After speaking, John helped me up and prepared to leave.
However, Ashton rose to his feet, looked straight ahead calmly, and said arrogantly, “I’m fine with divorce. I don’t mind her leaving as well, but she’s still carrying the descendants of the Fullers. I won’t let the Stovall family take them away.”
Why does this sound so weird? Didn’t he want our kids to bear my name last night? Why is he trying to get their custody now?
While Ashton spoke, John, who had been furious, stopped in his tracks with his arm linked with mine. After he was stunned for a few seconds, he suddenly let go of me and turned to walk up to Ashton.
“F*ck!” The unexpected punch made Ashton stagger backward, pushing the chair behind him away.
Zachary hurriedly stopped John. “What are you doing, John? We’re all family!”
“We’re not!” John broke free from him and lashed out at him, “You’re just as horrible! You worked together to cause Letty to lose her first kid! You’re the real family!”
After he was seemingly done venting his anger, he glanced at me and suppressed his rage before leaving with me.
As we left halfway through the meal, we did not know what happened later.
But after coming out of the castle, John had been in a good mood. Sitting on the leather seat with his legs crossed, he clasped his hands and tapped his fingers, looking particularly relaxed.
Seeing this, I understood everything, so I teased him with a smile, “Your acting was too exaggerated just now.”
John was surprised. “You can tell?”
I gave him a tight-lipped smile. “Ashton won’t say something like that. Besides, even if you’re really not happy about him, you’ll still put your prejudice aside and form a united front with him in front of outsiders. Judging from how strange the two of you were behaving, it only proves that you were just putting up an act for Zayne and Ezra.”
I initially thought that Ashton would want me to play along when he asked me to attend the dinner. Unexpectedly, he thoughtfully made John speak up for me to keep me out of the dispute and make the outsiders think that we were only together because of our kids.
What surprised me was that John was actually so good at acting. If Ashton had not hinted at me, I would have taken it seriously.
“Good job. You’re very observant, as expected of my sister.” Feeling smug, John gave me a compliment that sounded like he was praising himself.
But I still could not get my head around one thing. “Didn’t you and Ashton have a falling-out? When did you reconcile?”
John pursed his lips and replied, “This is called the tacit understanding between men. Sometimes, we only need a look in the eyes to know what to do and what not to do.”
It was unexpected to me that the tacit understanding between men could be more profound than that of a ten-year couple.
However, I did not continue the conversation as I turned to glance at the castle in the rearview mirror. Under the illumination of the lights, the castle, which was increasingly farther away, appeared even more mysterious and remote as it gradually devoured the darkness of night.
I hope that Ashton will be safe.
It was still early by the time we reached Stovall residence. Hearing the noise, Summer ran downstairs in her pajamas and ran to me, so I spent some time playing with her.
After about thirty minutes, John came downstairs with a document in his hand. As he walked over, he said mysteriously, “Guess what this is.”
“Nope.” I held Summer in my arms and brushed her hair using my fingers absentmindedly. At this moment, all I cared about was whether Ashton was safe among the ravening wolves.
“You’re no fun.” Sitting down across from me, John crossed his legs and put one arm on the armrest of the sofa, looking relaxed in his gray pajamas. He added annoyingly, “You don’t even have a sense of humor. Sooner or later, you’ll be loathed by other men.”
Looking up, I rolled my eyes at him. “Didn’t you say you’ll support me for the rest of my life? Are you going back on your word in just less than an hour?”
