Chapter 3

The other customers had actually overheard our argument through the glass door a while ago.

So without a second thought, they spoke up for me.

The passenger seat is just the passenger seat. What's all this about half a bed? That's disgusting!

Exactly. Even a rideshare driver's wife doesn't tell customers they can't sit up front.

If you're that possessive, you might as well just tie your husband up at home.

Yeah, if you're so possessive, then don't spend someone else's money to buy a car. A wallet is a lot more private than a passenger seat.

...

Everyone piled on the mockery, and Georgette couldn't save face. She'd slapped me to make sure I knew who was in charge, to keep me in line, to squeeze more money out of me for the car. She had never imagined she'd become the target of everyone's scorn!

So she cracked a little, covered her face, and started wailing.

"There were rumors online that you shouldn't marry a widow's son, because it's not marrying the son, it's marrying the widow!"

"Morton, since you're taking your mother's side so hard, then let's just get divorced. You stay and live happily with your mother. Buy a car with a big passenger seat so you can haul her around everywhere."

Morton got frantic.

He pulled at me, trying to get me to go inside and apologize to Georgette, while also telling everyone to break it up, stop gawking, and stop talking nonsense.

But neither I nor anyone else took his words seriously.

Morton was furious.

"Mom, if you don't apologize right now, Georgette really will divorce me."

"I'm your only son. Just because your own marriage was unhappy, does that mean you want me to repeat the same mistake?"

"If we really get divorced, you'll be the one to blame. Can you carry that responsibility?"

I gave him another slap with the back of my hand.

"Stay married or don't, it's none of my business."

After returning both slaps, I left the car dealership without looking back and drove home.

Once I got home, my phone had dozens of missed calls and hundreds of WeChat messages piled up.

I didn't call anyone back, but I opened the messages and glanced at them, and every single one was blaming me, telling me to hurry up and pay, to hurry up and apologize.

Five:

I couldn't be bothered to reply, but then Morton called again. I meant to hang up, but I accidentally hit answer. I didn't say a word, and Morton didn't even notice I'd picked up. Instead, he angrily threw his phone down on the table.

"She still won't answer the phone."

"I really don't get it, why does she have to cause trouble at such a critical moment!"

Hearing this, Georgette stopped crying at once and spoke up anxiously.

"Mom, Dad, what do we do?"

"All my friends and coworkers know I'm getting a new car. If I can't drive it over tomorrow, how am I supposed to face anyone?"

Matthew and Celeste clicked their tongues.

"Morton, when Georgette loses face, you lose face. Are you really just going to stand there and watch and do nothing?"

Morton hadn't expected a simple car purchase to turn into this, so he mumbled.

"Georgette, you did say you were going to put my mom in her place today, to make her see she was wrong and give more money."

"My mother is, after all, someone with a bit of a reputation..."

Hearing this, Georgette cracked even harder.

"I only did it to get a grip on your mother!"

"And you're the one who said it yourself, that your mom dotes on you, that she treats you like her whole heart. So of course I figured no matter what I did, she'd forgive you."

"Whatever, I don't care. You have to fix this, or I really will divorce you."

Morton gritted his teeth for a long while, but in the end he couldn't bring himself to get angry at the Sawyers. He grumbled and cursed me out for a long time, and finally went with a zero-down-payment plan to buy the car for Georgette.

Only after the purchase was done.

He immediately sent me a message.

"I covered the down payment on the car for you for now. The down payment was a hundred thousand, and every month after this there's eight thousand in interest, all of which you have to pay!"

"This is what you agreed to."

I gave a little smile, blocked all of them on WeChat, and then picked up my phone to call Scott, the salesperson and broker who had helped me that day....