Hitched & Hitched Again: A Comedy of Marital Mayhem



Winona was someone who didn't mess around. She wore her heart on her sleeve, and if someone crossed her or those she cared about, they'd better watch out.

Messing with her sisters? Oh, hell no!

It didn't matter who you were, not even if you were the adoptive parents. No one got a free pass!

When Winona lost her cool, the Thorne family found themselves on the receiving end of her wrath. She didn't just stop at a verbal lashing; she called the cops on them, accusing them of extortion and assault.

The Thorne family was left licking their wounds, but they weren't going down without a fight. They protested their innocence in front of the officers, their pride unwavering even in the face of adversity.

The Newsoms might not have been old money, but they were loaded. Ridley and Caroline Newsom were livid when they saw their darling daughter injured and the Thorne family still daring to argue. They immediately got their lawyers involved, determined to pin the extortion charges on them. Seeing they had bitten off more than they could chew, the Thorne family finally showed fear, apologizing and begging for mercy through their tears. Winona hadn't intended to throw them behind bars; she just wanted to give them a scare, a little payback for Elysia. After warning them to never bother Elysia for money again, she not only reclaimed the ten grand they had taken but also managed to squeeze a hefty sum out of them for "medical expenses."

All that money? She handed it over to Elysia.

After that ordeal, the Thorne family didn't dare show their faces around Elysia's school again.

Mention Winona, and the Thorne family would shiver in fear. Winona had made a name for herself; she was their nightmare.

Thanks to her, Elysia could finally enjoy her college life in peace.

Blossom only found out about the whole saga later on. So, when she was looking at Daphne's photo, she didn't recognize her. But when Tarquin finished recounting what had happened today and Elysia's state afterward, she immediately said,Belonging © NôvelDram/a.Org.

"This woman must be Elysia's sister!"

"Sister?"

"Yeah, the daughter of Elysia's adoptive parents! Elysia only gets that mix of sadness and anger when she talks about them."

People usually stirred anger in her, but the Thorne family was different...

Because there had been love, there was also grief.

Elysia had lived with the Thorne family for twenty years, initially seeing them through rose-colored glasses, loving them with all her heart. Their journey had reached this point because, over time, Elysia had accumulated enough disappointments.

Every disappointment was a wound.

Eventually, battered and heartbroken, she had severed ties with them completely.

But the love and the pain had been real, which is why seeing the Thorne family now brought more sorrow than anger for her. Blossom said, "Elysia was adopted by Blake and Juliet. Not long after she was born, her biological parents mysteriously vanished, leaving her an orphan. As it happened, Blake and Juliet couldn't conceive, so they adopted Elysia. Then, the next year, they had a daughter of their own..."

Even though Blossom had never met the Thorne family, she knew plenty about them. Talking about the harm they'd caused Elysia made her visibly angry, her hands shaking and her eyes red with emotion.

"Winona and I often wish we could wield a huge sword and take them out for good! They've gone too far! It's a miracle Elysia made it through with them. Given that toxic home environment, I wouldn't have been surprised if Elysia turned into some kind of vigilante..."

Tarquin listened quietly from across the table, his expression solemn.

He seemed to have started smoking at some point, one cigarette after another...

By the time he and Blossom parted ways, the ashtray was overflowing.

He usually refrained from smoking in public, his manners impeccable, but today was different. Hearing about the injustices and pain Elysia had suffered, he lost his composure.

Outwardly calm, his heart was in turmoil.

He had long been acquainted with the darker sides of human nature, not easily shocked or surprised. Yet, what had Elysia done to deserve such malice? Why should someone as kind as her endure such intense hatred?

When Tarquin returned to his room, he found Elysia curled up in bed, crying in her sleep as if caught in a nightmare.