Chasing my lovely wife.

Chapter 11.

Neli turned her gaze behind Grandma when she suddenly heard a cough, only then did she notice that Caleb was there and he was the one who's pushing Grandma's wheelchair. She also saw her former mother-in-law, Mrs. Carmen and Hazel were standing next to her, she even saw that she smirked at her. Of course, Hazel will become part of their family, now that she's pregnant.

Her nose and eyes suddenly became hot and as if there was a sharp knife stabbed in her heart because of the pain she suddenly felt from what she saw, she thought she was ready to forget Caleb but she was wrong. Because of her worry about Grandma earlier, Neli forgot that they were on stage at that moment and many people could see them, so she immediately stood up and bowed to greet them.

"Good evening Madam, Young master Valdez."

Neli noticed the surprise on Mrs. Carmen's face while Grandma and Caleb's faces suddenly darkened, she bowed once again and stepped back to make way for them towards the center of the stage but she immediately felt someone's hands grabbed her hand.

"What's wrong, Neli?" there was a hint of concern on Mrs. Carmen's voice. "What are you doing?"

She wanted to say something, but she couldn't open her mouth. She knew that when she started to talk, she would not be able to stop her tears from falling so she just bowed in front of them again and walked to get off the stage.

"Neli..." she even heard Caleb called her, but she just ignored him.

Mel immediately came to her and accompanied her to go out of the banquet hall so that she could calm herself down. She was very grateful that Mel quietly supported her and did not leave her side, because she knew in herself that when she gets alone she would break down.

She thought everything was fine and accepted that Caleb would have a new family now, but she didn't realize how painful it was to witness the two of them together and thought that she still not strong enough.

-----

Grandma Rencia was upset and disappointed because of what happened to Neli, just before they went up on stage she told Carmen not to bring that crazy woman but she still insisted on bringing her on stage because for Carmen, that crazy woman is part of their family.

"What happened to Neli?" Carmen asked worriedly. "Did I do something wrong?"

"Carmen, do you think you did a great job bringing that woman on stage and showing it in front of your daughter-in-law?!" she said pissed off. "You're not stupid enough not to know what happened to Neli, Carmen."

"..." Carmen was stunned and couldn't answer.

"I will go and talk to her, Grandma." she heard her grandson say.

"You're another fool!" Grandma said angrily. "I will go and entertain your guests."

"But Grandma--."

"Enough!" she stood up from her wheelchair, when Caleb was about to help her, she immediately moved her arm away from him. She also felt annoyed with her grandson. "I can handle myself."

Grandma even cursed when she saw that crazy woman when she walked down the stage with the help of her butler and maid to follow Neli. She heard the murmuring of the guests, but she just ignored them and even heard the conversation of the three before she got down on stage.

"Auntie, I told you that I shouldn't have gone up on stage with you." Hazel said worriedly.

"Then get off the stage now, damn it!" Caleb said with a cold voice.

She sighed.

She knows that Carmen is not a bad person and she has no intention of harming Neli's feelings, she doesn't know what is going on between those three to begin with so she can't blame her and Caleb didn't even bother to tell his own mother about their divorce.

She knew about her grandchildren's divorce because Neli told it to her when they met two years ago, she also told her the reason why they suddenly divorced and that is because of that cunning woman. She couldn't do anything about it because Neli's decision was final and already got their divorce, and all she could do was to punish Caleb back then. She also knows that Caleb didn't treat Neli well when they were married, so she does everything she can to stay by Neli's side because that's the only way she knows how to somehow make her happy.

She was guilty, because of her Neli suffered. That's why when she told her about their divorce, she said that they will still support her father's company so she doesn't have to worry about anything.

Grandma saw Neli on the balcony near the hotel lobby, she was relieved when she was accompanied by a young woman. Perhaps she was the maid she had heard that accompanied Neli when she left their villa.

She immediately approached the two.

"Grandma, W-What are you doing here?" Neli said in surprise, she saw the young woman bow to her. "It's cold out here."

"Are you alright?" she ask worriedly seeing the reddening of her nose and eyes. "Can we talk, Neli?"

The young woman immediately left them alone together with her butler and maid, she smiled as Neli helped her to sit on the bench.

"I'm sorry Neli, but Carmen is a good woman." she said because she didn't want Neli to think badly about Carmen, but Neli didn't say anything. "She's so busy that she doesn't know anything that happened to both of you, but do you know why Carmen is close to that woman?"

She just shook her head then sniffed.

"That woman saved Caleb's life back then, I think Caleb was fourteen at that time when a car almost hit him, fortunately that woman pushed him causing her to be hit by the car." Neli's eyes widened, she never thought Hazel was so brave to do such a thing. "She almost lost her life for saving Caleb, that's why Carmen treated that woman like her real daughter. To be honest, she even wants to marry her to Caleb, but of course I refuse so I offered you a marriage back then and I kinda regret it now. Carmen didn't object to your marriage when she found out that you are Nelia's daughter because they are friends when your mother was still alive. The reason why those two get along is because until now Carmen might still feel indebted to that woman for saving her son's life and used to having that woman always by her side, and perhaps she's also still guilty of what happened to her back then because she almost lost her life for saving Caleb."

Neli was dumbfounded while listening to Grandma's story, now she understands the reason why Caleb protects her and always takes Hazel side every time she says that she did something bad to her. It is because she saves his life, she is his savior, his benefactor, Hazel was ready to throw her own life since she was still young just to save him and Caleb wanted to reciprocate from what she did to him back then.

But what did she do for Caleb? She didn't even try to understand his feelings back then, Neli just realized now that they really deserve each other.

"But I still don't like her." Grandma continued. "I've been living in this world for seventy nine years and I've seen and met a lot of people, but that cunning woman is the one I hate the most. I feel irritated whenever I see her, as if she knows everything and everything she plans is happening. She can manipulate people, like how she manipulated Carmen and my grandson, and the other people around her."

She understands what Grandma's saying, because she herself has experienced how she manipulates other people just to make it look like it was her fault even though she didn't do anything.

"But, was the one who hit Hazel caught?" she suddenly asked Grandma. "And what is their reason for hitting over Caleb?"

Neli saw that Grandma was stunned by her question and she didn't answer as if she suddenly realized something, perhaps they didn't catch the suspect yet.

"Grandma, are you all right?" she asked her worriedly.

"Y-yeah, yeah." Grandma answered. "It's getting cold, can we go inside now?"