The Villain's Wife

"Really?"

"Yes, she has lost the ability to walk, so she was forced to cancel all of her contracts. Her mother just finalized her divorce proceedings and had been left with nothing, even her car was taken by her ex husband. Now, she is asking my husband to pay for her rent. Apparently, she had been cheating behind her husband's back." Mrs. Brooke started telling Lily about everything that Charlotte did after she arrived back in the US.

"I never heard about the accident until my husband told me about it. However, since I already told him about Charlotte and Adalind's crazy plan, he was… kinda expecting it. Of course, he was mad at the mother and daughter. I mean…" Mrs. Brooke shrugged. "We can't really say that everything was Charlotte's fault. After all, Adalind is a grown woman. She is not a child anymore. She made her decision and now, she will be forced to face the consequences of her actions."

"That is just… sad, isn't it?"

"I always knew that someday, Charlotte will cause the downfall of her own daughter. It was just a matter of when." She let an exasperated sigh. "I already tried my best to make Adalind see the kind of woman her mother was. For a few months, she stopped or at least limited her contact with her mother. Sadly, it didn't last that long. Charlotte was just… too good in her acting skills. She could easily influence the emotion of her child."

"Adalind was really beautiful." Lily added. "It's sad to think that her career ended because of her own stupidity."

"I know! I have talked to my husband. We could find ways to make her walk again. Of course, there are ways. But it will take years and… she won't be able to wear heels again." Another sighed escaped my lips. "This is the bed that she made. Now, she will be forced to lay on it."

"Well… I truly hope that she learned her lesson."

"I don't know. I honestly don't." Mrs. Brooke shrugged. "I did my best to warn her against it. I knew the consequences could be dire. Seeing Adalind now, it makes me think. If I forced her to leave with me, I'm sure this wouldn't have happened."

"You are blaming yourself?" Lily raised an eyebrow. "You already said she was an adult. It was her own fault. You should stop thinking about the what if's and just focus on her recovery."

"You don't understand. Since that accident, Adalind has changed. She had been different. Silent— too silent. It is scaring her father and I."

"Then… maybe you should have a specialist see her." Their conversation was interrupted when one of the attendants came in with a cup of hot tea.

"Thank you, Siyang." Lily said as she gestured for him to leave them alone. She then took a sip of the hot tea, her eyes never left the woman opposite her. Just like her, Mrs. Brooke also took a sip of her hot tea before she put it back on the coffee table in front of them. She then hugged her handbag closer to her body, distress was apparent on her face. She knew the conversation was about to be over soon.

"Thank you for seeing me." Mrs. Brooke repeated. "I am truly grateful. I mean… I know we were never close or anything like that."

"Tell me." Lily shortly said.

"Well… I don't really know how to tell you this." Mrs. Brooke made a deliberate pause as she opened her handbag and handed Lily an old photograph. "That is an image of my grandmother and grandfather taken in Wales. Can you see the garden behind them?"

"Roses?" It was exactly like the ones in Grandma Ye's house. However, this one was obviously smaller in size. She eyed Mrs. Brooke, waiting for her to continue.

"Yes. When I came here. I was reminded of the garden that my grandmother used to tend to when I was a child. I used to help her do it." A sad smile slithered on her face. "Because of that, I went back to wales a couple of weeks back and went to our old house. The garden is long gone, however, the memories are still there." Seeing Lily just stared at the photo, Mrs. Brooke continued. "Well… I started checking the photo's in our old albums just to see the garden once again and I got this…" She handed her another image. "I believe that is an old image of your grandmother and grandfather in our old house in Wales. The same garden as the one that you can see on your own grandparent's image."

Lily stared at the old photograph and realized that Mrs. Brooke was actually right. She held the two photos next to each other. Even a toddler could easily say that this was taken in the same place and might even be taken at the same time. Frowning, she stared at the photo before shifting her gaze back to Mrs. Brooke. "Then.. Maybe they used to know each other?"

"It was so easy to assume such a thing." Mrs. Brooke said, a sad smile on her face. "I just— I just happen to think that it is more than that."

"Why would you think that?"

"First, let me tell you why I married into the Brooke family when… I am originally from Wales." Mrs. Brooke smiled. "I was married because my parents insisted that I stay away from the family. I grew up in the US, I just went back to wales for a short vacation. Every time, my parents insisted that I limit my contact with my grandparents. I mean… my grandfather was pretty eccentric while my grandmother was really strict. I thought that was the reason why my parents hated it every time I saw my grandparents. I was a child back then. I didn't understand a lot of stuff."

Mrs. Brooke made another pause as she took a sip of her tea before she continued, "When I was in college, my parents started telling me to stop visiting my grandparent's house. We got into an argument. I didn't listen to them and got close to both of my grandparents. I learned a lot of things from them. They— I considered them as my greatest influence."