Chapter 97: Confession
The husband who had been in a coma finally woke up today. Unfortunately, he clearly remembered that it was Frank who beat him up that night.
When Ian found out, he stormed back home and gave Frank a brutal beating.
"I saw what that man did. He's a pervert! I was protecting you. You're not working at that supermarket anymore. I'll find you a new job," Frank said, covering his bruised face, trying to stay calm.
"What did you just say?! You're the pervert!" Ian snapped. His rage boiled over, his eyes bloodshot as he broke free from Fiona and delivered a vicious kick to Frank's stomach.
Bang! Frank stumbled backward and knocked over a chair.
"That's enough, Ian!" Lip shouted, finally stepping in and pulling Ian back.
"Don't stop me, Lip! I'm gonna kill this bastard. Did you forget what he did to you? You and Karen broke up because of him! Don't you want to hit him too? If you won't, I'll do it for you!" Ian growled furiously.
Lip froze. Ian's words struck a nerve.
"Enough! All of you!" Fiona's voice cut through the tension like a whip.
At Fiona's command, Ian finally stopped, but his eyes remained locked on Frank with hatred.
"Was it you who beat up Kash?" Fiona asked. Kash was the name of the ***husband.
Frank nodded. "Yeah."
"Why?" she pressed.
"He… did something. I got too angry. Either way, Ian shouldn't be working with him," Frank said carefully, still clinging to a shred of reason. He didn't want to reveal Ian's secret.
"Whether it's right for him or not, that's for Ian to decide," Fiona cut in.
"And one more thing—did you tell someone about Steve's secret?" Fiona knelt down and asked.
"Steve's secret? No, I never told anyone," Frank replied, shaking his head.
"Liar," Fiona said, her voice cold with disappointment.
Frank finally noticed the suitcase beside Fiona. "What's with the luggage?"
Slap! Fiona suddenly slapped him across the face.
Her heart was already a mess from bailing on Jimmy. Now, with all this chaos at home, it was like salt on a wound.
She remembered Jimmy telling her that it was Frank and Officer Tony who conspired to drive him away—and that Frank had promised to help Tony get with Fiona afterward.
Fiona knew just how much Frank hated Jimmy. In her heart, she had already concluded that Frank was behind Jimmy being forced to leave Chicago… even using her as a bargaining chip.
And now Frank was still lying. That crushed what little faith she had left.
"Fiona…" Frank looked stunned, dazed by the slap.
"Get out. You're not welcome here. We never want to see you again!" Fiona said, her voice trembling with tears.
"Why? I didn't do anything," Frank protested, utterly confused.
He looked to Ian and Lip, hoping for backup, but both of them just stared back coldly.
Then he looked to Debbie and Carl. Carl still seemed lost, unsure what was going on. Debbie opened her mouth to say something, but Lip gently squeezed her hand. She looked at Ian, then at Fiona and Frank, and finally lowered her head in silence.
Fiona walked to the front door, opened it, and stared silently at Frank—her way of offering one final shred of dignity.
"I really didn't do anything… And I never told anyone about Jimmy's secret either…" Frank mumbled as he trudged toward the door, trying to explain himself.
Bang! The door slammed shut in his face before he could finish.
Staring at the closed door, Frank opened his mouth as if to speak, but said nothing. He turned and left the house.
"Alright, everyone clean up. Dinner will be ready soon," Fiona said, taking a deep breath to steady herself.
"This… is your choice?" Lip asked, glancing at her suitcase as they tidied up.
He was the only one who knew about Jimmy's plan to run away with Fiona.
So when he saw her come back with the luggage, he understood her decision without asking.
Fiona didn't respond. She simply carried the suitcase upstairs.
"You won't regret it?" Lip asked as he helped her lift it up.
"No," Fiona answered softly.
"Thanks," Lip said as he placed the suitcase back in her room.
"Alright, time to head down and cook." Fiona gave him a quick hug, ruffled his curly hair, and kissed the top of his head.
Dinner that night was quiet. No one had much of an appetite after everything that had happened.
After dinner, Fiona brought out a medical kit from Veronica's place to treat Ian's hand. He had punched Frank so hard in his anger that he hadn't even noticed he'd injured himself.
"Fiona," Ian said as she finished bandaging him up and was about to walk away.
"Hmm?" she turned to him.
The real reason Ian was so furious was because Frank had called someone a pervert.
Frank had meant Kash—a man twice Ian's age—but the insult cut deeper than that.
Still, after everything, Ian had begun to come to terms with it.
"I've known for a long time," Fiona said quietly in response to Ian's unspoken confession.
Her calm answer stunned him.