Chapter 696

Chapter 696:
Erica agreed, “Indeed. At that moment, an unexpected wave of dizziness washed over me, accompanied by an unbearable ache in my chest. My vision blurred, and everything seemed doubled. Despite struggling to return to the banquet hall, I could faintly hear the commotion outside. However, being unwell, I lacked the energy or concern to find out what was happening. Afterward, I sought refuge at Mrs. Crawford’s house to rest. Mrs. Crawford is a good friend of mine. That’s the series of events. Upon returning home the next day, Mrs. Crawford had already informed Milton. It wasn’t until Milton’s visit that I learned of your miscarriage following the fall down the stairs.”
After a momentary silence, Erica continued, “Apparently, I was the sole witness. It seems unlikely I’ll ever shake off this suspicion.”
She laughed wryly. “Even my own son harbors doubts about me. That’s why I’m telling you. If you suspect me, then it might as well be me. I’m okay with that.”
Shifting her gaze to Candice, Erica said earnestly, “Candice, I appreciate your trust in me.”
Candice offered a warm smile. “Mrs. Lopez, may I ask if you have ever experienced dizziness and double vision before? Or have these symptoms reappeared since?”
Erica denied it. “That was a first for me. Afterwards, I visited the hospital for a consultation. Since my symptoms had already subsided, the doctor could only make a rough assessment that it was occasional dizziness.”
Candice looked slightly puzzled. “Vertigo is also known as Meniere’s disease. It doesn’t quite fit the description. If you had Meniere’s, you’d experience dizziness, but I don’t think it would cause double vision.”
Erica agreed. “Yes, my physician felt the same, but no other cause seemed plausible. I underwent a brain MRI and cervical spine CT, and even otolithiasis was ruled out. Everything was normal. The remaining plausible explanation was vertigo.”
Chewing her lip pensively, Candice eventually asked, “Suppose it’s not an illness, but something induced by a person. Think again. Did you encounter anyone suspicious that evening, or did you consume anything unusual?”
After some thought, Erica replied, “Everyone there knew me, so it’s unlikely anyone was involved. The only thing I had was some juice. I didn’t eat any food.”
Struggling to piece together the puzzle, Candice was stumped.
However, she couldn’t bring herself to believe that Erica’s vertigo was a mere spontaneous occurrence. The more coincidences piled up, the more implausible it seemed.
Pressing further, she said, “Think again. Did you cross paths with anyone noteworthy—or someone you shouldn’t have?”
Erica’s eyes sparkled with realization. “Indeed, there was someone.”
“Who might that be?” Candice asked, a flutter of anticipation in her voice, sensing they were close to a breakthrough.
“My nephew, Bart Glyn,” Erica replied dismissively, waving a hand. “But I can’t imagine it involves him. Our interaction was merely a greeting. The odd part, however, is that he was there at all. To my knowledge, he wasn’t on the guest list for the ambassador’s wife’s birthday party. I’m uncertain why he showed up.”
Candice’s pulse quickened. So it was really related to Bart. Bart had been at the ambassador’s wife’s celebration. All the ensuing events somehow involved him.
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