Chapter 544
544:
Pain wracked Linsey’s body, cold sweat breaking out on her forehead as she slid weakly to the floor. She lifted a trembling hand to touch her throbbing shoulder.
It hurt. Every inch of her ached, except for one place. Her abdomen felt unharmed.
Carol loomed over her, eyes glittering with something far from remorse. If anything, she looked pleased.
Had she known how satisfying it would be to put Linsey in her place, she would have done it sooner. After all, Collin didn’t care about his so-called wife. And as the daughter of the powerful Lawson family, she had every right to teach a lowly commoner a lesson.
The thought sent a surge of delight through her, an involuntary smirk curling her lips. She let out a dramatic sigh, shaking her head. “Oh dear, look at you. How pitiful.”
The sharp click of her heels echoed ominously in the cramped storage room, each step like a weight pressing down on Linsey’s chest. Carol’s gaze flickered to Linsey’s trembling hand.
“Why is your hand shaking? Did you sprain it? Or maybe you hit something?”
Carol’s words sounded concerned, but her voice held not an ounce of sympathy. Then, without hesitation, she lifted her foot and pressed the ridged sole of her designer shoe onto Linsey’s injured hand. Then she ground it down.
“Ah!” Linsey let out a hoarse cry, pain tearing through her like white-hot lightning. Desperately, she shoved at Carol’s elegant heel. “Let go!”
The searing agony coursed through her body, her breath coming in sharp, ragged gasps. Cold sweat drenched her face in seconds. Her veins stood out against her pale skin as she fought against the crushing weight, but Carol didn’t budge.
Tears welled in Linsey’s eyes, not from weakness—but from pain. Alexa watched from across the room, her heart pounding.
Alexa couldn’t tell if it was her own illness making her feel this way, but she simply couldn’t bear to watch any longer.
Find the magic on gⱯlnσν𝓮𝓁s․𝒸𝗼𝗺
“Miss Lawson…” She hesitated before speaking. “The birthday party is about to start. You should go ahead and prepare.”
Carol withdrew her foot instantly, as if she had lost interest, standing with a casual, almost indifferent posture. Alexa’s gaze dropped to Linsey’s injured hand, and for a brief moment, she froze.
Linsey instinctively pulled her hand back, but the wound on her arm made every movement slow and excruciating. Her fingers trembled uncontrollably from the lingering pain. For a moment, her gaze turned hollow. She cradled her injured hand against her chest, her breathing uneven. A single tear escaped her eye, landing silently on her bloodied skin.
Carol let out a pleased hum. “You’re right. I should get going.”
She turned away, humming a lighthearted tune as if nothing had happened. “Stay here and watch her. I’ll be back after the party.”
“Yes, Miss Lawson,” Alexa murmured, lowering her head.
With that, Carol swept out of the storage room, her entourage trailing behind, leaving only Linsey and Alexa in the thick, suffocating silence.
Alexa stood stiffly to the side, forcing herself to remember her purpose. Protect her daughter. That thought was the only thing keeping her from giving in to the pang of guilt twisting in her chest.
Years ago, she had made a choice—one that changed Linsey’s fate forever. She had personally swapped the Lawson family’s real daughter—Linsey—with her own child. And after the switch, she hadn’t even cared to raise Linsey. She had abandoned her without a second thought. But fate had played a cruel trick.
Alexa’s mind drifted. She was lost in old memories, until Linsey’s hoarse voice suddenly cut through the silence. “At the last Lawson family banquet, you tried to kill me, didn’t you?”
.
.
.