The Monster at My Feet novel Chapter 32

"Mom, let's not talk about this right now. Please calm down. Do you want some water?"

"If your arm still hurts, do you want me to call a doctor to check it out?"

She gently rubbed Helena's chest to help her breathe.

Helena slowly regained a fraction of her sanity, but the clearer her head became, the angrier she felt recalling Sylvie's words and actions.

"Call the doctor!" she gritted out.

The pain from earlier was absolutely not a hallucination. God knew what that little slut had done to her.

Standing off to the side, Lawrence looked utterly disgusted.

The truth was, his marriage with Helena had always been solid.

From the moment they met, to dating, and finally marriage, they shared the exact same ambitions and values. They hardly ever fought.

But recently, he found himself entirely unable to understand her.

They had agreed on a clear plan before bringing Sylvie back to the estate.

They simply needed a daughter to use as a bargaining chip for a corporate marriage.

Specifically, a union where they would collect a massive financial benefit and offer absolutely no dowry.

They had been completely aligned on this goal.

Send Sylvie to school for two years, pad her resume, brainwash her into compliance, and marry her off. A flawless strategy.

All Helena had to do was ignore her.

So why had everything spiraled into this chaotic mess?

Was it because Sylvie reminded her too much of Quinn?

Quinn...

The moment the name surfaced in Lawrence's mind, he uncomfortably pinched the bridge of his nose.

It shouldn't be. Helena was not a fragile woman.

Back when she had seen Quinn's dead body, facing such a hellish scene, she hadn't even lost her composure...

The doctor arrived.

Lawrence pulled himself out of his thoughts, frowning as he watched the physician carefully examine Helena.

They even took X-rays.

The final medical conclusion was definitive—there was absolutely nothing physically wrong with her.

"Impossible!" Helena tightly gripped her daughter's hand.

Lydia offered a reassuring smile. "Alright, Mom, let's just go home. I already had Mist Garden package the food and send it to the house. It should be arriving any minute."

"I'm starving, Mom. Let's stop thinking about this, okay?"

So entertaining.

Helena's expression had been absolutely priceless.

As for Lydia...

Sylvie replayed the interactions in her mind, thoroughly amused.

Settling into the back of a cab, Lucas's voice broke the silence.

"I'm sorry. You got treated like garbage again because of us."

The young girl shook her head sadly.

"It's okay. You already stood up for me. Maybe it really is my fault."

"It absolutely isn't!" Lucas instantly flared up. "Don't think like that. My mom is the one with the problem. You're amazing, you..."

His earnest words were cut off by a sudden ringtone.

Sylvie paused for a second before realizing it was her own phone.

Pulling it from her pocket, she saw a new text from an unknown number.

Wait, it wasn't an unknown number.

It was Caspian Graves.