Chapter 4 Daph, Does It Hurt?

• Daphne leaned weakly against the wall, bitterness tugging at the corners of her lips.
• With Hudson's permission, the bodyguards quickly grabbed Daphne and shoved her in front of Marilyn.
• "Try dodging again! Go on, dodge!"
• Marilyn glared viciously at Daphne. "Today, I'm going to beat you to death!"
• Smack! Smack! Smack!
• The sharp sound of slaps echoed through the corridor.
• Inside the hospital room, Natalie bit her lip. "Sonny, you should go out and take a look. My mom is being too harsh…"
• Hudson frowned slightly. "You just rest. Don't worry about anything else."
• A little lesson wouldn't hurt.
• Over the years, Daphne had played countless tricks in front of him. He had tolerated her, but she had only gotten worse. Ending up in this situation was nothing more than what she deserved.
• Natalie let out a quiet sigh. "Honestly, I can understand Daphne. Maybe she really just wants to get pregnant with your child. If you two had a child, even if her crimes came to light, Mr. Edward and Madam Jennifer might forgive her for the sake of the baby…"
• "Natalie."
• The man lifted his head, his dark eyes sweeping over her with indifference. "I know you don't like Daphne. But she's already being punished. Let this matter end here."
• A flicker of shock passed through Natalie's eyes, and under the blanket, her clenched fists trembled.
• In the past three years, even though Hudson constantly claimed to despise Daphne, he always seemed to defend her in one way or another.
• Sometimes, Natalie couldn't help but wonder whether Hudson refused to divorce Daphne because he wanted to torment her or because he had fallen for her.
• ...
• In the hallway, Daphne was beaten to the point of near unconsciousness.
• Blood from her nose and lips mixed together, blurring her vision. All she could make out was a shadow relentlessly slapping her face.
• She didn't know how long it had been. Just as she thought she might die from the beating, the elevator doors opened again.
• Jennifer rushed out of the elevator. "Daph!"
• She immediately pulled the bloodied Daphne into her arms. "Mrs. Parker, what are you doing?"
• "What am I doing?" Marilyn scoffed coldly, crossing her arms. "Why don't you ask your precious daughter-in-law what she's done to my daughter!"
• Jennifer frowned and gently wiped the blood from Daphne's face. "Daph, does it hurt?"
• "Mom…"
• Jennifer's concern broke Daphne's defenses, and her tears began to pour uncontrollably.
• Standing by the hospital room door, Hudson watched the scene, his brows furrowed.
• Earlier, when Marilyn had slapped her repeatedly, she hadn't cried, hadn't fought back, and hadn't even tried to explain herself.
• But now, with just one word of concern from Jennifer, she cried like a wronged little girl, her face streaked with tears.
• No matter how much he hated her, Hudson had to admit, when Daphne cried, her tear-streaked, delicate face stirred sympathy. Yet when she wasn't crying, her stubborn silence made him want to force her to speak!
• "Jennifer, if you ask me, you should quickly get Hudson to divorce this woman! Shameless thing, using your name to deliver drugged pastries to Hudson's office in broad daylight! Natalie accidentally ate it, but if Hudson had eaten it, would she have planned to sleep with him right there in the office, in front of everyone?"
• Marilyn's words made the entire hallway fall silent.
• Jennifer froze for a moment. So this… this is why Daphne was beaten so badly?
• "Mom," Hudson frowned as he stepped forward, "Daphne said that the box of pastries, the one with the drugs, was sent on your orders. Is that true?"
• Jennifer pressed her lips together and nodded. "Yes."
• "Even if you asked Daphne to bring the pastries, she must have been the one who added the drugs, right?"
• Marilyn, brimming with arrogance, glared at Jennifer. "Jennifer, don't tell me you drugged your own son!"
• Jennifer's face turned ashen.
• The Parker family and the Jackman family weren't just long-time neighbors but also long-standing business partners and rivals.
• Admitting in front of Natalie's parents that she had drugged Hudson would make it impossible for her to hold her head high around them again.
• Clenching her teeth, Jennifer shook her head. "I didn't know about the drugs."
• As she finished speaking, Daphne could feel Hudson's cold, piercing gaze land on her.
• Even with her back turned to him, she could imagine just how vicious his expression must have been.
• "I knew it! It had to be this shameless daughter-in-law of yours!" Marilyn smugly patted Jennifer's shoulder. "You should just hurry up and get her divorced from Hudson. This kind of woman is only good for embarrassing your family!"
• Marilyn then turned to Daphne with disdain. "If I were you, I'd have left the Jackman family long ago out of sheer shame! Divorce Hudson now!"
• Daphne raised a hand to wipe the blood from the corner of her mouth and turned to look at Hudson. "What do you think?"
• Her eyes were steady and cold.
• Hudson stared at her indifferently but said nothing.
• Daphne took a deep breath, her gaze unwavering as she looked straight at him. "I think Mrs. Parker is right. Hudson, let's get a divorce."