Secret Son, Convenient Wife(36)

Put on the spot, Gemma’s mind stumbled. She’d tried over and over to stand up to her mother, but she had always felt intimidated. In the end, it had been better to leave home. “Er…Tate has a point,” she said, not daring to look directly at him, knowing what he would be thinking. But he had to understand there was something so…final about all this.

The older woman got to her feet. “The only point your husband has made is that he’s kicking us out of his house.”

“Our house,” Tate corrected. “Mine and Gemma’s house. And our son’s.”

“Come on, Frank. It’s clear we’re not wanted here.”

Tate’s mouth turned sour. “Good God, I don’t believe you two. You haven’t seen your daughter for more than a year, yet you both came in here without giving her a hug or a kiss. And you didn’t even mention your grandson. So I have to ask myself why you’re here at all.” He scanned the pair, then a steely look entered his eyes. “I suspect you’ve been shamed into this by your friends. Is that what this is all about?”

As if he’d touched a nerve, her mother reddened. “How dare you!”

“I dare.”

Suddenly Gemma knew that’s exactly what this visit was about. Their daughter had married into a prominent family, and they were frightened they wouldn’t look good in front of their friends. After all, if Gemma could catch a man like Tate Chandler, then perhaps she wasn’t so terrible…

“You’ll regret this, Mr. Chandler,” Meryl said now. “Your family’s good name will be mud by the time we finish telling everyone how you stopped us from seeing our daughter and our grandson.”

At the threat, Gemma finally found her mental footing. For the first time in her life, she understood that she had done nothing to deserve the treatment her parents had dished out to her. Just like Nathan had done nothing wrong. Nor Tate. This battleground was all her parents’ doing.

“Mom, while you’re at it, don’t forget to tell them how you and Dad turned your back on your unmarried, pregnant daughter, leaving me alone to fend for myself and my child.”

Her mother pursed her lips. “You knew the rules.”

“Rules?” Gemma scoffed. “Oh, yes, it’s rules that matter to you, not me or your grandson.”

Her father was shaking his head as he got to his feet. “Gemma, please, your mother doesn’t mean—”

“Be quiet, Frank. I do mean it. Gemma has been nothing but a disappointment to us.”

Gemma froze, vaguely aware of Tate’s low curse. Just when she thought they couldn’t do anything more to hurt her… She’d known she was a disappointment to them, but hearing it out loud like this…

As painful as it was, she wouldn’t let them know just how much they’d hurt her. Her chin lifted. “At least I finally know what you think of me. Please leave. I never want to see either of you again.”

Her mother’s face didn’t relent. She spun around and made for the front door, where Tate now stood sentry. Her father looked at her with a glimpse of compassion before he scurried after his wife.

Bitterness rose in Gemma’s throat and bubbled over. “And by the way, Nathan is doing very nicely without either of you. So am I.”

They left then, and Gemma collapsed on the sofa. She heard Tate close the front door, then heard car doors slam and her parents drive away. By the time Tate came back into the drawing room, she could feel a reaction setting in. This was it. She’d never see them again. The ties were finally cut.#p#分页标题#e#

She should feel relief.

She could only feel despair.

“I shouldn’t have done that, Tate,” she mumbled, hugging her arms around herself, trying to hold the pain in so that she wouldn’t fall apart.

Sympathy shone from his eyes. “Don’t do this to yourself, Gemma. They’ve treated you very badly.”

She didn’t want his sympathy. “Like you’ve treated me badly?”

His head went back.

“They’re my parents, Tate,” she said, getting to her feet, anger bubbling up inside her. She wanted to strike out, at anyone. He would do. “I should have told them to go in the first place.”

He remained calm. “So why didn’t you?”

She had to stay angry. Anger would get her through this. “I was thinking of Nathan. They’re his grandparents.”

“Pity they didn’t act like it.” He tilted his head at her. “Do you really want people like them in your son’s life?”

“No, but it should have been my decision to ask them to go, not yours.”