Secret Admiration: Finding True Love After…
Chapter 681 A Narrow Escape
As they were talking in the elevator, a staff member’s voice came from outside.
“Ladies, are you both doing alright in there?”
Having just been rebuffed by Meryl, Lydia was already in a bad mood and decided to take it out on the staff.
“We’re suffocating in here! Of course, we’re not okay! I’m filing a complaint!”
The person apologized repeatedly. “Please hold on. We’ve contacted the elevator company. Their repair team is on the way. It should be about five minutes.”
Chapter 681 A Narrow Escape
“Five minutes?” Lydia exploded at this news. “That’s way too long!”
The staff member apologized again. “I’m so sorry, ma’am.”
Then Dalton seemed to arrive, exchanging a few words with the staff outside.
As soon as she heard his voice, Lydia started whining. “Dalton, I’m seven months pregnant! Why do I have to suffer like this? My back is killing me; my legs are numb, and I can barely stand anymore.”
Dalton frowned, pressing his ear against the door to listen carefully. Not hearing Meryl’s voice, he felt uneasy.
Chapter 681 A Narrow Escape
If Lydia was uncomfortable at seven months, what about Meryl?
He anxiously asked, “What about her? Is she okay?”
Lydia knew who “she” referred to.
Even Meryl was surprised; she hadn’t expected that Dalton’s first concern upon arriving would be about her condition.
Lydia gritted her teeth. “She’s fine!”
Dalton let out a sigh of relief.
In a voice only the two of them could hear, Lydia said to Meryl, “Are you feeling smug? My husband’s heart only cares about you.”
Chapter 681 A Narrow Escape
Lydia’s eyes welled up with tears, her heart aching with hurt.
She hated herself for being such a lovesick fool. Even though Dalton showed no concern for her, she still thought the world of him.
Lydia even felt she might be a masochist.
With her qualities, she could have matched with a decent man, but she was determined to pine away for Dalton.
Initially, she approached Dalton out of jealousy towards Meryl, who had won the favor of the Kingsdom crown prince.
Whatever Meryl had, family love or romantic love, she wanted to snatch it away.
Chapter 681 A Narrow Escape- But as time went on and they spent more time together, she got too invested in the role.
By the time Lydia realized it, she had already fallen hopelessly in love with Dalton.
Seeing Dalton’s care and attention towards Meryl made her uncomfortable and jealous.
Lydia felt like such a failure.
She had tried everything she could think of, so why wouldn’t Dalton love her?
The more she thought about it, the more miserable she felt, until suddenly she crouched down in the elevator and burst into tears, her emotions finally breaking down.
Meryl turned her head.
They said pregnancy hormones could make your moods swing up and down, but Lydia’s situation was way worse than that.
She offered Lydia a tissue, but Lydia refused it. “Stop pretending to be nice!”
Meryl said, “I’m not pretending. It’s just that your runny nose is getting pretty gross.”
“You…”
The maintenance crew was already in position outside. Worried that Dalton might find her ugly when he saw her crying face once the door opened, Lydia reluctantly took the tissue and wiped her nose.
Chapter 681 A Narrow Escape
Just as she finished cleaning up, the elevator doors opened.
Dalton’s face appeared before them.
He stepped forward, instinctively moving toward Meryl, but Lydia intercepted him halfway.
Lydia wrapped her arms around Dalton’s neck and cried against his chest. “Dalton, I was so scared!”
Though Lydia was in his arms, Dalton’s eyes were fixed on Meryl. “Meryl, are you okay?”
Chapter 681 A Narrow Escape
Meryl ignored him and walked out.
After being in darkness for so long, the bright mall lights made her dizzy.
The staff member nearby quickly bowed and scraped to them. “We’re truly sorry, ladies. We’ve prepared a small gift as compensation. We hope you won’t take this incident to heart.”
Lydia immediately snapped, “Gifts? How can these cheap gifts compare to my safety?”
The staff member kept nodding. “Yes, yes, of course.”
Meryl froze.
Did she see things? Among the departing maintenance workers, she thought she glimpsed a familiar figure.
Chapter 681 A Narrow Escape-
Was he out of prison?
Meryl quickly took a few steps forward and called out to the retreating figure. “Rocky?”
The man in the elevator company’s maintenance uniform didn’t break his stride, as if he didn’t know her at all.
When there was no response to her call, had she really been seeing things?
At the mention of Rocky’s name, Dalton instantly became alert.
“What? You saw Rocky?”
Chapter 681 A Narrow Escape-
Dalton knew every detail of the bad blood between Rocky and Meryl. He’d witnessed it firsthand.
If this man suddenly appeared around Meryl, his target was obvious.
Back then, Rocky had taken Lydia’s money to go after Meryl secretly. If Dalton hadn’t arrived in time, who knew what might have happened?
That time, Rocky revealed the truth about his conspiracy with Lydia, and in his rage and humiliation, he almost raped Meryl.
What a scumbag! He actually tried to assault his own adopted sister.
Afterward, Chandler had him sent to prison.
Chapter 681 A Narrow Escape
But thinking about it now, he should be getting out around this time.
Dalton shoved Lydia away from him, his eyes blazing with fury. “Lydia, it’s you again? Are you working with Rocky this time, too?”
Lydia played dumb. “No, I’m not! What do I have to do to make you believe me?”
Meryl’s mind was still stuck on Rocky.
Ignoring the couple’s argument, she grabbed her phone and texted Chandler: [I think I just saw Rocky. Is he out of prison?]
After waiting thirty seconds with no reply, she was about to pocket her phone.
Chapter 681 A Narrow Escape
Gale called, saying he couldn’t find her anywhere.
Thinking the mall was too big for an aimless search, Meryl decided to tell Gale to wait in the car.
Because of the elevator malfunction earlier, Meryl was still spooked and didn’t dare use it again.
She headed for the emergency exit, planning to take the stairs down.
Dalton had been keeping an eye on her the whole time.
Seeing Meryl heading for the emergency exit to take the stairs, he quickly followed after her.
Chapter 681 A Narrow Escape
He was worried something might happen to her if she went alone.
“Dalton?” Lydia couldn’t believe he’d just run off without a word, leaving her behind.
Speaking of Rocky, could it be that Dalton remembered how she had conspired with Rocky before? Was he dredging up old grudges and getting angry at her?
Lydia followed as fast as she could, holding her pregnant belly, but she was still too slow.
By the time she reached the stairwell, Dalton had already chased after Meryl and disappeared.
Chapter 681 A Narrow Escape
Lydia felt frustrated. They were both pregnant women, so how come Meryl could still run around like a track star despite her condition?