Forgive My Ex-husband

Leo was smiling the entire time he walked behind Melinda to the entrance of the hotel. Especially when he noted how she held her head high and kept her back straight even after the fun little confrontation they had back there.

They stopped near the doors, and Melinda stood on her toes to see through the tall glass windows if there were any taxis entering the driveway.

"This is a rather difficult location to hail cabs, Melinda," Leo said as he watched her strain her neck. "Let me drive you home."

She turned to smile at him. "I would really appreciate that, thank you."

In all honesty he was expecting her to say no, given the fictitious scandal her in-laws seemed to be concocting. Which was why he was pleasantly surprised at her ready response.

Still, she had lost the glow she was wearing earlier in the evening, when they were just enjoying each other's company and conversation. He couldn't help saying a regretful, "Sorry."

"You don't need to apologize for anything," she replied, looking up at him. He saw the sincerity in her eyes, as well as a stroke of inner strength. "It was all my fault."

Well, not really. But Leo wouldn't have been dragged into the issue if it weren't for her. Melinda knew that Emily despised her-the sentiment was rather mutual.

And she knew that no matter what she did, or who she was with, or what the circumstances were, the actress would always devise something to put Melinda on the spot and humiliate her.

Leo took on a pensive look. "Madam Gu was a lot different from what I have heard of her." Queena had made a name for herself during her prime.

She was a contemporary of his father's, and from what Leo had gathered, Queena had always been a woman of strength and an embodiment of class. She had amassed significant accomplishments that helped catapult the Gu family to its currently high position among the ranks of conglomerates.

And yet tonight, the woman herself contradicted her own legend. She seemed like a force to be reckoned with, true, but not in the way that heroines were usually painted.

She balked before Leo, after all, and her actions were all tactless and lacked the grace befitting her social standing.

Melinda knew exactly what Leo meant, and only she said, "She is just heavily influenced by Emily."

There was a bitter taste in her mouth as she spoke the words. She had looked up to her mother-in-law. She never expected that such an intelligent woman would be so easily manipulated by someone so petty and greedy as Emily.

Was the actress really that good? Or maybe it was because Queena was ageing. Nonetheless, Melinda decided she would no longer put up with their bullying.

Leo sensed the turmoil that was going on in his friend's mind. He tapped her shoulder to get her attention. "I'll go fetch my car from the parking lot. Wait for me here. It's too windy outside the building."

He would have offered his coat to her, but a piece of gossip was birthed just a few moments ago, just around the corner where they now stood, and he saw no reason to nurture the rumor.

Instead he gave her shoulder a little squeeze, smiled at her, and went to get his car.

Queena was still glaring at the direction of Melinda's exit, her eyes displaying a myriad of intense emotions.

"Aunt Queena," Emily said as she came up at the older woman's elbow, handing her a glass of water she got from one of the waiters. "Please don't worry about it anymore. It was all my fault; I offended Mr. Liu. Thank you for coming to my defense."

Queena turned to look at her, just in time to see the repentant expression play at the actress' face. "Oh, look at you. Emily, it is you who have been wronged, yet here you are apologizing and comforting me. None of it is your fault! It was all because of Melinda. I shouldn't have brought her to social events; she does nothing but bring disgrace to the Gu family! Oh, I feel so tired."

Emily got the hint; Queena wanted to leave the scene. "Then you must retire now, Aunt Queena. Let me walk you to the entrance."

"There's no need for that. You have to wrap up things here. Don't worry about me. We'll catch up later."

Yulia had already called their driver, and their car was waiting at the entrance when they got there.

The valet opened the door for the women, and as soon as the car door shut, the driver turned in his seat. "Where is the younger Mrs. Gu?" He was, after all, responsible for the welfare of all three women while they were outside the Gu's mansion.

"Someone else is taking her home," Queena snapped impatiently. "Just drive." She slouched on her seat and rubbed her forehead. This entire day was exhausting.

The driver dared not inquire further, and immediately eased the car out of the driveway and headed for the mansion.

