Love’s New Bloom By Simone Hastings

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Chapter 81 Trusting May 

“Hold it! What has my cousin done for you to treat her like that?” Erin hurried down the stairs. 

Chandler stared at her impassively. “Why don’t you ask her, Erin?” His breath reeked of alcohol. Erin could smell it from where she stood, more than 15 feet away. 

May sat on the ground in only Erin’s nightgown. One of the shoulder straps had slipped off her shoulder. Most of her skin was exposed, and she was just short of being indecent. 

She hastily covered her chest with her hands and raised her head, weeping grievously to Erin, “Erin, he… He attempted to force himself on me while he was drunk. I tried to leave! But he pushed me to the floor and tried to…I can’t live with this! I’d rather die!” May sobbed dramatically. 

A murderous glint flickered in Chandler’s eyes. How dare this shameless bitch churn up such stories to slander him? He had half a mind to just strangle her to death right then and there! He drew a deep breath to calm himself down. 

Erin’s expression was one of shock. She couldn’t believe May’s words, but from what she knew of May, she would never lie to her! She felt as though there was a hand around her heart, constricting it. Tighter and tighter, it squeezed until she could no longer catch her breath. She asked with disappointment, “Chandler Frost, what have you got to say now?” 

Flames of fury blazed in his dark eyes, and he spat through gritted teeth, “You trust her?” 

May’s eyes were laced with terror as she just came to realize how scary the absolutely perfect man before her was. Just a glance from him was enough to warrant her fear. But it was too late for her to back out now. She had to finish what she started, so she argued, “Erin, trust me! I’m not lying! You know me! I don’t even know who he is, why would I seduce him?” 

That statement immediately caught Chandler’s attention. He looked at May like she was nothing but filth. “Did I say that you seduced me?” He was beyond enraged, but still, he caught the meaning behind her words. 

However, by that point, Erin’s emotions had trumped her rationality. She swiftly went over and helped May, saying, “Let’s go, May! I’m bringing you away from here.” 

May’s gaze flickered around, avoiding Chandler’s. She dared not meet his eyes. Sobbing, she answered, “Okay, let’s get out of here.” 

“Erin Lane! Have you lost your fucking mind? Are you really buying your cousin’s pathetic lie? She’s obviously setting me up! Why won’t you believe me?” Chandler was chagrined. It showed how Erin held May in higher regard than him when she blatantly took May’s side. 

His words prompted Erin to turn around. “I never expected such a low move from you, Chandler! Does being drunk excuse your actions? My cousin isn’t like those girls at dodgy clubs whom you can treat however you like! This is not pardonable!” 

She trusted May fully and chose to believe that Chandler had been in the wrong, condemning him on the spot. 

“Fine!” Chandler was so furious that he repeated himself twice before roaring, “Get the hell out of here! Both of you! I never want to see any of you here again!” He strode off, smashing an antique vase in the corridor to the ground on his way out. It shattered into smithereens. 

Erin hurriedly sent May back to her room with orders to get changed quickly. Then, she returned to the closet in the master bedroom and packed her luggage, ready to leave. She wasn’t planning on ever coming back once she left. 

Ten minutes later, just as Erin was done packing her things into her luggage and about to leave, she bumped into Chandler, who was in a drunken stupor. He switched off the lights, kicked the door to the closet shut, and approached her. 

It was pitch black in the walk–in closet. Erin cried out in alarm, “Chandler, what…” 

He pressed his lips that reeked of alcohol to hers, nibbling and biting on them in a show of anger. Then, he forced her into a corner of the closet. Erin backed up until there was no way left to go, her back to a pile of clothes. 

Chandler pushed her onto the pile of clothes. 

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Erin screamed and shouted, but he simply pulled a scarf from beside him and tied her arms up. “You silly woman! Why did you not trust me?” he spat. 

Erin was disgusted by the thought of Chandler’s attempt to force himself on May. “Don’t even think of touching me, Chandler! Let me go!” 

His gaze zeroed in on her like a leopard locking onto its prey. He was beside himself with fury. How could she not trust him and choose to believe her scheming and conniving cousin instead? 

“Ahh!” Erin bit down on her lip, not at all ready for him. Her body thrashed against Chandler’s. 

“I’ll make you remember tonight for the rest of your life!” 

Two hours later, Erin pushed herself up on unsteady legs. Once she put on her clothes, Chandler threw her luggage out of the walk–in closet. He switched on the lights and stared at Erin. This was the woman who refused to believe him. “From now on, I’ll have nothing to do with you, Erin!” 

Erin propped herself up and hobbled slowly out of the closet. Then, all she heard was the heavy slamming of the closet door behind her. 

When Erin went looking for May, she was already standing outside her bedroom door with two bodyguards blocking her way. 

“What happened, Erin?” May was decently dressed now. 

The bodyguards seemed to have received instructions from their earpiece and left swiftly. 

May, who was no longer held back by them, immediately rushed over to hold Erin up. She took Erin’s luggage with her and helped her down the stairs. 

Approximately 40 minutes later, May sent Erin, who had passed out, to the hospital. 

Holly came soon after. The moment she set foot into the ward, she anxiously asked May, “What happened to Erin? Why is she suddenly hospitalized?” 

“The doctor said…” May hesitated. 

“Is she sick?” Holly got impatient. 

“No, she’s not sick. The doctor said it was due to aggressive activities in the bedroom…” 

Holly spewed a torrent of profanities. “What the fuck? Which faggot did it?” 

“It was her superior.” 

“Chandler Frost!” Holly exclaimed. She was caught off guard for a brief moment, unable to believe that. She had heard from Erin and Sean that Chandler had been treating Erin quite well recently. He even apologized to Erin for his past actions of threatening her with the photos. So how could something like this happen out of the blue? 

“Holly, why are you here?” Erin woke up to see Holly’s angry expression. 

“Erin, is it true what May said?” 

Erin glanced over at May. “Could you please buy me a bottle of water, May? I’m parched.” 

May looked at Holly and quickly understood that Erin wanted some time to speak with Holly in private. 

There was nobody else in the room apart from them. “I’ll go get it now,” May agreed. 

It took all but ten minutes for Holly to get the whole picture. Her brows were tightly knit as she asked Erin, “Do you really believe that Chandler would do that, Erin?”