My Actor Husband's True Face

Chapter 12

Old Caldrich was moved to his room, and his personal doctor arrived shortly afterward. As the examination took place, Shannon and Maxime waited outside at the head butler’s request.

Shannon looked anxious, repeatedly glancing at the closed door, feeling a pang of guilt.

As for Maxime, he was anxious as well, but his appearance remained calm, almost out of place.

“Did you know this would happen to Grandpa?” Maxime suddenly asked.

Shannon had not expected anyone to try to start a conversation with her. She merely glanced at him indifferently and gave no response.

Maxime snorted softly, then said again, “It’s petty, you staying silent earlier made me say it, and now Grandpa is falling ill. So when he wakes up, he will still defend you, won’t he?”

Hearing the accusation, Shannon’s eyes widened as she stared at Maxime with a complicated expression. Then she let out a small chuckle and turned her face away.

Indeed, in Maxime’s eyes, she was nothing but petty. What was the point of explaining further when the man neither wanted to hear nor would listen at all?

Not long after, several members of the Caldrich family who had some free time began to arrive after receiving the news.

Maxime’s mother, Magdalena, came with her daughter, Maurice. The moment she saw Shannon, her expression darkened instantly. She had known about Shannon’s disappearance over the past few days, which had caused Old Caldrich to scold Maxime.

Now, seeing Shannon here, combined with the current trouble, she had already decided that Shannon was to blame.

Magdalena pointed at her angrily and said, “I know nothing good ever comes when it involves you!”

Shannon took a step back, lowered her head, and clenched her fists. As usual, she could not fight back against the accusing stares.

“If you can’t be a good daughter-in-law and wife, then at least be a good granddaughter!”

Someone else spoke up, “What did you expect from her? Even her own parents didn’t want her.”

Those words, more than any insult before, pierced Shannon’s heart. It was a long-standing weakness, stirring painful memories from her past. Even though she had given up on her parents, it didn’t mean she wanted to hear others say it right to her face.

Her legs wobble, and she nearly fell, but the wall behind caught her.

In the end, she decided to leave without looking back at anyone.

“Hey, where do you think you are going? Don’t think you can just run away!”

“Ma’am, let her go,” Maxime’s voice interrupted, causing Magdalena and the others to ignore Shannon.

Maxime quietly watched Shannon’s back as she slowly disappeared from sight. His gaze was complicated. He had seen everything that had happened, the helplessness, the deep sadness, and the unspoken anger in her expression.

Apparently, in all the time since their marriage, he had never seen Shannon like that. Or perhaps he simply hadn’t wanted to notice.

Not long after, the family doctor came out and said that Old Caldrich was too shocked and angry, causing his old ailments to resurface.

“It’s best not to upset him any further. His body is old and fragile now, anything could happen.”

Everyone agreed, and one by one they intended to check on him in his room. But the head butler asked them not to disturb him, at Old Caldrich’s own request.

“Young Master Maxime, your grandfather wishes to speak with you privately.”

Maxime knew this moment would come. There was no way his grandfather would let him go easily after everything that happened. He entered the room and saw the old man propped up against the headboard, his face pale and weak. It made Maxime feel guilty, whether he wanted to or not.

“Grandpa,” Maxime called softly, standing not far from the bed.

“Have you thought it over?” Old Caldrich asked bluntly.

Maxime didn’t answer yes or no, but said, “Grandfather, she is the one who kept threatening divorce, even lying about the divorce papers and such. I was just playing along with her game.”

Old Caldrich slammed his hand on the table angrily, but was soon calmed by the head butler.

“Shannon didn’t threaten, and she didn’t lie!” Old Caldrich shouted.

“Grandfather, she’s that kind of person. Hasn’t she always come to you to complain and drive a wedge between us, between grandfather and grandson? Why do you keep defending her? Is she your granddaughter or am I?”

Old Caldrich hit his chest, took a deep breath in his anger, and glared at his foolish grandson with irritation.

After a moment of calm, Old Caldrich spoke again.

“Why do I have to have a foolish grandson like you? Do you think I don’t know how you treat her? Do you think I’m not capable of seeing who you really are?”

He asked the head butler to retrieve something from the drawer and handed it to Maxime.

“Look, this is the divorce paper Shannon wrote and left at your house. If the housemaid hadn’t reported it to me, I would have suspected you’d already signed it!”

“Grandpa, this…” Maxime was at a loss for words, only staring at the divorce agreement before it was taken back by the head butler.

He hadn’t expected Shannon to be telling the truth at all. Everything he thought about her turned out to be just his own assumptions.

Maxime looked somewhat confused.

“In any case, I will never approve your divorce. If you do divorce Shannon, as long as I’m alive, you will no longer carry the Caldrich name!”

“Grandpa, are you serious? Just for an outsider—”

Old Caldrich threw the glass on the bedside table toward Maxime and shouted, “She’s not an outsider. Our family is here now, all thanks to Shannon’s grandfather. She is my granddaughter-in-law, my granddaughter!”

Before Maxime could say anything, Old Caldrich waved him off.

“Go, bring Shannon back. I don’t want to die angry at you!”