Chapter 8: Misunderstanding

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Linda's body trembled, and the soreness throughout her body vanished instantly.

"Ethan, what are you doing?"

Timothy and Sophia appeared at the door at that moment, rushing toward Ethan and Linda.

"Smack—"

Sophia shoved Ethan aside angrily and said, "How dare you harass my mom?"

Timothy's veins bulged. "You little scumbag, harassing your mother-in-law in broad daylight? I'll kill you!"

He swung a punch at Ethan's shoulder.

The two had just returned from their morning jog and, hearing Linda's screams, rushed upstairs. To their shock, they found Linda looking humiliated and angry while Ethan appeared to be pulling on Linda's pants.

The scene looked appalling.

They instinctively assumed that Ethan was harassing Linda.

Ethan staggered slightly from the punch but calmly withdrew his hands from treating Linda's arm.

Linda, furious, roared, "Call the police immediately! Send this scoundrel to jail!"

Sophia glared at Ethan with disgust. "Ethan, you're an animal."

Sophia had been encouraged by Ethan's behavior the day before, feeling he was finally starting to show some ambition.

But now, she couldn't believe that Ethan would turn out to be such a pervert!

Harassing her mother?

She was heartbroken!

Ethan remained calm and looked Linda in the eye. "Mom, you should clear my name!"

Linda froze, then glanced at her now-flexible arms. She quickly realized that Ethan hadn't been harassing her but had actually been treating her.

However, she didn't explain to Timothy and Sophia.

"Clear your name? What name is there to clear?"

Linda sneered coldly. "You know exactly what you did."

She still harbored resentment over the humiliation she suffered at last night's birthday banquet.

"Harassing your mother-in-law and being caught red-handed, what's there to explain?"

Timothy pointed at Ethan, shouting, "Get out, just get out of here!"

He hesitated to call the police, fearing to air the family's dirty laundry.

Ethan stared at Linda. "Mom, are you really not going to clear my name?"

"Smack—"

A loud slap rang out.

Sophia, gritting her teeth, glared at Ethan.

"Harassing my mom and then threatening her to clear your name? Do you think we're dead?"

Ethan's face stung with pain, and five red finger marks appeared on his cheek.

His fists clenched tightly for a moment, but as he looked at Sophia's pale face, he loosened them again.

Touching his aching cheek, Ethan chuckled mockingly, glanced at Linda, and then turned to leave the yoga room.

Sophia wanted to scold him further but was stopped short when she saw his dejected face.

That slap seemed to widen the already vast chasm between them.

Then, her eyes landed on the camera in the corner of the room.

Linda enjoyed recording her yoga sessions.

Sophia walked over and replayed the footage.

Her expression quickly changed.

"Mom, Ethan wasn't harassing you. You got your arms stuck while doing yoga, and he was helping you free them."

Sophia brought the camera over to show Timothy and Linda.

Timothy leaned in for a closer look, and his face turned red with embarrassment.

In his earlier anger, he had lost all rationality. Watching the video now, he immediately noticed the inconsistencies.

If Linda had really been harassed by Ethan, she wouldn't have just casually told him to leave. She would have made sure he paid dearly.

"Yes, yes, I got my arms stuck during yoga, and he used some clumsy medical technique to help me."

Linda angrily pushed her husband aside. "But so what? Why do I owe him an explanation?"

"Are you trying to stand up for him? Are you planning to hit me instead? Go ahead, hit me, kill your own mother if you want!"

She threw a tantrum, almost rolling on the floor in defiance.

"You..."

Timothy was so furious his scalp tingled. Misjudging Ethan wasn't the problem—it was the fact that he had punched him unfairly.

Moreover, Linda had let this escalate without explaining or stopping him, making him feel like a villain.

"What about me? What about me?"

Linda shouted. "The Thompson family has supported him for a year. After he humiliated me at last night's banquet, shouldn't he suffer a little?"

Timothy felt utterly humiliated by Linda's behavior, wishing he could disappear into the ground.

Sophia, her head pounding, said, "Dad, Mom, you both owe Ethan an apology."

"Apology? Over my dead body!"

Linda scoffed. "He's a shameless ingrate. What makes you think he deserves my apology? What if I get struck by lightning for it?"

Frustrated, Sophia turned and left the Thompson family villa.

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