Chapter 526

Brad stood tall and imposing, like a towering tree. His broad shoulders and defined muscles made it clear how powerful he was, the outlines of his physique visible even through the fabric of his clothes. His hands were balled into fists, and the veins on the back of his hands bulged at that moment. He looked like he was ready to strike at any second. "I have always respected and loved you, but that doesn't mean I have to obey your every word to prove it. True respect isn't just about saying nice things or bending over backward to meet all your unreasonable demands. And it definitely doesn't mean I should let you harm my wife! "As a parent, what you should be doing is letting go and staying out of my relationship with Nadine." His voice was steady and firm, every word hitting home. He was unrelenting, like a towering tree determined to protect Nadine from any storm. Evelyn faltered in the face of Brad's resolve. She was well aware that if she continued to butt heads with him, it would only make him despise her more and strain their already tense relationship. After pondering for a moment, she suppressed her anger and said through gritted teeth, "If you insist on protecting Nadine, then you'll lose me. You can only have one of us, so choose wisely!" If she didn't push Brad a little, he'd never realize just how furious she was. He would only make the right choice when she backed him into a corner. It seemed she had grossly overestimated the influence she had over Brad. Just when she thought he would cave, he stood his ground and asked pointedly, "What if you had to choose between Dad and Gigi, Mom? Who would you choose?" Evelyn froze in place. Seeing her stiffen was good enough for Brad and he scoffed. "You know damn well that's a pointless question. Neither one is someone you'd be willing to give up on, so why are you forcing me to choose between you and Nadine? "Nadine's a great person. If you don't like her, you can just stay away from her, but please don't do anything to hurt her!" There was a time when he detested Nadine, convinced she was a manipulative woman. But now, he realized the person who couldn't let go was himself. Looking back, most of what happened between them was due to his own misjudgment. Evelyn stood rooted to the spot for a while before she finally found her voice again. "Are you seriously going to choose Nadine over me? You'd abandon your own mother for her?" "I'm not abandoning you. You're going to have one more person to care for you. You should learn to count your blessings—and stay out of my personal affairs," Brad sneered. For the first time, he truly understood Nadine's pain. In the six years she had been married into his family, Nadine had never once argued with Evelyn or Gigi, silently enduring their mistreatment. He couldn't fathom how much she had to suffer. All of a sudden, his heart, which had just ached moments ago, started to hurt again. He felt an overwhelming urge to see Nadine, even if they didn't exchange a single word. Just one look would be enough for Brad. The son Evelyn had painstakingly raised turned his back on her just like that. Evelyn couldn't bear it. She couldn't accept this outcome, and with tears brimming in her eyes, she yelled at Brad, "What's so great about Nadine? I thought you loathed her! And that child—Sean isn't even your own flesh and blood. Why are you raising someone else's kid? Why are you putting up with this humiliation?"