination of Marissa again. Thanks to her full riding gear, there were no open wounds or cuts on her body or limbs.
The only noticeable injury was a minor scrape on her forehead, but it barely bled. Bruises marked several parts of her body, but none of them were serious and would fade in a few days. All in all, she looked more battered and pitiful than she actually was.
Alexis handed the brooch to Marissa with a complicated expression. "Marissa, here's your brooch. I had the blood cleaned off it."
Alexis had stayed with Marissa throughout the checkup and saw everything clearly. The tiny amount of blood from Marissa's forehead couldn't possibly have stained the brooch. It was obvious whose blood had been on it.
When Marissa saw the brooch, her expression shifted menacingly. Her usually gentle demeanor cracked as she snatched the brooch and hurled it to the floor. "This kind of trash has no place here."
Alexis fell silent immediately, understanding that Marissa wasn't talking about the brooch itself but was using it as a veiled jab at someone else.
They had been classmates since high school. Marissa had always maintained a graceful, magnanimous image in front of everyone—never clashing with others, always warm and accommodating. This was the first time Alexis had seen her so enraged and unhinged. For a moment, she didn't know how to react.
After a long pause and seeing Marissa gradually calm down, Alexis finally spoke again, "Are you okay, Marissa?"
Marissa's shoulders rose and fell as she took two deep breaths. When she looked up, her face had returned to its usual calm and gentle expression. "I'm fine. I'm sorry for scaring you just now. I was just in a bad mood, but it's all good now."
Alexis sighed in relief, though a hint of confusion lingered in her mind. Something about Marissa felt different now, making it hard to treat her with the same casual familiarity as before. "Marissa, are you still planning to attend the opening gala later?"
Alexis had come here for the gala tonight and had even prepared the perfect dress for the occasion. But with Marissa in this state, Alexis wondered if her own attendance might depend on Marissa's decision.
Marissa noticed the hope in Alexis' eyes and smiled, "Don't worry. I'll be there."
Alexis visibly relaxed, though she couldn't resist a superficial show of concern. "But are you sure you can handle it?"
Marissa caught the subtext but remained gentle and serene on the surface. "I'll be fine." There was no way she would skip this event—she wouldn't miss any opportunity to be by Dominick's side.
"Thank you for standing up for me today," Marissa said, taking Alexis' hand to convey friendliness and sincerity. "You have to believe me—I was just panicking at the time. That's the only reason I did something so reckless. I wasn't thinking clearly..."
Marissa understood that any further denial would only backfire. It was better to admit fault and chalk it up to a momentary lapse of judgment. With her established reputation, forgiveness was almost guaranteed.
Alexis, caught off guard by the gesture, felt her earlier doubts melt away. "You're my friend. We've known each other since high school. I know exactly what kind of person you are—I'd never doubt you."
Whether Marissa's words were genuine or not, Alexis didn't care. What mattered was that Marissa was Dominick's companion and a likely candidate to become his wife. Alexis knew that maintaining a good relationship with Marissa would only benefit her and the Foster family.
Marissa then put on a look of heartbreak, her eyes dropping to the floor. "But what will others think of me now?"
"Everyone will naturally side with you," Alexis reassured her firmly. "As long as you're by Dominick's side, no matter how big a mistake you make, people will always try to understand."
"Really? That's a relief..." Marissa's eyes carried a faint smile, but her thoughts were entirely different.
She pondered, 'Keeping these fools in line is just for appearances. I couldn't care less what they actually think. What matters to me is what Dom and Sonny think.
'Dom hasn't said anything directly, but he's definitely been colder toward me lately. And Sonny—he acted like he didn't even hear me calling his name earlier, no matter how many times I tried.'
At that moment, Julian knocked and stepped inside, speaking from behind the curtain, "Are you ready, Marissa? I'll take you back to your room."
"Yes, I'm ready," Marissa replied, leaning on Alexis for support as she walked out.
When Marissa saw Julian looking at her with his usual calm expression, she forced a bitter smile. "Julian, you know me. I don't even know what came over me today, doing something so foolish. Please believe me. It wasn't my intention. I just—"
"I understand," Julian interrupted, giving her shoulder a reassuring pat. "I know what kind of person you are."
He then pondered, 'I know Paisley, too. That woman has always been scheming. She married Dominick for his money, then left him and their child out of nowhere, leaving him utterly broken. And now, she's back, finding every excuse to show up in front of him again.
'Then there's her biological family, the Sullivans. They always act so opportunistic, pretending to care when they only want to benefit themselves.
'I don't believe for a second that the Sullivan family doesn't know about Paisley's return. And I definitely don't buy that they're unaware of her past with Dominick. They're just playing dumb in front of us.'
Julian had been Marissa's classmate since high school. She had always been kind, gentle, and generous. Back then, even though she knew Dominick had married Paisley, she quietly endured her heartbreak and never caused trouble for Paisley.
Paisley, though, kept stirring up trouble for Marissa and had even come close to causing her a deadly allergic reaction. When it came to what happened today, Julian could see where Marissa was coming from.
Julian thought that Marissa had waited so long for Dominick to be single again and finally break free from Paisley's shadow. With just a bit more effort, Marissa could've ended up marrying Dominick. But, of course, Paisley had to come back now and throw Dominick's emotions into chaos.
Julian reasoned that Marissa had only acted out of a moment of panic. Everything she did wrong was because Paisley had driven her to it.
"I'll help you explain things to Dom," Julian assured Marissa. "Don't worry. He and I both know you're not a cruel person."
"Okay," Marissa murmured, lowering her gaze to hide the cold glint in her eyes.