A Mother's Ultimatum

On the drive back to the Thorne family home, Valerie's phone screen lit up with Dominic's name. The harsh ringing sliced through the quiet interior of her car, demanding immediate attention. She answered it, and his furious voice exploded through the speaker before she could even utter a single greeting.

"Valerie, get your ass to the hospital right now and apologize to Chloe. Do it this second."

In the background, Valerie could hear Chloe's faint, manipulative sobs echoing through the line. The crying sounded pitiful, precisely the kind of theatrical performance Dominic wanted to validate his rage. She knew exactly what he was doing. He was aching to comfort his true love and itching to use Valerie as the scapegoat to make Chloe feel better about herself.

"Dominic, I have nothing to apologize for," Valerie started, keeping her tone steady despite the irritation flaring in her chest.

"Shut up and get over here. You have pushed her too far this time, and I will not stand for it," Dominic roared over her, aggressively commanding her presence.

Valerie refused to endure another second of his unhinged rants. She pulled the phone away from her ear, hit the red button to hang up mid-sentence, and immediately navigated to her contacts. With a few swift taps, she permanently blocked his number. He had been calling nonstop, hell-bent on harassing her until she caved and showed up to grovel at Chloe's feet. Now, the digital silence settled over the car, acting as a barrier against his toxic outbursts. She let out a heavy sigh of relief, savoring the quiet peace as she drove the rest of the way home.

The peace, however, was brutally short-lived.

The moment Valerie stepped through the heavy front doors of the Thorne family home, a storm rushed to greet her. Her mother, Miriam, charged across the marble foyer, her face twisted in a sour, panicked scowl. She did not even give Valerie a chance to put her keys down or take off her coat.

"Did you upset Dominic again? Valerie, I told you, no more being stubborn. Just smooth things over with him. Why do you have to be so immature?" Miriam shrieked, her shrill voice echoing off the high ceilings and filling the empty space.

Valerie stood frozen by the entrance, staring at the woman who was supposed to be on her side.

"He just called me, saying you blocked his number. Call him back this instant and apologize. Come on, give me your phone right now!" Miriam demanded, reaching out and trying to snatch the device directly out of Valerie's hand.

Valerie stepped back, tucking the phone safely into her purse. In the past, Miriam never would have pushed her to debase herself like this. Back then, before the Thorne family fell on hard times, they stood on equal footing with the Vance family. But three years ago, Valerie's father, Arthur, made a disastrous business decision that nearly bankrupted the Thorne Group. They had clawed their way back, but the company remained teetering on the edge of financial ruin. Arthur was left bedridden and stricken by a stroke, leaving Miriam to manage the terrifying fallout alone.

With Valerie and Dominic together, the Vance family's financial backing offered a crucial lifeline. That was how their relationship stealthily turned into a lopsided power dynamic. Miriam lived in constant terror of losing that lifeline. The second Dominic got even a little miffed, Miriam would snap at Valerie to apologize first and baby his volatile moods, terrified that if the Vance Group yanked their funding, the Thorne family would be ruined. For years, Valerie had played along. She had swallowed her pride for her bedridden father and to dodge her mother's endless, frantic meltdowns.

But Valerie was done playing the sacrificial lamb. She recognized that Dominic kept bulldozing over her feelings because he knew she was cornered. He figured she would never leave, so he treated her like garbage.

Valerie looked straight at her mother and flatly laid her cards on the table. "Mom, I am breaking up with Dominic."

The word lit a massive fuse.

Miriam grabbed Valerie's wrist with bruising force. Her nails dug deep into Valerie's skin, sending a sharp jolt of pain up her arm. "Valerie, what the hell did you just say? Who said you could break up? I will not allow it. Quit joking around right this second. I told you to apologize to Dominic, so do it!"

Valerie tried to pull away, but Miriam tightened her grip, dragging her a step closer to the heavy oak door.

"I will go with you to the Vance family right now. We will apologize together and get him to forgive you. You little brat, I warned you not to let your moods take over, but you never listen," Miriam yelled, her eyes wide with frantic, unhinged desperation.

