Chapter 6

An incredibly loud slap sounded, so loud that even Giselle felt like her ears were ringing. Gavin's face was forced to one side, and he stayed that way for who knew how long. As the golden boy of his family, Gavin had never once been hit. Even when the stern Henry Farrell, his grandfather, was still alive, Henry hadn't so much as raised a hand to Gavin. Yet now, he had just been slapped by Giselle. As Gavin tasted the metallic tang of blood in his mouth, his gaze darkened. Giselle quickly took a few steps back. "You were asking for it." With a flicker in his cold gaze, Gavin pressed the tip of his tongue against his cheek. "Playing hard to get once is fine, but doing it twice is annoying." "I'm not joking around with you, nor am I playing games," Giselle said steadily. "I want a divorce, Gavin. Do you hear me? I want a divorce!" Gavin merely gave her a disdainful look. He placed his fingers on her shoulder before brushing her long hair behind her ear. His hoarse, low voice dripped with mockery as he said, "Giselle, if it weren't for Mia pitying you and giving you 2,000 dollars, you'd barely be able to feed yourself. Without the Farrell family, what means do you have to fend for yourself?" Giselle went weak all over. It felt as if her heart had been ripped open and blood was pouring from it. Five years. For five whole years, she had cared for their daughter, taken her to countless extracurricular classes, and cared for Marina by visiting her at least three times a week while caring for Penelope. Not only that, she was the one making all of Penelope and Gavin's meals. She even learned how to cook and earned a nutritionist's license to better care for them. Giselle also remembered the birthdays of every one of Gavin's business partners' wives and children, and always had appropriate gifts ready in time. Yet, none of this had ever mattered to Gavin. She was just some parasite to him this whole time. Giselle felt like laughing at herself. Her five years of devotion were all for naught. She took a deep breath, her eyes glossy with unshed tears. Forcing down the rising tide of emotion, she remarked, "Since I'm so worthless in your eyes, then do us both a favor and get our divorce certificates issued as soon as possible. "It must have been so hard for you to be married to someone you can't stand, Gavin." Gavin merely turned and walked away without giving her a response. Giselle brought her hand to her forehead for a moment. She then changed quickly before heading downstairs. Marina wasn't downstairs, but the future Mrs. Farrell, Chantelle, was. She was in a pink, plunging dress that day. Half of her chest was already on display even without her lowering her head. She was sitting on the carpet playing with Penelope. Gavin sat primly on a single-seater couch next to them. He was looking down, but no one knew whether he was looking at Penelope or Chantelle's chest. Giselle knew Gavin's quirks better than anyone. He had always had weird kinks. Chantelle held out a bottle of apple juice, softly saying, "Gav, I can't open this." Gavin took it, twisted the cap, and handed it back to her. Chantelle smiled up at him. "Thanks, Gav." When Giselle walked over, Penelope seemed surprised. "You're here too? You should behave yourself and don't make Mommy Chantelle angry." Unable to comply with that, Giselle paid her no heed. Giselle had a wonderful mother, and she could still remember how Diane had loved her. She had always wanted to love her own daughter with the same intensity Diane had loved her. If her love for Gavin was a nine out of ten, Penelope's was a full ten. To this day, she still had no idea where it had gone wrong. Her baby, born after an entire day and night of labor, the little one who had looked at her with bright eyes and told her she loved her, had now become a dagger to her heart. It felt like the sharp dagger was twisting in all directions, the pain tearing Giselle apart. Just then, Marina returned with the family doctor with her. When she saw Chantelle, her smile vanished. "Gigi, the doctor is here. Come get your shot." Gavin frowned, his gaze landing on Giselle. Penelope asked, "Is Mommy sick?" Exaggerating, Marina said, "Your mommy was bitten by a big bad dog when she tried to come see me. Come give her a hug, Poppy." Penelope hesitated for a bit before protesting loudly, "Dogs are man's best friends! Mommy must have bullied the dog. She has no heart because she doesn't like cats and dogs, and she won't let me like them either. That makes me sad!" Chantelle caressed Penelope's cheek. "You like dogs and cats, Poppy? How about I get you a kitten?" Giselle said firmly, "That's not happening. Poppy's allergic to cat and dog fur." Penelope's face fell upon hearing that. With a wide grin, Chantelle rubbed Penelope's earlobe. "Gigi, you might not know this, but there's a breed called the Sphynx cat. They are a hairless breed, perfect for someone who loves cats but is allergic to fur." Penelope's eyes lit up instantly. "Mommy Chantelle, you're the best!" She then pouted at Giselle. "Mommy, you don't care about me. You're not a good mommy!" Giselle smiled faintly. Fine. She was not a good mommy. Marina walked over to Penelope, casting a displeased glance at Chantelle. "Poppy, don't listen to the nonsense of others. Your mommy loves you more than anyone in the world. No one can compare." Penelope hugged Marina's leg. "Great-Grandma, you love me the most, don't you?" Marina sighed and gestured for the doctor to give Giselle her shot. Gavin set aside his magazine and accepted the toy Penelope handed him, his voice frosty. "What kind of issue does she have that she just has to be treated right here in front of you, Grandma?" In other words, he thought Giselle was deliberately making a scene in front of Marina to gain sympathy. Marina scolded him with a displeased glare, "Gigi was bitten right outside by that big black dog from the Lockwood residence." Gavin rubbed his forehead. The doctor opened his medical kit, preparing the rabies vaccine for Giselle. "Mrs. Farrell, this is the rabies vaccine used in the two-one-one treatment regimen. You'll receive injections in each deltoid today, then again on day seven and day twenty-one, to ensure maximum immunity." Giselle gave a nod. "Alright, I understand." The doctor, James Gibson, tore open the syringe package before cleaning Giselle's arm with an alcohol swab. "It will sting a little." Gavin got up on reflex and walked toward Giselle. When he saw her clutching a pillow tightly with her fingers digging into it, he remembered how terrified she had been whenever she received prenatal injections while she was still pregnant with Penelope. She would always hide in his arms and cover her eyes back then. He used to think she was childish. Now that she wasn't being childish, strangely, he felt like something was missing, After the shot, James was leaving after talking to Giselle briefly when Marina hurried over to him, whispering, "James, give me some of that drug."