Instead of arguing with Amara, Elowen turned frantically to Larry. “Dad, yes, I did it. But the baby in her stomach is an illegitimate mistake…”

“Dad, you don’t want her to keep the baby either, right? So me trying to get rid of it wasn’t even a bad thing! And she hit me for it! She’s the one who took it too far…”

Amara’s pulse jumped in her temple.

This was exactly why she hadn’t originally planned to tell Larry. Elowen was right— Larry considered the baby a shameful mistake that needed to be erased. Amara had been terrified that if she told him, he might actually agree with Elowen’s twisted logic.

But after Fiona’s stunt today, she decided to test the waters and force his hand.

Now, hearing Elowen vocalize her deepest fear, Amara tensed, her eyes instinctively darting to Larry.

Larry didn’t even look at Amara. He kept his cold gaze fixed on Elowen. “Since you have so much free time to plot against your sister, you can stay grounded. Those dates are canceled.”

“If you spend your days obsessing over how to ruin people, even if you did get married, you’d end up just like your friend Amelia-divorced and discarded. You’re better off staying single.”

“Stay in this house and figure out how to fix your rotten attitude.”

Larry had heard through the grapevine that Amelia Abbott had been dumped by the Walker family. And when she was thrown out, even her own flesh and blood, the Abbott family, refused to take her back. He had wondered what kind of monstrous act could warrant such universal exile.

Now it made perfect sense. Amelia’s involvement in poisoning Amara must have been exposed, prompting both the Walkers and the Abbotts to cut ties to save themselves.

Elowen stared at her father in shock. Was she hearing this right? Because of a few words from Amara, her father was extending her punishment?

And worse-he was canceling her dates and forbidding her from marrying?

The whiplash from extreme joy to utter despair was too much. Elowen couldn’t handle it. She collapsed back into her chair and burst into hysterical sobs.

“Dad, you can’t do this to me! Her

wouldn’t be a pity if she lost it!

baby is a problem anyway! It

didnt eve

do anything w

wrong!

Please, let me out.

She wasn’t the type who could handle being cooped up. Being trapped in the house for weeks had nearly driven her insane.

She had just been granted a taste of freedom, only to have it violently ripped away again. It was unbearable.

She sobbed loudly right there at the dining table, completely abandoning whatever shred of dignity she had left.

Fiona was trembling with sheer rage—furious at Larry for his decision, and burning with hatred for Amara.

Larry watched the sobbing girl with deep irritation. Neither he nor Fiona were the emotional type, yet Elowen burst into hysterics over every minor inconvenience. How did she end up like this?

Was it because she spent all her

time living a pampered life, nevemet

working, never facing a single real psychological

storm, that hot

resilience was so pathetically weak?

Disgusted, he turned away from Elowen and looked at Amara. “Come with me. We need to talk.”

His voice was heavy. Without waiting for a response, he stood up and headed straight for his home office.

Amara stared at his retreating back, a knot forming in her stomach. She stood up and followed him, her heart pounding.

What did he want to talk about? Was he going to reprimand her?

After all, he still firmly believed she needed to abort the pregnancy. Was he about to

use this whole disaster as an excuse to lecture her about it again?