Chapter 360
Adeline’s eyes darkened, her glare sharp enough to kill.
She let out a cold, contemptuous huff. “She’s just like her good-for-nothing mother -can’t keep herself in line for a second! That woman-if anything happens to my precious grandson, I swear I won’t let her off the hook!”
At first, Adeline had assumed Suzan came from decent stock, being the daughter
of the Bagnold family. But after spending some time around her, she realized Suzan was little more than a pretty face with nothing between her ears.
Later, after digging around, Adeline finally learned the truth about Suzan’s background.
She was even worse than Effie!
If she’d known from the start, she would never have let Suzan and Mitchell get involved. But it was too late now.
So, for the time being, Adeline could only grit her teeth and bear it.
She’d wait until Suzan gave birth, and then she’d make sure Suzan paid for everything.
Just then, Vera and Shepard Bagnold arrived, only to catch the tail end of Adeline’s venomous tirade.
Vera’s face flushed red, then drained pale, her expression shifting between embarrassment and fury.
Shepard shot Vera a hard look. “What’s going on here?”
Vera bit her lip, not wanting to answer.
Under Shepard’s stern gaze, Vera finally caved and told him everything.
By the time she finished, Shepard was so angry he looked like he might explode. “You think your daughter is some streetwalker? Teaching her-” Shepard broke off, shaking with rage. “You’re going to be the death of me! The Bagnold family’s reputation is in ruins thanks to the two of you!”
Vera felt wronged. Everything she’d done was to keep Mitchell from straying, to make sure Suzan held onto her place.
She protested, “It’s just normal married life—nothing should have gone wrong. Back when I was pregnant with you, nothing happened to me…..”
Shepard’s cheeks flushed with embarrassment. He stammered, “That was then. Maybe Suzan’s not as robust as you were.”
Privately, Vera wondered if Mitchell and Suzan had simply gotten too carried away.
But right now, Suzan was still in the emergency room, her fate and the baby’s hanging by a thread.
If they questioned Mitchell, he’d never tell the truth anyway, so all they could do was wait for Suzan to pull through and ask her what really happened.
They waited all through the night into the next day. Hours dragged on, everyone exhausted and frayed, but Suzan and her unborn child were still not out of danger.
That very morning, Effie and her grandmother had come to the hospital to pick up some blood pressure medication. On their way in, they overheard some cleaning ladies whispering about the drama.
It wasn’t as if they were trying to eavesdrop-they just happened to be in the
same elevator and couldn’t help but hear.
When the elevator doors slid open, Effie’s grandmother led her out and said, “Effie, listen to me: if you get pregnant, don’t go doing anything reckless with your
husband. It’s not just your e
safety at stake, but the baby’s too. I don’t want anything to happen to you, understand?”
She spoke matter-of-factly, but Effie’s cheeks flushed crimson with embarrassment.
Effie nodded obediently. “I understand.”
“Well, well, what are you understanding?” A mocking voice cut through the hallway. “A hen that’s never laid an egg is worried about batching chicks? Maybe worry about getting pregnant in the first place before you start fretting about anything else.”
Effie knew that voice all too well. She turned and, sure enough, there was Adeline,
her face twisted with scorn.
Behind her stood Mitchell, Shepard, and the rest.
Effie’s gaze landed on Mitchell’s pajama top, still stained with blood-and in that instant, everything clicked.