Chapter 11 Backing Her Up

• Eric let go of the hag's hand, looking disgusted. He said coldly, "What makes you think you can abuse her however you want?"
• The short, old woman looked at the man who came to help Susan. She was scared by the look in his eyes, but she still glared at him. "She's my daughter-in-law. I get to do anything I want with her. It's none of your business."
• Eric sneered. "None of my business? I'm afraid you don't get to call the shots," he said calmly, but there was a storm brewing in his eyes.
• Jocelyn met his gaze and felt her heart thumping furiously, as if it was telling her to shut up if she wanted to live.
• Rachel held Jocelyn up, and she was finding it embarrassing that the crowd was getting bigger. "It's almost time for the checkup, Mrs. Bailey."
• Jocelyn ignored that and angrily demanded, "And who are you anyway? Stay out of this."
• "Oh, I'd be quiet if I were you. Another episode of your… brash bravado, and you might find yourself locked in this hospital forever. Just because you're old doesn't give you the right to abuse anyone." Eric looked at the fidgeting Susan. She must be scared, for she was on the verge of tears. Quickly, he pulled her to his side. He didn't do anything further than that, but they were standing really close to each other.
• Eric shot Jocelyn with a cold, sharp look, and she couldn't say a word.
• Susan looked up at him and gulped, then she tugged on his sleeve, telling him to stop while he was ahead.
• Jocelyn snapped out of it. Shivering in fury, she said, "H-How dare you? What are you doing? You're an embarrassment to our family! You're cheating on Andrew, and now you're using your lover to threaten me? That's it. I'm telling Andrew. Let's see how you like this!"
• Susan was shocked. What? What makes her think I'm cheating? It's not like we're even making out. We're just standing together. Still, Susan was a little uneasy. She would never try to cross Jocelyn, since the hag would always play the victim whenever her son was around. The Baileys were too powerful for civilians like her, and she would just make things worse for Eric at this rate. Quickly, she held Eric's arm and tried to take him away before he could say anything more.
• "Andrew? You're in a meeting? It's your wife! Her lover beat me up! You have to help me! My head hurts, a-and I think I'm fainting." Jocelyn cried into her phone.
• Oh, I see now. No wonder every time I see Susan, she looks like she's traumatized. So, it's all because of this hag.
• When they came out of the hospital, Susan heaved a sigh of relief and quickly let go of Eric's hand. "Sorry you had to see that."
• Eric lit a cigarette, and the swirling smoke hid his face behind a grey veil. "Why are you so scared of her? Why didn't you dodge?"
• "I wanted to, but I can't. They're too powerful. You won't get it. My whole life is a mess, but I have to live in it. This is what I get for marrying a rich family. It might look nice, but there's no freedom at all."
• Rich family? Eric sneered. He could still recall how violent Susan was to him that night. She was using him to vent all her frustration. She was blabbering on and on after she got drunk, and she was lying on him, crying away. Apparently, she must've taken him for someone else, since she kept asking him why he cheated on her. Guess she must've kept her frustration suppressed for a long time.
• Eric shot her a look. "So, you took it all out on me and did whatever you wanted. But when push comes to shove, you're a coward. You can always leave; you just don't want to."
• Susan snapped, "Yeah, easy for you to say. I want this to end, but the choice is never mine. You have no idea how far the rich can go for profit. I'm just a pawn in their game."
• Eric sneered. The rich? No one's richer than me.
• Susan thought something must be wrong with her. Why did I tell him all that? He's just an escort. She quickly stopped a cab and ran toward it. She was in such a hurry that she missed a step on the stairs and tripped. She almost fell, but she was caught by someone.
• Eric tensed up and held her in one arm. He could feel her shivering, so he took his coat off and draped it over her. "Are you asking me to help you? Might as well, since you've been trying to come on me for a while now. Just tell me what you want."
• Susan was a little bemused and amused. I don't want anything from an escort. There's nothing I need from you. She leaned on Eric and tried to get up, but someone called her name.
• It was Rachel. When she saw Eric holding Susan, her eyes went wide. "Susan, you…"