Second Chances

Chapter 58 

Even Emma could not help but lift her eyebrows. 

She could tell that Kate’s brushstrokes were very odd, but she could not find any flaws for the time being. However, Liam could actually see through it so quickly. 

Sure enough, Kate was flustered. “Wh–what do you mean?” she said. “How could this not be my painting? With so many people watching. how could I possibly fake it? Even if you want to defend Emma so badly, you shouldn’t hurl mud at me.” 

Kate panicked and spoke without thinking. 

Liam’s eyes were like stars on a winter night as he pulled the canvas under Kate’s artwork, which was painted on a gelatin sheet. 

He took out a special light pen from his bag and shone it onto Kate’s canvas. 

Everyone was dumbfounded. 

“How… how come there is a painting on it?” 

“This… Could it be… 

“Kate actually had someone pre–paint on the canvas, and she just copied it on the spot!” 

This was a live painting competition. 

She asked someone else to paint it in advance. When the gelatin sheet was laid onto the canvas, only Kate could see the painting on the canvas under a special lighting angle. All she had to do was trace the outline. 

That was brazen cheating 

Even Simon frowned in displeasure. 

Bernard was even more disdainful. He said, “Miss Johnson, your conduct is so shameless, yet you still want to belittle Miss Wilson! You’re simply a disgrace to the cultural community!” 

“I know, right? I didn’t expect that the prestigious Johnson family would raise such a daughter. It’s shocking!” 

“In that case, Emma is much better than Kate. Not only is she beautiful, but she’s also really talented… The Hall family has two sons. Is there something wrong with Brad’s judgment of women?” 

The guests‘ discussions undoubtedly made Brad and Elsie look embarrassed and angry. 

Elsie could only keep pacifying the guests and smiling to calm things down. 

She also signaled to Kate using her eyes, urging Kate to leave quickly. 

Of course, Kate was also deeply humiliated. She came up with an excuse and ran out crying. 

As the party was coming to an end, Brad and Liam were both summoned to his study. 

Liam was not around. Elsle seized the opportunity to take Emma to the backyard–alone. 

After Emma left with Elsie, Levi texted Liam to inform him. He was worried that Elsie might do something harmful to Emma. 

Liam saw the message. Sure enough, he came up with an excuse to leave. 

As soon as his wheelchair reached the garden, he saw Elsie sitting on a bench by the lake inside the gazebo. 

Emma stood in the center of the gazebo, wearing a long dress with her back facing him. 

Levi looked at Elsie resentfully and said, “Mr. Hall, she must be trying to brainwash your wife again, Should we go there now and stop her?” 

During this period, he had personally witnessed the relationship between Liam and Emma. 

He thought, ‘Emma is truly a rare person who sincerely cares for Mr. Hall. She must stay true to her heart. After all, Mr. Hall has already suffered too much betrayal and cannot afford to lose his wife again…” 

Liam said nothing, lurking silently behind the green trees. He stared at Emma with a deep gaze, thinking, ‘Emma… will you trust me unconditionally?‘ 

Not far away, Elsie took out a stack of documents and said, “I heard you married Liam shortly after coming to Troln City, so I’m sure there are lots of things you are unaware of. The person bitten to death in this photo is Clifford Lawrence. He was thrown into a Rottweiler base by Liam because he chose to work for Brad. A living person was bitten to death just like that. This family was driven to bankruptcy and desperation because of Liam’s improper business competition. The husband committed suicide by jumping off a building. The wife went to jail. Their two children are now in an orphanage. One died of illness, and the other became mentally ill. This family was ruined. Numerous families have suffered similar harm from him. This photo was taken when Brad was abused by him back then. He didn’t eat and drink for three days and nights, nearly starving to death.” 

Elsie showed Emma a pile of things about Liam’s bloody and cruel “dirty past“. 

Then, she said, “Did you see that? This is the person you married. He’s not a human at all. He’s a demon!” 

Emma looked at the photos calmly, not saying anything. 

As she was silent, Elsie continued to speak with deeply moving emotions. 

“Perhaps outsiders think that Brad and I are oppressing him, but you people have no idea how he used to abuse us” she said. “We’ve endured for so many years before we can live a normal life. If you want to survive, don’t carry on siding with him.” 

in the darkness, where Emma couldn’t see, Liam silently clenched his fists. 

He stared at Emma, and each second felt like an eternity. 

He thought, “Emma… 

Liam was about to clench his fists until his palms bled. 

Just then, Emma spoke up. 

“Are you suggesting that you want me to join you?” she asked. 

Elsie frowned as she said, “After seeing these photos, do you still want to help such a dreadful person?” 

Emma laughed. 

If it weren’t for the fact that she had some understanding of Liam’s background in her previous life, she would have nearly believed what Elsie said today. 

Liam had lost his mother when he was a child, and he had suffered a lot of abuse from Elsie since childhood. 

UO–JU MUNI, 

Simon was busy with his career at that time. Elsie fed Liam leftovers and treated him worse than a dog. 

Elsie even specifically hit Liam in places where the bruises wouldn’t show, causing him to bleed profusely. 

Simon couldn’t see it, but he let Brad deliberately expose Liam’s scars while they changed clothes during their physical education and horseback riding classes, crushing his self–esteem in front of all their classmates. 

When Liam was ten years old, Elsie even deliberately set fire to the Hall family’s old mansion. 

She locked Liam in the basement, intending to burn him alive. 

83%1 

If it weren’t for the servant who had raised Liam from a young age risking her life to save him back then, Liam would have died long ago. 

But it was also that fire that caused Liam to lose the person he trusted and was closest to 

That was a painful past buried in his heart that couldn’t be shared with other people. Emma only found out about it before she died in her 

previous life. 

So, he feared fire the most, yet in Emma’s previous life, he was willing to die in the sea of fire to save her… 

As for the person named Clifford, as far as she knew, he was not killed by Liam… 

Elsie did not mention these truths at all. Instead, she created a bunch of distorted facts to hurl mud at Liam. 

“This Elsie is indeed disgusting to the core!‘ Emma thought. 

Elsie saw Emma’s eyes turn bloodshot after listening to her words, thinking that Emma believed her words. Secretly feeling smug, she said, “Look carefully. He’s such a person. He’s not worthy of you staying by his side. Even more so, he’s not worthy of you loving him!” 

‘Not worthy of being loved, Liam thought. Text © 2024 NôvelDrama.Org.

Right after Elsie said that, Liam’s palms had already been squeezed until they bled profusely. 

Elsie secretly saw his expression and smiled in enjoyment. 

She enjoyed the feeling of crushing his heart time and time again. 

Even more so, she enjoyed the feeling of him enduring betrayal over and over again. 

Just as she was completely confident, waiting for Emma to once again inflict pain on Liarp, Emma said softly, “Elsie, I’m puzzled. Where earth do you get the confidence, feeling certain that I would betray my husband to help you and Brad, a mistress and a bastard?” 

There was dead silence in the atmosphere. 

Elsie looked at Emma in shock, appearing as if she could not believe what she had just heard.