Yulia was a bit on the edge of her seat herself, and she kept casting nervous glances at the other woman. "Aunt Queena, don't be angry anymore."

Her tone was cautious. While she was a little wary, she wouldn't pass up an opportunity to get on Queena's good side.

And she had just the perfect timing, it seemed, because the older woman proceeded to give voice to her grievances against her daughter-in-law.

"That girl has some gall! Who does she think she is anyway? She's just a girl from a lowborn, ordinary family. She was nobody before she married into the Gu family!

How dare she act so high and mighty in public? She lacks proper manners! All she has is that sharp tongue of hers."

The driver struggled not to glance at the backseat on the rear view mirror, and pretended not to hear anything. He knew his place.

In matters like this, it would be better for someone like him to fade into the background and turn a blind eye. He concentrated on driving.

Melinda took a bath upon her return in order to calm herself. If it were up to her, she would have retired for the night after she emerged from the bathroom, but she remembered that Nelson, who had returned from his trip, had gone out for a walk and wasn't back yet.

She changed into her pajamas and went downstairs to wait for the old man's safe arrival. She barely got to the final steps of the stairs when the front door opened to admit Queena and Yulia inside.

As soon as Queena caught sight of her daughter-in-law, her fury surged back into the surface, and her eyes shot murderous looks at Melinda.

"I'm surprised to see you back so soon. I would have expected you to stay longer with your dear charming schoolmate." She put emphasis on the last three words, glaring at Melinda with malice.

Melinda made a subtle roll of her eye and answered calmly, "I did say I was tired; of course I went straight home. It was hard to get a taxi at the hotel so Leo kindly drove me here."

She might have let herself be demeaned all these years, but she'd be damned if she let these people insult her friends as well. She had a mind to meet Queena's vehemence word for word, but decided to handle the situation with grace.

After all, the first one to lose their temper was the first one to lose the argument.

Queena scoffed loudly. "We are not short in cars and chauffeurs. There's no reason for anyone else to drive us anywhere we went."

"That's true, Mom, but I think we all know that if I shared the ride back home with you, it would only bring you much discomfort." Something within Melinda had finally snapped, and she no longer felt the need to hold back her punches.

The respect she had for her mother-in-law had dissolved into thin air. She had suffered much in the hands of the Gu family, and had endured ill treatment for so long without raising a hand or her voice. Perhaps they had all gotten used to it. They had no idea that Melinda was a true devil before she had married Jonas. She was a force of nature, too.

Queena looked down her nose on her and sniffed. "Well, it seems like you know your place well. I commend you for recognizing your faults. It's only natural for me to be uncomfortable to share a space with someone who has done something sordid."

She taunted Melinda further, not knowing that the younger woman was taking no insult and feeling no humiliation. If anything, her attacks only spurned Melinda on to fight back. And she did.

Their second confrontation for the night gained some audience as well, this time the servants of the mansion. Instead of lingering and spectating, though, they scurried to get themselves out of harm's way in case the argument between their mistresses escalated.

But even in the garden, the women's raised voices could be heard, and Nelson did not miss them as he walked up to the French windows that stood between the living room and the garden path.

He came into the scene just as Melinda finished yelling a retort at Queena. "Silence, all of you!" he shouted.

Everyone in the room turned to the family patriarch in shock. The sound of his crutches thudding against the floor rang out into the spacious room as he strode over to the women.

Queena's face was twisted in fury, and she was flushed from the neck up. She didn't look at all like a madam of any respectable family from high society. She looked like a farmer's wife picking a fight with street vendors at the market.

Melinda, on the other hand, looked cool and relatively collected. She had a stoic expression, although there was no mistaking the fire that burned in her eyes. "Grandpa," she said, acknowledging his presence, albeit a little coldly.

"Dad, you're just in time," Queena blurted out, her voice still a register higher than normal. "This girl is shameless! For years I've devoted myself to this family, and it took only a single night for this ungrateful wench to embarrass me in public and tarnish the Gu family name!"

As a matter of fact, when Nelson returned to the mansion earlier today, Gavin had reported to him and kept him abreast with all that had been going on in the residence.

