Anneliese pressed her lips together in silence, her expression stubborn.
Meanwhile, Jonathan tightened his grip on her hand and solemnly declared, "Grandpa, if my wife chooses to divorce me over this matter, then I'll have no choice but to leave the family with her. It's up to you."
Penelope immediately became uneasy. Rising to her feet, she tugged at Derek's arm.
"Forget about heading to the study. Just spit it out already!"
There was clearly more to the story. The Fullbusters already owed them a great debt—one which had brought them immense grief—yet even at a time like this, that d*mned old man was still being evasive.
If her beloved granddaughter-in-law chose to leave the family because of this, she would never forgive him!
Just the thought of it alone left her beside herself with anxiety.
Derek sighed.
Leaning on his cane, he sat back down on the couch and glanced at Elizabeth, who was looking very flustered. A look of deep disappointment and disgust flashed through his aged eyes.
"Explain everything yourself, Elizabeth."
All eyes turned toward Elizabeth.
Anneliese stared at Elizabeth intently, gripping Jonathan's hand so tightly that her nails left marks on the back of his hand.
It was as she had guessed—Elizabeth was connected to the fire.
With so many eyes on her, Elizabeth felt as though knives were stabbing her between the shoulder blades. She was reluctant to recall the events of that night, especially not in front of those younger than her. It was unbearably humiliating.
Her face went pale, and her body swayed unsteadily. She raised a hand to press against her forehead, looking as though she might faint at any moment.
Before she could complete her performance, Jonathan's voice rang out, cold and emotionless.
"Should I call for a private doctor now? Don't worry—you're not taking a single step out of the living room until you've explained everything clearly."
Though she wobbled again, she ultimately canceled her fainting episode after hearing those words.
Especially since the daughter-in-law she despised and scorned was among them, too.
She never expected Jonathan to lay out everything—without shielding or defending her in the slightest—in a calm, detached tone, revealing everything she couldn't bring herself to say.
Her emotions instantly erupted. She yelled at him, "Shut up, Jonathan! Is this how a son should treat his mother? Parents are never wrong; how dare you…"
Penelope couldn't stand to watch Elizabeth reprimanding her beloved grandson. Slamming her palm down on the coffee table, she rebuked Elizabeth angrily.
"There are plenty of parents who are wrong! After completely humiliating yourself in front of the children, you've now resorted to using your seniority to suppress them?! Which part of what Jonathan mentioned was wrong? If you dared to do something, then you shouldn't blame the child for exposing you!"
Elizabeth turned toward Penelope, whose eyes were icy with disgust and anger, her face burning with shame.
"Mom, that was so many years ago! Besides, you can't blame everything on me. Kenneth was at fault first! I only wanted to get back at him. You can't just pick on my mistakes while turning a blind eye to your own son's reckless behavior…"
Penelope raised a hand, interrupting Elizabeth mid-sentence. "I think we have been too lenient with you. We should've kicked you out of the family a long time ago, then we wouldn't have to deal with your growing resentment now."

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