Chapter 191 Lying Flat
Lydia’s face stiffened when she saw Dalton give his coat to Meryl. However, with the dim light and blurred visibility of the rainy night, no one noticed Lydia’s slight change in expression.
Lydia walked up to the car and looked up, smiling gently at Meryl. “Meryl, it’s pouring out here. It’ll be hard to find a cab. Get in the car. I’ll have Dalton drive you back,” she said, opening the passenger door and making a move to get in.
Seeing that Meryl was still standing there motionless, Lydia reached out to pull her over. “What’s the matter? We’re all family. You don’t need to be so formal with us,” she said.
Meryl’s ankle was already throbbing with pain. Being pulled so suddenly made her lose her balance, almost causing her to fall. Fortunately, she managed to catch herself by placing her hand on the car.
She shoved Lydia away. To her surprise, Lydia took advantage of the situation and let herself fall straight into a puddle.
Lydia stared at Meryl with wide, incredulous eyes and said, “Meryl, I was just trying to be nice and have Dalton give you a ride. Why did you push me?”
Rainwater dripped down her cheeks, making her face look even paler.
Seeing Lydia fall, Dalton immediately got out of the car and went to help her up. Dalton looked at Meryl with disappointment and said, “You’re still the same as ever… Give me back my coat.”
Meryl’s eyes were filled with sarcasm. She hadn’t even put Dalton’s coat on. At this moment, Meryl’s gaze was icy as it fell on both of them. She let out a cold laugh.
“Lydia, it’s just a coat. Did you really have to throw yourself to the ground over it? The things you’re so desperate to take from me mean nothing to me,” she said, throwing the coat at them.
Lydia bit her lip and said, “What nonsense are you spouting? You’re the one who pushed me! Stop turning things around. Why would I throw myself into a puddle in this rain? Am I crazy?”
Meryl took two steps forward, grabbed Lydia by the wrist, and pulled her out of Dalton’s arms. Before the two of them could react, Meryl kicked Lydia in the calf.
Lydia cried out in pain, losing her balance and falling to her knees. “Since you like playing the victim, I’ll help you,” Meryl said.
Meryl then delivered another kick to Lydia’s lower back. This time, Lydia went from kneeling to lying flat on the ground. Water splashed from the puddle, smearing Lydia’s makeup and leaving her pale face stained with mud. She looked utterly disheveled.
Meryl looked down at her with scorn and said, “If that’s not enough, I can give you a couple more kicks.”
Meryl’s kicks were quite forceful. Lydia was left dazed from the impact. Lydia bit her lips until they were white. She was completely caught off guard by how Meryl didn’t follow the usual rules. She was seething inside! But she couldn’t do anything to Meryl in front of Dalton.
Dalton snapped. “Enough! Meryl, have you lost your mind? You had a quarrel with your parents and cut ties, but what does that have to do with Lydia? Why are you taking it out on her?”
Meryl couldn’t be bothered to argue and said, “Of course I don’t like her. She loves to play the victim to get sympathy. If I don’t help her out, how is she supposed to perform?”
“You…” Dalton was livid. His face turned ashen. “You’re just being unreasonable!” he said.
With tears in her eyes, Lydia said, “Forget it, Dalton. Let’s not argue with her. It’s okay if I’m the one who suffers a little…”
The two of them stared coldly at Meryl, with Lydia leaning weakly into Dalton’s arms. In the cold wind, Meryl’s figure appeared even more fragile and alone. At that moment, a rare vintage car suddenly came into view.