Chapter 127
Grace wheeled Ethan back to the cat, neither of them sparing a glance at Hendricks, who was still lying on the ground. The two bodyguards left behind handled it.
The two bodyguards had been serving Ethan for a long time, and eventually, they just couldn’t hold their tongues anymore.
“Did you hear that?” one of them asked. “Mr. Henderson said he was a little shaken?”
“Yeah… and he was holding onto her,” the other replied.
“Exactly.”
They exchanged a look, totally baffled, then turned and kicked Hendricks hard to vent their anger.
1/2
Back in Palm Bay, the family doctor was already waiting. He quickly tended to Grace’s injuries, carefully bandaging her wounds. Meanwhile, Ethan kept a tight grip on her free hand.
She wanted to ask if he had forgotten to let go, but around Ethan, she always felt like she was walking on eggshells. Maybe it was because of his legs. Or maybe it was because she still didn’t know the full truth about what happened years ago.
She made up her mind to be the best human sleeping aid he ever had.
Once the doctor finished up, he quickly made himself scarce, sensing he was intruding on something personal.
That was when Grace remembered she had sent Ethan the recording, but she was unsure if he saw her message.
“Mr. Henderson… about the recording…”
“It’s been sent out,” he said simply.
She didn’t know who he had sent it to.
Grace wasn’t in the best shape. She leaned back against the couch, her eyelids growing heavy. After asking the question, she yawned. “Okay… I’ll deal with it after I wake up.”
She had no idea what Ethan meant when he said “It’s been sent out” until she woke up.
The recording had blown up. It was on the front page of the news and number one on the trending list. Everyone was talking about it.
The audio had been edited to protect Sidney’s identity but not Alice’s.
“I just want everyone to think she made me lose the baby. Get me a bag of blood.
“Make sure to wipe the hospital’s surveillance footage. I want her to have no way to defend herself. The stairwell is the perfect location. And you’ll be the one to announce the miscarriage.
“Ha, everyone will hate her. She’s a vicious bitch anyway. She deserves this.”
In between her rants, Sidney’s voice cut in. “Are you sure about this, Ms. Alice? Ms. Grace is your sister…‘
“I’ve never thought of her as my sister. She’s just in my way. This is my chance to get her kicked out of the Lambert family. You don’t need to worry about that. Just do what I say.”
The headline read, “Behind the Mask–How a Fake Innocent Sister Framed Her Older Sister in a Wealthy Family Scandal.”
Thanks to Jodie’s influence, everyone in their circle already knew the story–Grace had supposedly pushed Alice down the stairs, causing her to miscarry.
Now that the news was out–and with Alice’s name blatantly included people in their circle started gossiping almost immediately.
But Alice didn’t know any of this. She had been sent home earlier that day. She was in a foul mood, so the entire Lambert family tiptoed around her. Even Yancey had been forced to stay by her side.
“Yancey, you seem distracted… Are you still upset about the baby?” Alice leaned weakly against Yancey’s chest, looking utterly fragile.
In truth, Yancey’s mind was on Grace. But Alice had clung to him all afternoon, leaving him no energy to dig into the so–called truth.
Other members of the Lambert family were there too, and it was Liam who spoke up first to offer comfort.
“Don’t worry, Alice. You’ll have other children. And Grace is paying the price now. Stop saying you’re gonna end your life. We’re all worried about you.”
Even Carmen was peeling fruit for her. “Exactly! You scared me to death today, Alice. If something’s bothering you, don’t keep it bottled up. We’re all here for you.”
Alice looked touched, but deep down, she was smug. Liam had finally taken her side without reservation. And Carmen had even sent Hendricks to handle Grace. By now, Grace was probably nothing more than a used–up ragdoll.
Everything was perfect.
Soon, she’d be married to Yancey. And maybe just maybe–she’d have the chance to see Ethan again. She wouldn’t admit it out loud, but she still dreamed about him.
Everyone was gathered around Alice, comforting her. She was soaking it in, basking in the attention like the spotlight was on her.
But then Yancey glanced at his phone, and his entire expression changed.
Alice, thinking he’d just found out what happened to Grace, quickly put on a concerned look. She asked, “What’s wrong, Yancey? Did something happen to Grace?”
Yancey sat frozen like someone had pulled the plug. He was motionless.
The others were starting to get worried too.
“Yancey, what happened? You look awful.”
He clenched his phone so tightly that his knuckles turned white. The message was from a friend about the recording, along with a teasing remark about the news going viral. And then, to twist the knife, the friend said that the Lambert sisters were something else.
Yancey had always cared about his reputation. Now that he was being made into a laughingstock, how could he not be furious?
His mind flashed back to Grace’s desperate sobbing in the hospital, how she had said that all Alice had to do was act pitiful and everyone would believe her.
The realization slammed into him. He shoved Alice away the moment she leaned in toward him. He shoved her with so much force that Alice nearly fell to the floor.
She was on the verge of tears as she called out, “Yancey, what’s going on? What are you doing? That hurt!”
Yancey took a deep breath, trying to steady himself before asking, “Alice, let me ask you one more time. Were you really pregnant?”
Alice’s heart skipped a beat.
Had he found out the truth?
That couldn’t be. Sidney wasn’t even at the hospital today, and she’d been clinging to Yancey the entire time. He couldn’t have had a chance to look into it.
She quickly forced out a couple of tears. “What are you trying to say, Yancey? Are you doubting me just because of what Grace said?”
The moment she started crying, the mood in the room shifted, and everyone else bristled.
2/2
Carmen was the first to rush to help Alice up. She cast a disapproving look at Yancey and then said, “Yancey, if you have something to say, just be straightforward about it. Alice just had a miscarriage, and her body’s still incredibly weak.”
Liam chimed in as well, “Yeah, Alice’s been throwing up all day. Just seeing her like this makes my heart ach
