Regretting the Wife He Threw Away

Chapter 59

"I hate you!"

Irwin hurled the rest of his bedtime stories to the floor and stomped on them, his voice trembling with fury. "You're a liar! You don't want me, well, I don't want you either! I don't want any of this!"

"Irwin!"

Stewart grabbed Irwin's arm, his handsome face darkening with anger. "Say one more word like that and you'll be sorry!"

Irwin struggled with all his might, but he was no match for his father's strength.

Blinded by rage, Irwin couldn't see the storm brewing in his father's eyes. All he wanted was to let out every ounce of hurt and frustration bottled up inside him—

"I just hate her!" Irwin jutted out his chin, his tear-stained eyes glaring stubbornly at Stewart. "You said it yourself-she's not really my mom, right? So if she isn't my mom, why should I have to like her? I hate her! I hate that she lied to me!"

Stewart froze.

That one sentence-"You said she's not really my mom!"-hit him like a slap in the face.

He let go of Irwin and turned to look at Briony.

stood rooted to the spot,

delicate face drained of all color. Her usually bright, clear eyes were now clouded, as if

always so in control, felt a

[Why is Mommy crying?]

Irwin, who was now flushed and defiant, she suddenly saw him as he'd been at two years old, lisping his first

remembered the time he'd clumsily, yet so tenderly, wiped away

her mother in prison. She'd seen the bruises on her mother's face and realized, for the first

the whole

pretending to read to him, her mind had drifted,

noticed. He'd scrambled onto her lap, chubby arms wrapped around her neck, his soft cheek pressing against hers. “Don't

burst into tears again,

had done his best to wipe away her tears with his chubby little hands, mumbling over and over, "Don't cry, Mommy. Don't cry...

she usually said to him. The more anxious he got, the more his words

been completely broken. She'd clung to

way they could. She'd endured it all,

All she could do was watch as

crying too, blowing on her with his tiny lips, trying to 'make it

hurts, Irwin

And yet, because Irwin was there, his pure, childlike