Imprisoned While Pregnant, She's Back for Payback novel Chapter 263

Chapter 263 A Mother’s Fury

Joanna quickly set Layla back on the bed and locked the door.

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Moving cautiously to the peephole, she only relaxed when she saw it was Nadine. Then she opened the door with a flattering smile.

“Ms. Nadine, you’re here!”

Nadine tilted her chin high, her eyes cold and arrogant. “Where’s that bastard?”

“Right here!”

Joanna pulled the door wider, grinning brilliantly.

Following the sound, Nadine glanced toward the bed. A strange smile curved her lips when she spotted the tiny body squirming restlessly under the sheets.

Bang!

The door slammed shut.

Joanna stood outside, her face clouded with something dark and evil.

At that same moment, Tess had just left the Nexus Research Institute. Steven personally walked her out. “Let Tommy handle the rest. You just got past that storm; better lay low for a while.”

Tess smiled faintly and nodded, but suddenly her chest tightened.

The smile faded, and a sharp unease spread through her.

“What’s wrong?”

Steven caught the change in her expression.

Tess pressed a hand against her chest, but the strange pounding wouldn’t stop.

She shook her head. “It’s nothing. I’ll head back.”

Her serious expression made Steven think something had happened, but he didn’t ask. He simply opened the car door for her.

Tess gave him a quick glance in thanks, then slid into the seat. Almost without thinking, she

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19:20 Mon, Oct 13

Chapter 263 A Mother’s Fury

urged the driver, “Evermount Villa. Please hurry.”

The driver wasted no time. He hit the gas, and the car shot down the road.

Inside the villa, voices rose in alarm. “Why did she throw up everywhere!”

“Wait–where’s Joanna?!”

“Ms. Nadine, please hold on; I’ll take care of it right away!”

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Just as Tess stepped up to the front door, she caught the contemptuous words spilling out through the small gap in the not–quite–closed door.

The moment Tess heard Nadine’s name, her eyes went wide.

She kicked the door open with a deafening crash. Her hand froze on the handle.

“M–Mrs. Lock!”

Joanna’s pupils shrank in shock, terror flooding her face.

Tess usually came home late–why was she back so early today?

When Tess finally took in the scene before her, her vision spun. She nearly fainted, then surged forward, furiously shoving aside the person blocking her way.

Maybe it was because she saw her mother; Layla’s vomiting suddenly stopped. Instead, her cries burst out louder than ever, echoing through the room.

Tess’s heart ached as she pulled Layla into her arms, patting her tiny back again and again. Out of the corner of her eye, she glanced at the floor, still shaken.

The expensive rug was ruined, the mess spilling onto the tile floor.

The white liquid, mixed with clumps of mushy stuff, told Tess right away–it was the baby food she had fed Layla before leaving.

“What have you done?!” Tess cried, clutching Layla’s weak little body.

The child’s face was pale, her eyes drifting out of focus. Her small frame trembled nonstop in

Tess’s arms.

Nadine quickly put on a look of surprise and hurt. “Tess, I’ve felt guilty about yesterday all

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Chapter 263 A Mother’s Fury

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night. And after you cleared your name today, I came to apologize and congratulate you. When I saw Layla all alone in the room, I just thought I’d keep her company for a while.”

Tess stood, holding Layla close. Her chest tightened at the sight of the little girl’s white face.

She glared at Nadine. “Keep her company? She’s so weak she can barely move!”

“I didn’t know-”

Smack!

Nadine’s eyes flew wide. Heat burned across her cheek.

She clutched her face and shrieked, “You hit me?!”

Tess didn’t even look at her. Holding Layla tight, she grabbed her phone and dialed 911. “Hello, I need an ambulance–right now!”

Once the medic promised to send help fast, Tess spared a single thought for anyone else.

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