Chapter 343
Ten minutes later, the car stopped. Melody got out reluctantly. “Goodbye, Mrs. Kelley.”
Thalia nodded. “Goodbye.”
The chauffeur, David, turned the car around and drove home. On the way, noticing Tiffany’s silence, Thalia took her arm and examined it carefully. “Tiffany, that was so dangerous. Are you injured?”
“No.” Tiffany shook her head and asked curiously, “Mom, why are you so nice to my classmate? You even did such a dangerous thing to save her.”
Thalia asked, “You saw everything?”
“Yeah,” Tiffany nodded.
The moment Thalia left the school, she received a message from Jeremy. When she’d arranged for Yvonne to monitor Melody two days prior, she knew this deceitful woman couldn’t be trusted. Tiffany’s original goal was to escalate the situation. She wanted to see what tricks Yvonne and Melody would pull together.
Early that morning, Melody and Yvonne had been camping near the Kelley family villa. They thought they were well hidden, but Jeremy was monitoring their every move. That evening, after Thalia went out, Melody and Yvonne drove over. Jeremy sent Tiffany a message with their location.
Tiffany knew Thalia would be at the beauty salon that night for a treatment with some wealthy women, so she waited nearby. When Yvonne drove the red sports car toward Melody, Tiffany wondered if the two women had fallen out and were trying to kill each other. However, Yvonne’s speed ruled that out. It was clearly a planned, albeit clumsy, act of self-harm.
Tiffany couldn’t understand it. Even if Melody wanted to appear pitiful to gain sympathy, what good would that do? She wondered if Melody was simply trying to disgust her. When the car sped toward Melody, Tiffany never expected her mother to push Melody out of the way, putting herself in danger.
At that moment, Tiffany was terrified. How could she stand by and watch? She immediately rushed forward and shielded Thalia.
Yvonne’s life was under control; Jeremy was hidden nearby. Therefore, Tiffany wasn’t worried Yvonne wouldn’t brake. Even if Yvonne hadn’t braked, Jeremy could have flattened her tires in an instant, forcing the car to stop.
Thalia was silent. She looked at Tiffany disapprovingly and said worriedly, “You can’t do such a stupid thing again! Don’t worry about me. Take care of yourself and get out of the way!”
Tiffany replied, “How can I do that?” She sighed. “I’m your daughter. How can a daughter watch her mother in danger and just retreat? Besides, don’t worry about me. Look, I’m capable of saving you, right?”
Tiffany smiled, appearing unconcerned. Thalia looked at her reproachfully, feeling both touched and relieved. “You shouldn’t do this!”
“Mom, can you tell me now? Don’t think I don’t know you’re just changing the subject!” Tiffany said, exposing her mother’s tactic. She held Thalia’s hand affectionately and said expectantly, “Tell me now. Why are you so nice to Melody? Aren’t you afraid the woman who almost hit you with the car was telling the truth?”
“That’s impossible!” Thalia retorted. “That can’t be true. We have to look on the bright side. That girl Melody seems so kind. She wouldn’t do such a thing.”
Tiffany paused, then smiled mysteriously. “Then why did you believe what she said about me before, Mom?”
Those words hit home. Thalia was speechless and stunned. Thinking back, she recalled that not long ago, because of Melody’s grievances and complaints, she had distrusted Tiffany for the first time. In anger, she had even slapped Tiffany. In the past, no matter who slandered Tiffany, Thalia had always defended her. The thought made Thalia feel incredibly guilty.
Tiffany said, “Mom, I’m not discussing who’s right or wrong. I just want to say that some people aren’t as innocent as you think, and they’re not as kind as they appear.”
Thalia lowered her head and said softly, “I’m sorry, Tiffany. It was my fault. I… I even hit you. It’s all my fault…”
Tiffany said seriously, “Didn’t you ask me why I pushed Melody into the water at Melvor Mountain?”
“That’s because… before I did it, Melody tried to kill me. Not only did she lure me to the mountain in the middle of the night, but she also tried to make me fall into a pit with poisonous snakes. She was behind me when the flood came down the mountain, trying to push me in. Do you think such a person is really as kind as she looks?”
After Tiffany finished speaking, she looked at Thalia’s expression seriously, but was disappointed. Thalia’s eyes were filled with shock.
This meant that in Thalia’s opinion, everything Tiffany said was a lie or an illusion. Tiffany’s heart sank. Then, she smiled and said, “I’m just kidding.”
“Tiffany…” Thalia tried to speak, but the car had stopped. Tiffany opened the door and got out, heading upstairs in a gloomy mood. Watching her daughter’s slender back, Thalia felt upset. As Tiffany’s mother, she should believe her daughter, but guilt and love for Melody prevented her from accepting Tiffany's account.
Seeing this, David, the chauffeur, opened the car door for Thalia and said softly, “Mrs. Kelley, there’s something I’m not sure I should say…”
Thalia sighed. “Go ahead.”
David said, “Mrs. Kelley, I feel your judgment has been clouded lately. Today’s incident, for example. It really wasn’t worth almost sacrificing yourself to save an outsider.”
Thalia said, “I saved her life. Why isn’t it worth it?”
“But if…” David hesitated, then continued, “But if something bad happened to you trying to save someone else, would it be worth it?”
Thalia’s entire body trembled.
Upstairs, Tiffany lay on her bed, feeling increasingly depressed. She had no one to talk to. After a long time, she picked up her phone and scrolled through her contacts. Her finger lingered on a name for a long time. Then, she gritted her teeth and called Richard. No one answered. Stunned, she canceled the second call. She thought, ‘Forget it. Richard is on a business trip. He must be very busy…’