Tabitha's POV
Amidst the crowd, my eyes locked with Klein's.
A whirlwind of complicated feelings rushed through me, finally settling on guilt.
I had agreed to give him my kidney, and that day, he was all prepped and ready for surgery. But at the last minute, Derek swooped in and took me away.
I didn't even get to say I was sorry before leaving.
After I was brought back to Seattle, my number got changed, so I couldn't reach Klein, let alone apologize to him.
I never expected to run into him here.
Didn't he return to his home country? Why was he back in Seattle?
Unlike me, who was feeling incredibly sorry, Klein seemed pretty chill.
Instead of being upset, he just gave me a gentle smile and nodded as if to say hi.
Ivonne, who had been cursing me the whole time, suddenly realized I wasn't even glancing her way.
She grew even angrier, yelling to draw my attention, "Hey! Who the hell are you looking at? You're pregnant, OK? Stop flirting! You cheap slut!"
"Watch your mouth, miss," Spike coldly reminded her.
"Watch my mouth? Can't you see what she's doing? I'm just feeling sorry for the father of her baby. She dares to flirt with a stranger right in front of everyone. You know what? I bet she's kept by some old perv."
She didn't realize the people around us were looking at her as if she were an idiot.
Just then, a chilling voice cut through the noise. "Have you said enough?"
Derek, followed by Rolf and Alvin, showed up. His aura was so intimidating that the crowd parted like the Red Sea.
His gaze landed on me, a mix of emotions in his eyes.
I looked away, not saying anything. Meanwhile, Ivonne ran over to him with a big grin plastered on her face.
"Cuz, finally! She's the one who just slapped me! She thinks she's badass just 'cause she got all those guards! You gotta stand up for me!"
Everyone else, including me, was dumbfounded. So, Derek was Ivonne's cousin? How come I never knew about it?
I heard Derek's mom had been recuperating abroad, and she'd never shown up since the day I met Derek, not even at our mating ceremony.
I knew he had several uncles and aunts too, but most of them were overseas just like his mom.
Only his youngest aunt remained in the US. Heard she mated with someone in Redmond.
I didn't pry further, and Derek didn't tell me much about it either.
Only now did I know that his aunt actually married into the Gutierrez family.
Now this was fun.
I raised an eyebrow at Derek, speaking in a cold voice, "So, you're her powerful cousin? The reason she thinks she can get away with beating me until I miscarry?"
As soon as I finished speaking, Derek scowled. He pulled his arm away from Ivonne's grip and shot her an icy glare. "You wanna beat her?"
Ivonne, who had gotten used to having everything her way in Redmond, shrugged nonchalantly. "Yeah. She asked for it! She..."
Before she could finish, Derek gave her a resounding slap.
The crisp sound caught everyone's attention, and I widened my eyes.
Derek had always been a gentleman who never laid a hand on a woman. But today, he actually slapped her in front of so many people.
Now she looked kinda funny, for my slap hit her right cheek, while his landed on the left. Her whole face was red and swollen.
"Derek, why..." Ivonne stammered, covering her cheek in disbelief.
Meanwhile, Derek snapped, "She's my wife, you fool! Apologize to her, now!"
Now it was Ivonne's turn to be dumbfounded. The onlookers, finally getting their moment of satisfaction, chuckled to themselves.
"What ... did you say? She's..."
Derek gritted his teeth and said word by word, "She's my wife. I'm the old perv you've been talking about."