Valerie wrenched her arm free with a sharp, forceful tug, rubbing her throbbing wrist. Her eyes remained cool and steady. "I didn't do anything wrong, Mom. Why should I apologize? Dominic is in love with Chloe. Yesterday, he ditched me at city hall for the third time. He left me standing there alone to go run to her."

She expected shock. She expected a mother to show a shred of maternal comfort upon hearing her daughter had been repeatedly abandoned on her own wedding day.

Instead, Miriam offered zero comfort. It was brutally obvious she already knew about the city hall betrayal. She stepped forward and viciously jabbed a stiff finger directly into Valerie's forehead, pushing her head back.

"Valerie, if you cannot hold on to a man yourself, who else are you going to blame? Either way, I will not let you break up with Dominic. The Vance family would never accept Chloe anyway. Even with that in your favor, you still cannot make him forget her and marry you? Why don't you take a good look at yourself in the mirror and figure out why you can't keep him?" Miriam scolded, treating her own flesh and blood like a hopeless, pathetic failure.

A bitter laugh escaped Valerie's throat. The sheer absurdity of the situation stung her chest, making it hard to breathe. "Mom, how can you say that to me? I am your daughter, not a tool for the company."

"Do not call me Mom!" Miriam shrieked, losing whatever was left of her sanity and composure.

Miriam's face turned red, the veins in her neck popping as she unleashed her ultimate threat. "Valerie, if you still consider me your mother, you will listen to me. You are not breaking up with Dominic. I forbid it. Listen to me carefully. If you split up with him and it causes the Thorne Group to collapse, I will kill myself right here in front of you. I will end my own life, and even as a ghost, I will never forgive you."

The dark words hung in the air, dripping with unyielding, toxic obsession. Miriam was prioritizing a corporate entity's survival over her own daughter's psychological well-being. She had thrown out suicide threats like this before whenever Valerie hinted at a breakup, and Valerie had always backed down, too scared of being responsible for a tragedy.

Now, a bleak, hollow emptiness filled Valerie's chest. She stared at the manic, stubborn look in Miriam's eyes. It was clear that to Miriam, Valerie's happiness paled in comparison to the Thorne family's future. Whether marrying Dominic would make her miserable for the rest of her life did not matter. The only thing that mattered was keeping the Thorne Group afloat.

Giving up the physical fight, Valerie let her arms fall limp to her sides. She had no energy left to argue with a brick wall.

Seeing her daughter yield, Miriam grabbed her arm again like a woman possessed. She physically hauled Valerie out the front door, shoving her relentlessly toward the parked car. Miriam drove like a maniac, dragging Valerie all the way across town. She marched her through the sterile, bright corridors of the hospital until they reached the VIP wing.

Standing outside the private hospital ward, Valerie's sense of irony sharply peaked. She stood perfectly still, watching the sickening scene unfold through the large glass window of the door.

Inside the room, Dominic sat on the edge of the pristine white hospital bed. He was leaning over slightly, holding a medical cotton swab. With utmost care, he tenderly dabbed burn ointment onto Chloe's reddened skin.

Chloe flinched, her eyes welling up with fresh tears as she let out a pitiful whimper. "Dominic, it hurts so much."

Dominic's cold, ruthless demeanor vanished, replaced by a sickeningly sweet tenderness. "It will not hurt for long. Let me blow on it for you."

He leaned down closer, gently blowing cool air over the injury. Then, his gaze softened with deep affection, and he pressed a deeply intimate kiss directly to her forehead.

A bright blush spread across Chloe's cheeks. She threw her arms around his neck, pulling him into a tight, clinging embrace. "Dominic, it is so good having you here with me. I was so scared."

Dominic stroked her hair, letting out a soft, fond chuckle. "Silly girl. I am right here."

As he spoke, Chloe tilted her head back, leaned in, and kissed him directly on the lips.

It was not an accident. She pressed her mouth firmly against his, engaging in explicit physical intimacy right there in the hospital room. Dominic did not pull away or push her off; instead, he accepted the kiss on the lips, definitively confirming his infidelity in broad daylight.

Standing in the hallway, Miriam reached out and pushed the heavy hospital door open. She marched straight into the room, walking right into the middle of the intimate moment. For a second, she froze. She felt awkward, and mixed in with that awkwardness was a distinct hint of unease.