Beyond The Divorce - Season 8 Episode 39

Atlas stared at Jeffrey, saying coldly, “It doesn’t matter, I’ve changed my mind. There’s no need for apologies. I won’t accept them. Dylan, copy the surveillance footage.”

After saying that, he held Ava in his arms and held my hand while Carol quickly picked Jenny up. We walked out amid their astonished gazes.

The people in the room could no longer hold it together. They were dumbfounded, fearful, and uneasy. Would Atlas really not accept their apologies? On the surface, those words seemed like nothing, but everyone in the room knew it carried chilling implications.

If he didn’t want their apologies, what was he going to do?

Some of them thought about asking Atlas directly, but they did not have the guts to do so. What exactly was he planning?

Atlas protected us until we got into the car.

Inside the car, Ava clung to Atlas’s neck. It pained me to see her face marked with scratches and tear stains.

Atlas instructed the driver to go to the hospital. There, we got the children examined. He also had Carol’s wound attended to. Fortunately, it wasn’t too serious and didn’t require stitches. Finally, I breathed a sigh of relief.

The doctor prescribed an ointment, advising us to apply it on time to prevent scarring. Atlas’s complexion only improved after the doctor’s reassurances.

Back at Pleca Park, my mom couldn’t hold back her tears when she saw Ava and Jenny’s bruised faces. She asked me, “What happened? They were fine when they went out in the morning. How did they come back like this?”

When she saw my mother so distressed, Ava immediately recounted the incident as she cried.

The little one was fierce despite her petite appearance. She hadn’t backed down during the fight.

My mom was furious, “What kind of nonsense is this? Children would never act so

maliciously on their own. The adults must have influenced them to do this. How could those people be so heartless?”

Then, she quietly muttered to me, That wretched Matthew never brings us any good fortune. His wife and daughter are still suffering because of him!”

I quickly comforted her, “You don’t have to keep thinking about it, Mom. Don’t bring unnecessary stress on yourself.”

Ava immediately ran over, telling my mother, ‘Daddy arrived on time and fought them off. They were scared out of their minds. Daddy is amazing.”

Atlas and I looked at Ava in surprise, then at each other. Of course we knew who Ava was talking about.

I instantly blushed. She must have really wanted a father since she was calling Atlas that so much.

My mom quietly said to me, ‘It’s okay. You’ll marry Atlas sooner or later. It’s not wrong for her to call him Daddy now. That’ll stop her from being bullied out there. Atlas is a good man who can protect his family.”

Then she sighed. “Oh dear… if only we had never met the Murphys,”

My mom had become quite assertive now. Of course, she knew just what Atlas was capable of.

At bedtime, I checked on the children again. They had a few bruises, but not too many, thankfully. Just looking at the scratches on their faces made my heart ache.

Atlas appeared to be worried about the girls too. When he saw the distress on my face, he came to their room and rubbed my head gently to console me

Ava snuggled into his arms, refusing to sleep.

Atlas tried to coax her. “Don’t hold onto Mommy’s leg when something like that happens next time. It’s not good for her.”

Confused, Ava looked at Atlas and asked, “Why?”

He patiently explained to Ava, “When you hold onto Mommy’s leg, she can’t fight back. It means she can’t move freely and she can’t protect herself. You might get hurt if she moves, which might give someone else a chance to attack.”

Ava seemed to understand and stared at Atlas admiringly.

She stayed silent for a while and blinked her big eyes as if she had figured something out. Suddenly, she pouted and started crying again, saying, “it’s all my fault. Mommy got hit because of me. I won’t hold onto Mommy like that next time. It’s all my fault.”

Then, she hugged me and buried her head in my arms, looking genuinely remorseful.