Chapter 148: The Pot Calling the Kettle Black
Chapter 148: Chapter 148: The Pot Calling the Kettle Black
The relief Fifth Uncle’s family felt was short-lived, as their hearts leaped back into their throats.
Zeke subconsciously tightened his grip on his wife’s hand. She was also a little nervous but quietly squeezed his hand back in reassurance.
’Just a moment ago, she was holding their child, so I couldn’t see. Now that she’s put the child down and I can take a closer look... there seems to be a shadow on her chest.’
A shadow?! The adults’ eyelids twitched, and for a moment, they all thought their daughter-in-law had contracted some terminal illness.
’Also, her chest... *cough cough*. So, is this shadow a result of pent-up anger and frustration?’
Fourth Aunt’s family was also listening in, enjoying the drama. When they heard this, the other women present finally understood what Arabella had been hesitant to mention, and their faces flushed slightly.
Hugh, on the other hand, was completely stiff. He didn’t dare to move, wearing a blank expression that screamed, ’I heard nothing, I saw nothing, this has absolutely nothing to do with me.’
’This is not good. Based on the situation, it looks like it’s just a nodule, so it’s not too serious yet. But if she keeps bottling up her anger and frustration, it could eventually block her mammary ducts. The nodule could then turn malignant and worsen. It would be a huge problem if it developed into breast cancer.’
"Have you run into some unsolvable problem lately?"
"Is that true? Have you been unhappy at home? Did someone wrong you? Or did Zeke do something to make you angry? Tell me. I’ll make sure you get justice!"
Fifth Aunt wasn’t just paying lip service. Her son and daughter-in-law were childhood sweethearts. Their families lived close by and had practically watched each other’s children grow up.
Fifth Aunt didn’t have a daughter of her own and had always treated her daughter-in-law as such. Her own son was a distant second. If his wife were to so much as nod and admit that Zeke had done something to wrong her, Fifth Aunt would whip off a shoe and beat him right then and there.
"No, no, it’s not him. It has nothing to do with our family."
"If it has nothing to do with family, then..."
"It’s work-related."
"Work-related?" Fifth Uncle, Fifth Aunt, and the others exchanged surprised glances.
Zeke’s wife was a senior jewelry designer from a prestigious university. She worked for a well-known jewelry company where her technical department was small, the salary was high, and there was rarely any of the usual office politics. Because of this, Fifth Uncle’s family seldom asked about her job. They never imagined that work would be the source of the problem.
"So what happened? Is someone bullying you at work?"
Zeke’s wife glanced at her husband and parents-in-law. The family had been overwhelmed lately with stress over her husband’s promotion, and she didn’t want to burden them further.
But now that her husband’s promotion was a sure thing, and since Arabella had just brought it up, she decided to stop hiding it.
"A new manager recently joined the company. She’s a college classmate of mine."
"A college classmate? In that case..." They exchanged a look, then asked tentatively, "Did you two have some kind of conflict back then?"
His wife pursed her lips and sighed. "We were in the same major back in school. Her mother was on the board of directors, so she had some pull. As a result, she was always arrogant and looked down on everyone."
It was all in the past, but speaking of it brought up a pain she had held in her heart for years. Zeke’s wife hesitated for a long moment, unsure where to begin her story.
Arabella, on the other hand, was getting anxious just watching her.
’Oh, for heaven’s sake. Long story short: the new manager in her department, this old classmate, was jealous of her talent back in college. So she cooked up a whole "thief crying ’stop thief’" scheme, stole her design drafts for a competition, and when she got caught after winning an award, she turned around and accused *her* of plagiarism.’
"What?" Fifth Aunt’s expression changed. "Why didn’t you ever tell us about that?"
"COUGH, COUGH, COUGH..." Seeing that they were about to give the game away, Fourth Aunt quickly coughed a few times as a reminder.
Fifth Aunt snapped out of it and quickly tried to cover her tracks. "I mean, seeing as she’s like that, you must have suffered because of her back in school, right? Why didn’t you tell us?"
"I just... didn’t think about it that way."
’Of course she didn’t! It was because her own family’s company was in trouble at the time, and she didn’t dare distract her parents. On top of that, she’s always been independent, and the family of that manager who cried wolf had a lot of connections. She was worried she’d cause trouble for her own family and for Zeke’s, so she decided to shoulder the blame herself, eat the loss, and settle the matter privately.’
Hearing this, Fifth Aunt’s family felt their hearts ache for her. Their daughter-in-law was normally so cheerful and outspoken; they had no idea she had privately endured such a huge injustice.
Most importantly, not a single one of them had noticed. They felt they had failed her completely!
Arabella clearly thought so, too.
’I can forgive the others, but Zeke, you’re so unreliable! You and Hugh are a classic case of the pot calling the kettle black. You didn’t even notice your own wife being bullied—and not once, but twice by the same person!’
’Granted, both times happened to coincide with critical moments for you—getting hired and getting promoted—so you were admittedly a *little* busy. But that’s no excuse to neglect your wife. And don’t give me that "she hid it well" crap. Secrets always come out! No matter how well you hide something, it’s bound to leave a trace. To put it bluntly, you just weren’t paying enough attention.’
Zeke clenched his fists, his eyes downcast to hide his guilt.
Arabella’s words were blunt, but they were right on the money. He couldn’t argue with them.
On reflection, ever since they married, his wife had painstakingly managed every aspect of their home, leaving him without a single worry. Yet he hadn’t even known when she was wronged or hurt. He wasn’t just failing as a husband; he was absolutely terrible!
’You guys just keep messing up. If things get as bad as they did with Hugh, your wife will just pack up, take the kid, and leave. Let’s see you cry then.’
Hugh, who had been indirectly insulted yet again: "..."
He really must have come here today just to suffer. And he couldn’t even offer a single word of rebuttal, so he could only turn to his wife with a pitiful look, seeking comfort.
Sabrina was amused by his pathetic look and patted his head reassuringly.
Compared to the Hugh of the past, she much preferred the man he was now—one who would show her his vulnerable side, act cute with her, and even occasionally compete with their son for her attention, his childishness rivaling their boy’s.
It felt as if a cloud, once flying high and unreachable in the sky, had one day descended willingly into the palm of her hand. It had given her all of its joys and sorrows, and even control over it. At the same time, it gave her a profound sense of security, so she no longer felt lost, confused, inferior, or helpless.
And all of this was because of... her.
As she thought this, Sabrina turned to look at Arabella with a faint smile.
Zeke’s wife was also looking at Arabella. Though she knew she couldn’t blame her husband for what had happened, in her moments of sadness, she couldn’t help but feel a little hurt.