Chapter 348

After waiting a bit, Wesley still hadn’t shown up. Dahlia’s face soured as she carefully slid herself into the wheelchair by the bed. She rolled out into the hallway, and sure enough, noticed Sandy’s door was slightly open. Wesley had come here not just to check on Sandy first, but he’d been there for a good while. Dahlia felt a sting of irritation at not being his top priority.
With a chilly look, she wheeled into the room and snapped, “Wesley!” Whenever Wesley visited, Dahlia made sure Sandy drank milk spiked with a sleeping pill. This way, Sandy would sleep through the night, undisturbed by any noise or activity, and remain clueless about Dahlia’s relationship with Wesley.
After calling his name, she lingered at the door, expecting Wesley to turn around and try to smooth things over with her. But to her shock, Wesley paid her no mind, his focus entirely on Sandy. Dahlia’s mood turned frosty. Without her, Sandy wouldn’t even be here. Sandy was simply a bargaining chip to keep Wesley in line; there was no way she’d let that chip overshadow her.
Dahlia swiftly maneuvered her wheelchair closer to the bed, her tone sharp, “Wesley, I’m talking to you! Can’t you hear me? Am I invisible to you now?” Wesley whipped around, and with a heart full of turmoil, he slapped Dahlia, demanding, “Why?!”
Dahlia was caught off guard by the slap, momentarily stunned. She clutched her cheek, disbelief written all over her face. As the reality sank in, she exploded in a high-pitched scream, “Wesley, how dare you hit me?” To her, Wesley had always been little more than a sycophant. Where did he get the audacity to strike her?
“How could you hit me? How could you even bear to do it?” Unable to kick him due to her immobility, Dahlia snatched a stuffed toy from Sandy’s bed and hurled it at Wesley. He noticed the redness on her cheek. Even though he hadn’t hit her with full force, her pale skin showed a clear mark where his hand had landed. The sight made his heart ache.
She was the woman he’d loved for years. From the time she was barely an adult, he’d been smitten. When she came of age, she chose to be with him and even carried his child. He wasn’t capable enough and had to depend on her to get close to Charles. Knowing she endured hardships for him, he truly treated her like a princess, obeying her every wish. Even if it meant keeping their relationship under wraps, he accepted it gladly. The woman he adored more than anything, he couldn’t even raise his voice at her, let alone lay a finger on her.
But this time, she’d really hurt him. When you love someone, you embrace everything about them. Yet, her cruelty towards Sandy showed she didn’t love. For Wesley, this was a double whammy. Not only did it break his heart to see the pain his daughter had suffered, but it also dawned on him that maybe Dahlia never loved him at all. How was he supposed to accept that?
“Dahlia, how could you be so heartless to our daughter?” Wesley grabbed the toy and tossed it aside, stepping back to reveal Sandy, her body marred with injuries. Some were fresh, others had faded to faint reminders of past pain. It was clear this had been going on for a while. He knew that as a father, he should respect his daughter’s privacy. Sandy was seven, and he shouldn’t have stripped her clothes, but he was desperate for answers.