Chapter 356 The Innocent One
Anne practically shouted the last sentence.
As her words fell, the room plunged into an eerie silence.
Dante’s eyes were bloodshot, while Yancey stood there, stunned. Dante’s hand fell limply to his side. His gaze dulled as if all the life had drained out of him in an instant. He stiffly turned like a lonely statue.
“I won’t hit him anymore. You can stop loving me, but please… don’t hate me, okay, Anne?”
Dante, who was always so proud, sounded almost pleading as he spoke to her. When Dante first found out Anne hadn’t terminated the pregnancy, he felt a surge of joy. But he never, in his wildest dreams, imagined the child could be Yancey’s. It was as if fate had played a cruel joke on him. Yancey’s lip was still bleeding, and Dante’s hand was injured from the blow.
Dante stood up, turning away. “We’ll deal with it another time.”
His mind was in turmoil, and he needed to clear his head. With that, Dante left.
Anne didn’t say another word. As soon as Dante shut the door, she locked herself in her room. Yancey quietly tidied up the living room, faintly hearing the sound of sobbing coming from behind the door. He suddenly realized that Anne didn’t love him. He knew Anne was crying because her relationship with Dante had truly reached the end of the road. After all, their misunderstandings ran too deep.
Meanwhile, after Meryl had dinner at the Aniston Villa, Chandler had yet to return. After the meal, seeing that Meryl was alone, Lydia sent a message to a servant asking to meet her privately. Meryl sensed nothing good would come of it. Now that Lydia was pregnant and being heavily protected by everyone, Meryl didn’t want to risk getting blamed if anything happened to her. Meryl was reluctant to go. After all, she had suffered too many losses in situations like this before. So, she declined the servant’s request.
She strolled through the garden to help digest her food, but to her surprise, Lydia suddenly appeared ahead of her. The unexpected presence at night startled Meryl. She took two steps back, maintaining a safe distance of 9 feet between them. Lydia, however, seemed undeterred, trying to get closer to Meryl.
“Stop right there!” Meryl commanded her, “If you’ve got something to say, say it from there.”
Lydia asked, “Are you scared? Don’t worry, this baby is my only bargaining chip. I won’t use it to harm you.”
Meryl simply scoffed at her words, not trusting a single thing Lydia said. Her eyes remained wary, and she deliberately stood at a crossroads. It was a strategic position, ideal for either defense or retreat. Plus, there were people passing by, so she didn’t have to worry about Lydia pulling any tricks.
“Meryl, wasn’t marrying Chandler enough for you? Do you still want to get back with Dalton? Or maybe you’re trying to juggle both? Why did you ruin my reputation in front of Dalton? You sent…”
“First of all, Rocky came forward on his own. I didn’t send him. And even if I did, I’d only be using the same tricks you’ve pulled on me. Lydia, why do you always paint yourself as the innocent one?
“Besides, you were the one who sought out Rocky. I didn’t force you. How can you pin that on me?
“If you really want to settle accounts, then let’s go over everything.
“Your mother took me away to give you a life of luxury. Three years ago, you teamed up with Rocky to frame me and have me thrown in prison…
“Every single one of these debts, Lydia, is something you owe me.”