My Dreamy Old Husband
Chapter 868

Michael was holding Carmen's hand as they were about to leave when he stopped dead in his tracks upon hearing it. He turned his head back and stared at Ashton, his eyes welled with raging fury.

He was still a gentle, loving father two seconds ago before his raw furor got the better of him. “Ashton... what did you just say?”

Ashton was taken aback by the sudden outburst of Michael's rage, but he hugged his father's leg and summoned the courage to speak the truth. “Al had lifted Mel and Lulu's skirts before, and this time, he tried to take off Carmen's pants!”

Hope, who was in Harry's arms, suddenly blurted out, “Judgey was right to bite Al. Mommy said those who lift girls’ skirts are bad people, and bad people deserve to be bitten!”

After both toddlers spoke their minds, the room was momentarily silent. A sudden realization hit Sophia as her face turned pale and tears streamed down her face beyond control.

Michael felt his body trembling before he quietly carried Carmen into the sports equipment room, leaving everyone outside. No one was allowed to enter except Sophia and Sarah.

In the equipment room, Sophia held Carmen softly and asked, “Baby, about what Ashton and Hope said earlier, was it true? Did Al try to take off your pants?”

Carmen was still in shock over what happened earlier today. With a face filled with pity, she looked at her mother and nodded as she answered, "He even took off other kids’ pants and skirts. He tried to do the same to me yesterday, but I didn't let him, and then Hope and Ashton beat him up. Daddy said not to let others take off my skirt. Only bad people do that. I went home and told Judgey, so it brought its puppies to bite AL"

Sophia listened to Carmen with sighs between her breaths. She felt as if her body had frozen from the disturbing realization of what had happened. Michael, who was standing next to her, grimaced in silence.

“Come, Carmen. Let me see,” whispered Sophia as she carefully lifted Carmen's skirt with her pale, trembling hands and saw a white-colored shorts with bear prints.

Carmen then raised her skirt further and revealed her stomach. She pointed at two scratch marks on her tummy and thighs, which was thankfully not deep, and said, “Here, look at this, and this. Al and Daryl kept wanting me to take my pants off, but I wouldn't let them. So they kept forcing me, and I got scratched. Judgey then came in and bit AL"

Michael also observed the two scratch marks on Carmen's tummy and thigh. They looked shallow and were probably made by children.

He kept gazing at them, not realizing that the veins on his forehead were popping out.

No one had any idea how a trivial matter like this drove him to his wit's end.

It might have been an innocent prank among children who did not know better, but on a serious note, it was an immoral act of perversion!

Sophia shared a dark past similar to this when she was younger. The pain and trauma never left her until her adulthood. Such a painful experience sent her spiralling into a depressive episode, which took her a long time to recover from.

She was this close to going back out to clobber that little monster there and then.

However, she held her composure and planted a kiss on Carmen's cheeks. She then turned to Michael and uttered, “Michael, please bring Carmen to get checked at the hospital. As for those that are outside... I'll take care of them.”

Michael paused for several seconds before moving over to carry Carmen from Sophia“s arms. He took a couple of steps toward the door before he turned back abruptly and gave his wife a hug as he said, “Wait for me to come home.” After that, he continued his way out as his vision got blurred by his tears.

Carmen was leaning on her father's shoulders when she waved at Sophia. “Bye-bye, Mommy." Sophia let out a forced smile and replied, “I will see you in a bit, baby.”

The father and daughter strolled off as they chatted.

“Daddy, are you still angry at Judgey for biting Al?"

“No, not at all. Next time, if someone ever bullies you again, don't send Judgey—tell me instead. I will come and bite them myself.”

Outside the sports equipment room, Sandra was causing a commotion. She spoke aloud to the crowd. “Scarlett Mitchell is Sophia Edwards! She faked her death three years ago to scam her insurance company, and now, she’s come back with another identity! She weaseled her way into the Mitchell Family and took over Old Master Mitchell's fortune. She even tried to put her name into our family tree! After my father exposed both her and her father's plot, they've started to lay their hands on my brother now!”

Although the other parents had no idea what had happened between both families, what remained everyone's concern was the fact that Sophia's dog had injured Albert. This incident had made it worse for Cooper in the midst of the civil rivalry within the Mitchell Family.

Cooper stood quietly outside the sports equipment room. He no longer paid attention to all the words that Sandra was spewing to the crowd for he had seen his fair share of pointless provocations in his life. All he cared about at that moment was his beloved granddaughter.

Soon after, the door from the equipment room opened, whereupon Michael walked out with Carmen in his arms. Carmen gently called out to Cooper. “Grandpa.”

Even a stoic man like Cooper could not resist Carmen's tender voice. He instantly turned in her direction and said, “Carmen, baby, how are you feeling? Do you feel pain anywhere? If you do, you have to tell me, Daddy, or Mommy!”

Carmen lay on Michael's shoulder and replied, “I don't feel pain anymore, but I'm hungry.”

Michael, whose face was still stone-cold, said to Cooper, “Hey, Cooper, I'll leave this matter here to you. I'm bringing Carmen to the hospital for a check-up.”

Cooper never said another word and nodded before he ordered someone to escort Michael out. Sandra saw Michael leaving and hurriedly caught up with him. “Stop right there. Hand me the child!” Michael sped up his steps and headed right out of the kindergarten to get into his car, which headed to the hospital without further delay. Sandra stomped her heels and cried out, “Do you think you all can get away with this? You've hurt my brother, and our family will not let this pass!” Sophia stood aimlessly in the equipment room. All that was in her mind was the two scratch marks on her poor baby's tummy and thighs. She could feel the pain from those scratch marks in her very own heart.

Her daughter was barely three years old. How could they hurt her like that?!

Sarah tried to console her and said, “It's okay. Don't worry. Hope said he'd beaten up that kid!"

But she knew for a fact that she was unsure of how best to make her friend feel better.

It was a good thing that Sophia had forgotten everything in the past.

The Sophia she knew back then might have looked happy and cheerful every day, but only Sarah knew that she had been relying on antidepressants to keep herself going.

Her childhood trauma had affected her life for the most part. Those who had depression always kept to themselves and battled their pain quietly on their own up until the day they could no longer keep up and would eventually break into pieces all of a sudden.

Cooper rushed in and saw Sophia still in a trance. He quickly asked, “Darling, are you okay?"

His greatest fear was to see both his babies get hurt.

His baby daughter had suffered greatly since childhood, and he was worried that she would recall those miserable memories and suffer everything in one go.

Sophia let out a smile and reassured her father. “Daddy, I'm fine. Don’t you worry."

She walked out of the equipment room with Sarah and saw Sandra still yelling and shouting at the entrance.

“Sophia, Sarah, look at what your kids have done to my brother! You owe me an explanation today!” Her brother was still crying beside her. He was in his summer shorts due to the warm weather, so one could see several wounds on his thighs and arms, which were bandaged. On his face, there were a few light imprints of a hand, which suggested he had gotten slaps on the cheek.

He was evidently frightened and wished to return home, but Sandra insisted that he stayed put. He continued to cry in fear as his sister screamed at the crowd.

This time, it was Sophia’s turn to direct her tear-filled eyes back at Sandra, her stare red with a beastly wrath.

“An explanation? I will give you an explanation now!"