He also knew about the charity party that Emily had held, and that the three women of the Gu family had been there.

He had suspected that something would happen again; he was not naive to the dynamics between Melinda and the three other women.

He frowned at his daughter-in-law, taking in her angry stance. She looked a little wild, to be honest. Then she turned to his grandson's wife.

Melinda had said nothing to defend herself, and even now she was only looking coldly at Queena. Her defiant demeanor reminded Nelson of Leonard.

He limped over to a nearby chair and sat himself down before replying to Queena. "I understand you attended a charity event this evening. How, exactly, did Melinda bring shame to your reputation?" Before she could answer, there was a rustle as Gavin entered with a tray of tea for Nelson. Melinda gestured for him to stop. "Bring some warm honey water for Grandpa's tea."

The butler bowed and went back to the kitchen, and only four people were left in the room. A heavy silence descended on them.

Nelson looked back and forth between Melinda and Queena, waiting for an answer to his question. Yulia shrank back against the wall, trying to make her presence as little as possible.

"Dad," Queena all but screamed. "Is it not shameless for a guest to insult the hostess of the event she was invited to? Not only her but she let her acquaintance humiliate the hostess as well! And Emily has been nothing but kind to Melinda, even after being insulted by this insolent girl!"

"I know very well how Emily Bai treats Mellie," Nelson said in a ruthlessly cold voice, making sure there was no room for misunderstanding what he meant with his words. "And I know damn well how Melinda responds. Every time."

Emily was a sly and scheming woman. First she tried to seduce Jonas, and when that didn't work she plotted to turn him against his own wife.

And now the evil girl had sunk her claws into Queena. They were fools, mother and son.

"Dad, you seem to be prejudiced against Emily!" Queena accused her father-in-law incredulously.

"No, it is you who are prejudiced. And blinded! Why don't you tell me exactly what happened this evening. Tell me every detail."

Queena launched into an incoherent narration, which was riddled with countless angry bursts of rants and accusations. Nelson finally held up a hand to stop her incessant screeching. He looked at her with blatant disappointment, and Queena choked on her own voice.

The old man then turned to Melinda, and asked her to recount the events. Queena's head jerked to her direction. She looked at the younger woman with fear in her eyes.

Nelson seemed to be tipping his favors towards Melinda; if she decided to embellish the story and make Emily or Queena look bad, it would cause a great deal of trouble.

Melinda understood the streak of despair that flashed on Queena's face, and she couldn't help but smirk. Nelson had asked her to explain, and Melinda did so with precise clarity and calm.

It wasn't such a hard thing to do, really. All she had to say was the truth, after all.

As Queena listened to her actions being spoken out loud, icy dread poured over her body. Her behavior was utterly ridiculous, and sounded nothing like her at all!

Yet she had really done those things, and had spoken those words. She had brought this all upon herself.

Nelson sat quietly as he listened, hanging on Melinda's every word. He was sullen and angry at first, but was feeling very gratified and a little gleeful when they got to the part where Melinda fought back. 'Finally!'

Gavin was back with his tray just as Melinda finished her narrative, and Nelson took his sweet time stirring his cup of tea. "All right. So that's what happened."

He took a sip of his tea and was pleased at the gentle sweetness that coated his tongue. Honey water. He sighed in pleasure. Melinda really was a gem of a girl.

He waved her off, telling her to rest, and when Melinda took the stairs, Yulia quickly followed suit. When they were alone, Nelson looked at his daughter-in-law hanging her head in shame.

He let her stew in the pot she lighted herself for a few more moments as he sipped his tea. When he finished his cup, he set it back down on the tray and rose from his seat.

"Why do you go out of your way to speak for Emily? Do you think so little of the Gu family name that you would compromise your own reputation to cover for some other girl? Is it really Mellie who disgraced the family name? It was Mellie who was disgraced. And here you are lowering yourself for the sake of another woman who tried to seduce your married son. You are a fool."

Queena stood there in horrified silence, pale and shaking.