Beyond The Divorce - Season 9 Episode 11

“You might as well say that you’re smart. That’s the crux of the matter,” Arnold teased.

I wasn’t affected at all.

“Exactly. Wasn’t it supposed to be super exclusive, as Melvern prepared it? How did they get caught?”

“At first, the parents involved in the event suspected us, the Beringer brothers, because only a few of us left the gathering. The leak could only be from us,” Arnold explained. “All fingers pointed at us. That’s a typical reaction.”

“Are you saying someone reported this?” I asked curiously. It seemed unbelievable, as the informant had to be one of the attendees.

I glanced at Arnold, asking, “Was it someone from here?”

“Yes, it was someone with inside information.” Arnold didn’t deny it. “You don’t think it was us, do you?”

He looked at me, teasingly smiling. “At that time, all accusations were directed at us. Grandma warned us not to say anything. So, regardless of how the outside world criticized the Beringer family, we just ignored it.”

“Grandma Rose is indeed wise! It’s a smart move to stay silent,” I said thoughtfully. “Some things do tend to get worse when explained.”

“You’re just as smart as her. No wonder Grandma has such high hopes for you,” Arnold teased.

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“Don’t change the subject! So what happened next? How did you find out?”

“Don’t forget, after my brother dragged me away, a few followed us,” he reminded me.

“So, you mean this person also left the scene?” I eagerly inquired.

However, Arnold shook his head, adopting a deliberately elusive tone. His last statement was misleading.

“Then who was it?” I was a bit puzzled.

“Atticus!” Arnold told me without hesitation.

“Atticus?”

This answer left me shocked.

However, it did sound possible.

“Because Atticus and Melvern have never gotten along. Atticus is a bit arrogant, but his father is just a contractor. Their family is a typical nouveau riche.” I suddenly understood.

Arnold wanted to convey that for Melvern, Atticus was nothing. Therefore, when they were in school together, Melvern often bullied Atticus.

“Atticus is also one to settle scores. He has always been quietly enduring. This time, he happened to unravel the ins and outs of the matter and saw an opportunity.”

Arnold’s explanation was surprisingly straightforward. He showed Atticus was a person with a plan. I had always thought Atticus was a person with deep hidden intentions, and restraint seemed to be his foremost skill.

Silent and steady was his nature.

“But he didn’t leave with us. Naturally, it was later than us because when we left, everything was normal. We were just drinking and dancing, but some mischief had already started. Otherwise, my

brother and Atlas wouldn’t have pulled me away.”

That made sense. Ardie and Atlas wouldn’t have noticed that something was amiss.

“After the incident escalated, news leaked that someone had taken pictures of the scene. It was because of these pictures that our accusations were ruled out.”

I suddenly understood the whole story and exclaimed, “Thank goodness for those pictures! That’s the best proof.”

“Exactly! It’s because we left early!

Those things happened later!” Arnold leaned back on the couch, smiling triumphantly. “So, you see, we didn’t avoid reporting. We simply didn’t know then that something like that would happen later.”

I completely understood the complexity of the situation here.

I told Arnold, “Wow, that’s why Atticus told me that Melvern’s return to Foswood was for revenge, specifically to retaliate against him. But Atticus didn’t tell me his version of events. It was Liora and Melvern’s

story.”