Chapter 5

My heart skipped a beat.

I thought Richard would get suspicious, maybe start grilling me with questions. But to my surprise, he just went straight to digging up the truth himself.

"And... what about Mom?" I asked carefully.

When Richard heard that, his eyes showed a trace of weariness.

"She doesn't buy it. She thinks Edith's assistant got paid off, and that you orchestrated the whole thing just to frame Edith," he said.

I lowered my head, tears streaming down again. "Does Mom really despise me that much?" I whispered.

Richard didn't say anything. He just reached out and hesitantly…