Chapter 165
Effie glanced at the time; it was about time to leave.
You should never wish harm on others, but you must always be wary of them.
Everything was in place now. Effie was ready to go, letting Isabel enjoy the “fun” she’d so carefully planned for herself.
She brought this upon herself.
From inside the cabin, Isabel’s shrill screams blended with ragged gasps—almost too harsh to listen to.
Just as Effie turned to leave, she spotted a figure hurrying toward the cabin.
It was Isabel’s manager, with a woman trailing behind her.
The two of them headed straight for the small house.
Effie watched for a moment, then slipped away.
Lyman had been waiting nearby, relieved to see that Effie hadn’t gone into the cabin. He’d just stepped aside to answer a call, and now that he was back, Effie was already on her way out.
They left together.
In the car, Lyman asked, “Did you get a good look at who went in?”
Effie thought for a moment, glanced at him, and replied, “I saw Miss Isabel and her manager…”
She was curious to see how Lyman would react.
His expression didn’t change. He simply responded with a quiet “Hmm,” tapping his long fingers on the steering wheel, his thoughts impossible to read.
Effie shot him a sideways glance. When she saw that he didn’t seem to care, she turned away, a subtle smile tugging at her lips.
Lyman glanced over, his eyes dark and unreadable. “She made her choice. She’ll have to live with the consequences.”
Effie pressed her lips together and said nothing more.
Her feelings were complicated, too.
She’d only asked to test the waters.
Lyman, meanwhile, had already had someone look into things and uncovered Carole’s involvement. It was obvious Isabel had orchestrated the whole mess.
Lyman felt a pang of disappointment. He couldn’t understand what had changed in Isabel. Why had she turned on Effie? Was it because of him?
He furrowed his brow, wrestling with conflicted emotions.
This time, he wouldn’t interfere. People had to own up to what they’d done.
Back at the cabin, Carole had rushed over, but found no sign of Isabel or Yolande.
A sudden, desperate howl from inside made Carole jump.
She recognized the voice-it was Isabel.
Carole pounded on the door, but there was no response.
Out of options, she grabbed a rock and smashed the lock.
She pushed the door open, and the scene that greeted her nearly took her breath away.
Inside, Isabel’s voice was hoarse and fading, while a few men nearby leered and laughed in a way that made Carole’s stomach turn.
“Isabel!”
Carole’s eyes widened in disbelief.
How did it come to this?
The men had already stripped down, ready to take things further.
“Back off! If you don’t want to spend the night in jail, get out of here-now. The cops are on their way; I’ve already called them.” Carole shouted.
She was bluffing, acting on pure impulse.
She’d expected to find Effie in danger, not Isabel.
Isabel recognized Carole’s voice and, for a moment, it sounded like salvation.
Thank God-Carole was here.
She’d thought she was done for.
“Ca… Carole…” Isabel managed, each word a struggle.
Her face was swollen and bruised beyond recognition.
If she hadn’t spoken, Carole wouldn’t have known it was Isabel at all.
Terrified by Carole’s threat, the men scrambled to get dressed and bolted from the cabin.
Carole knew exactly what had happened—and that calling the police was out of the question.
After all, she’d been the one who’d asked Yolande to set this up. She just hadn’t expected Isabel to be the one trapped inside.