His Son, Her Photo, My Turn Chapter 02

His Son, Her Photo, My Turn Chapter 02

After dropping Summer off, Valerie accelerated and headed home.

As soon as she stepped out of the car, she received a reply.

[See you at City Hall in seven days.]

Smiling, she put her phone away and walked into the mansion she had shared with Jonathan for five years.

Since she woke up, everything here had remained exactly the same.

The large wedding canvas from their marriage eight years ago still hung prominently on the wall.

In the portrait, her smile was radiant.

He looked dashing and full of pride.

Her marriage to Jonathan was an alliance between wealthy families, but they were also childhood sweethearts.

The affection was genuine, and from their wedding day onward, they were the envy of their social circle.

Jonathan was naturally wild and arrogant, yet he willingly reined in his temperament for Valerie.

He used to frequent high-end nightlife venues, but after their marriage, he never stepped foot in them again.

Valerie, who had never had to lift a finger in her life, actually went into the kitchen to cook for Jonathan.

Even when her hands were blistered from burns, she never uttered a single complaint.

If not for that car crash, which made Jonathan assume she would never wake up, driving him to find a stand-in for emotional solace, they wouldn’t have ended up like this.

Pulling her thoughts back, Valerie decided it was time to clear the house.

“Maria, take down the wedding portraits from the wall and throw them away.”

“Ma’am, but that is your favorite photo,” Maria, the housekeeper, said hesitantly.

“I don’t like it anymore.” Valerie pointed to several other spots. “Throw away those ornaments too.”

“Ma’am, even though the master rarely returned while you were in a coma, you are awake now. You ought to salvage this marriage.”

Valerie shook her head. “There’s no need.”

Left with no choice, the housekeeper obeyed.

Feeling exhausted, Valerie was about to go upstairs when Jonathan stormed in.

He looked furious, clearly bringing no good news.

Sure enough, the next second, he grabbed her arm aggressively. “Valerie, what a malicious heart you have. I thought your character had softened after three years in a coma, but you’re still just as vicious!”

“You knew Silas was allergic to pollen, so you hid a flower petal inside that cash envelope, didn’t you! Silas is only a month old, and you actually tried to kill him. Are you insane?”

“What allergy? What flower petal? I have no idea what you’re talking about!”

Valerie shook off his grip, her voice remaining perfectly calm.

“Jonathan, I have always owned up to my actions. Today was the first time I’ve ever seen that child. How could I know he is allergic to pollen? Even if I did, why would I leave a petal in the envelope just to let you find the evidence?”

“This is exactly your style, trying to be clever!”

Jonathan obviously didn’t believe her, but Valerie’s heart felt as though it had been pierced by a needle.

“Believe what you want. I said I didn’t do it, and I didn’t.”

She turned to leave, but Jonathan’s bodyguards blocked her path.

Valerie froze. “What are you doing?”

Jonathan’s voice was freezing cold, like a demon emerging from hell.

“I remember you are severely allergic to peanut butter.”

The blood in Valerie’s veins turned to ice, and she stared at him in utter disbelief.

She had been allergic to peanuts since childhood. A mere taste would cause her entire body to break out in hives and her throat to constrict.

In severe cases, she could suffocate and faint.

Jonathan knew this better than anyone.

Whenever they dined out, Jonathan would repeatedly confirm with the servers that no peanut products were used.

“An eye for an eye. Lily begged me to drop it, but you need to learn what it actually feels like to suffocate.”

As the words fell, the two bodyguards pinned her down ruthlessly.

The housekeeper picked up a jar of peanut butter and forced it into her mouth, spoonful after spoonful.

Even though she tightly clenched her jaw, the cold, sticky paste eventually slid down her throat.

The allergic reaction hit rapidly, and fine red hives broke out around her lips.

Her throat began to tighten, and even breathing became immensely difficult.

Collapsing to the floor in agony, she weakly grabbed Jonathan’s trousers. “Take me to the hospital… I can’t breathe…”

Jonathan didn’t move, merely watching her coldly.

“Now you know how it feels? When you used that petal to trigger Silas, did you consider how much pain he would be in? Admit your mistake, and I’ll take you to the hospital immediately.”

Valerie curled her body on the floor, consumed by physical torment and absolute despair.

Yet she stubbornly wheezed, “I said… it wasn’t me…”

“Unrepentant! Valerie, I thought you had truly changed! It turns out you’ve only grown worse!”

Furious, he turned to leave, but a maid suddenly shrieked, “Sir, the mistress has passed out!”