Chapter 15

Natalie's tears cascaded down her cheeks, her voice trembling. "Everything has turned out this way because of me. I would endure any punishment—being struck, forced to kneel—if it meant returning to Warren's side. I would do absolutely anything."

Warren's heart constricted painfully at the sight of her tear-stained, exhausted face. Without hesitation, he drew her into his embrace, his fingers tenderly brushing away her tears. "You mustn't blame yourself. How could you say such things?"

Melissa observed the intimate scene with a subtle smile. She rose silently and slipped from the room. At that precise moment, Diana burst in, one hand pressed against her face, her appearance disheveled and frantic. "Mom!"

Seeing her mother, Diana flung herself into her arms, grasping for salvation. "You must defend me!"

"What happened to you?" Melissa's expression hardened as she noticed the angry swelling on her daughter's cheek. She cradled Diana's face in her hands, her voice turning to ice. "Who dared to strike you like this?"

Diana, conveniently forgetting her own cruel words to Vivienne, launched into her account of the incident. "Mom, Vivienne didn't just hit me; she attempted to murder me! She dragged me to the window on the fifteenth floor! If people hadn't been watching, I wouldn't be alive right now!"

"What possessed you to provoke her?" Warren's voice carried an edge of censure. His expression darkened as he recalled Vivienne's earlier cold demeanor.

"Warren, I'm your sister!" Diana protested, tears welling in her eyes. "I'm the victim here—struck and nearly thrown from a building! How can you take her side?"

Warren released a contemptuous snort. "Then why didn't she attack me instead of you?"

"Mom, did you hear what he said?" Diana stamped her foot in childish frustration, clinging to her mother's arm. "I won't find peace until she apologizes!" The humiliation burned within her, demanding retribution.

Melissa tenderly touched her daughter's swollen cheek, her eyes gradually filling with icy contempt for Vivienne. She had never approved of the woman, finding her background questionable and her demeanor inexplicably proud and ostentatious. She had hoped Vivienne's departure from the Mitchell family would humble her, but instead, she had grown more audacious, daring to assault Diana as though the Mitchell name meant nothing.

"Come with me! Let's see what emboldens her to lay hands on you!" Melissa seized Diana's hand and marched determinedly toward Vivienne's ward. Sienna had departed moments earlier after receiving a phone call, leaving Vivienne alone. The sudden commotion at her door drew her attention. She turned to find Melissa and Diana standing in the doorway. Her delicate features frosted over as her eyes narrowed. "You're unwelcome here. Leave immediately."

"Vivienne, who do you imagine you are to address me in such a manner?" Melissa swept into the ward, her designer bag swaying, as she regarded Vivienne with undisguised disdain. "Did you strike my daughter?"