Chapter 46 Blame

Early in the morning, Charlotte hurried to the hospital after hearing the shocking news that her son had been attacked at a bar the night before.

On her way, she caught up on all the details of the incident, her heart racing with a mix of concern and anger. For the past few days, Charlotte had been in a standoff with Dalton.

The source of her fury was clear. Dalton had unilaterally decided to change his fiancé from Meryl to Lydia at a press conference without even consulting her.

The idea of Lydia stepping into the role of Dalton’s fiancé made Charlotte’s skin crawl. After all, she had reluctantly accepted Meryl – who, at least, had been genuinely devoted to Dalton. But Lydia? A mysterious figure with an unknown background? Charlotte viewed her with disdain.

It went beyond the choice of fiancé; Charlotte felt utterly sidelined, as if Dalton no longer considered her opinion worthy of respect. Charlotte was fuming, ready to give Dalton a piece of her mind and demand an apology. But instead of Dalton showing up to face the music, she received the shocking news that he had been attacked.

Without hesitation, she rushed to the hospital to check on him. However, as word spread, both the second and third branches of the family caught wind of the situation and showed up at the hospital as well.

Dalton lay in the hospital bed, his brow furrowed as he took in the sudden influx of family. Charlotte was wearing a grim expression.

“Dalton! What on earth happened? You let yourself get beaten up by a woman? And what about Meryl? Wasn’t she the one who used to be all over you? Now she’s turned you into a monster?” Charlotte’s tone dripped with disbelief and frustration.

Dalton merely remained silent, opting to smoke instead. Images of Meryl, filled with an icy determination as she hurled a bottle at him, flashed through his mind. She had been such a cool presence, but she was also distant, as if a wall had gone up between them.

Cameron Portman, Chandler’s third brother’s wife, chose that moment to jump into the fray. “Charlotte, let’s not forget that it was Dalton who wronged Meryl first. You can’t put all the blame on her.”

Cameron had always been at odds with Charlotte, and clearly, she was relishing the chance to take a jab at Charlotte.

Charlotte shot her a deadly glare, but Cameron, unfazed, continued, “Just a few days ago, Dalton was caught checking into a hotel with someone else. Can you really blame Meryl for being angry?"

“It’s not like I’m taking sides here; I’m just stating the facts. If you’re looking for someone to blame, you should look at your own son’s actions. Meryl’s not at fault here.”

Charlotte felt the heat rising in her chest, directing her gaze toward Cameron. “Are you suggesting my son deserved to get hurt?”

Dalton’s sister, Cate Aniston, chimed in, visibly upset, “Of course not! I’m going to go confront Meryl about this!”

Just as she turned to storm out, Dalton called out, “Come back!”

“Dalton?” Cate responded, surprised.

“You want me to make a fool of myself?” Dalton shot back.

Right now, the scandal surrounding his tumultuous relationship with Meryl had already made him a laughing stock in Kingsdom. With last night’s incident, it was pretty much confirmed that Dalton was caught cheating.

If his family went after Meryl, it would only add fuel to the fire – turning him from a heartbroken man into a full-blown joke. Not only did he cheat, but now he was trying to clean up the mess with his ex. If Cate really went through with that, it would put Dalton in an irredeemable situation.

As the tension in the room mounted, Halle Aniston, Chandler’s second brother’s wife, said, “Dalton, where’s Lydia? Isn’t she concerned about you? You’re in here looking like you got run over by a truck, and she hasn’t even come to check on you?”

At that moment, all eyes turned toward the door.

If anyone had a stake in Dalton’s current predicament, it was certainly Lydia. Wasn’t it for her sake that Dalton had chosen to ice out Charlotte? Wasn’t it the reason he ended up in this sorry state?

Just then, Lydia walked in, holding a bouquet. “Dalton, I came to see you… ah!”

But before she could even finish her sentence, Charlotte’s hand flew through the air, landing a sharp slap across Lydia’s face.

The flowers crashed to the floor, their petals scattering. Charlotte’s diamond ring cut a crimson streak across Lydia’s skin.

Stunned by the unexpected blow, Lydia barely had time to react before another slap followed, landing with equal force.

“How dare you show your face here!” Charlotte yelled, her voice brimming with rage. “You little vixen! You seduced my son! Look at the state he’s in now!”