Chapter 145
Everyone in the neighborhood was aware of the close bond between the sisters.
To spare her sister the worry, Liberty kept certain matters to herself.
“Thank you, Mrs. Zaks.” Serenity expressed her gratitude to Mrs. Zaks before continuing her brisk walk toward her sister’s apartment, pulling Zachary along with her.
“My brother-in-law was upset that my sister hadn’t made lunch for him when I dropped her off the other day. Hank looked like he wanted to hit my sister, but he wiped that expression off his face when he saw me,” Serenity chattered to Zachary.
“Why didn’t my sister tell me?”
Serenity felt sympathy for her sister. Women often received a second chance at life through marriage, but her sister’s experience didn’t seem to be going smoothly.
Hank’s attitude toward Liberty had soured less than three years into their marriage.
Zachary responded firmly, “Your sister doesn’t want you to worry. Mrs. Zaks mentioned that your sister once chased your brother-in-law down the street with a knife. That indicates your sister had the upper hand. Don’t worry. Everything will be fine.”
It was difficult for Serenity to shake off her concerns.
However, she decided not to dwell on the subject any further with Zachary. She led him up the stairs and pulled out the key her sister had given her to unlock the door.
Liberty was busy cooking in the kitchen. When she heard the door open, she assumed Hank was home. She grabbed her pan and stepped out of the kitchen, prepared to defend herself if Hank dared to lay a hand on her again.
Hank had not reached out to her since returning to his parents’ home. However, her in-laws had bombarded her phone with hateful messages and criticized her in the Browns’ family group chat. They even rallied other relatives to accuse Liberty of failing as a wife, claiming her actions warranted a beating.
Husband. In summary, they claimed she deserved it, placing the blame on her rather than Hank. Some older relatives felt entitled to urge her to apologize to Hank, citing the importance of not going to bed angry. They insisted it wasn’t a blood feud, so discussing it in the family group chat was unnecessary. Naturally, the Browns’ relatives sided with Hank, suggesting she should be more understanding of him and cut down on spending. They argued that Hank had a tough job, which justified his occasional temper when he came home. Liberty was expected to tolerate his mood swings.
Furious, Liberty left the Browns’ family group chat, vowing never to visit her relatives’ homes with Hank again.
“Ant Swer.” Sonny was sitting on the living room floor, playing with his building blocks when he spotted his aunt entering the house. He jumped up in excitement and ran toward Serenity. Meanwhile, Liberty instinctively retreated to the kitchen. With the bruises on her face still visible, she had avoided going out for groceries over the past two days. Thankfully, she had enough ingredients in the fridge to last for several meals. Serenity picked up her nephew and kissed him on the cheek, then encouraged him to join Zachary while she headed to the kitchen.
“Liberty.”
“Aren’t you working at the shop tonight, Seren?” Liberty responded, not turning to face her sister.
“Jas is at the shop tonight. Liberty, what’s happening between you and my brother-in-law?” Serenity asked directly as she approached her sister. Catching sight of the bruises on Liberty’s face, Serenity quickly turned her sister around.
“I’m going to make Hank pay!” Serenity exclaimed, her anger flaring as she spun on her heel.
leave.
How could he dare to beat up her sister? Did Hank really believe her sister had no family to support her? As long as Serenity was there, she would not allow anyone to mistreat her sister!
