Chapter 62: Waverly Pleaded

After turning on her phone, Raylee saw several WhatsApp messages from Jeremiah. Things had happened since their missed Christmas meeting, so she hadn't contacted him for a while. She wasn't in the mood to reply. Feeling fatigued, she switched off her phone and lay down, intending to sleep until dawn.

However, sleep eluded her. The thought of her suffering in the psychiatric hospital while the Goodridge family celebrated Harriet's birthday filled her with rage. Given a choice, she would have preferred not to have been switched at birth. No matter how poor her biological parents were, it was her destiny. She wished she’d never met the Goodridges, avoiding the wrongful accusation and four years of imprisonment. They’d told her she'd traded eighteen years of wealth for four years in prison—a great deal, they claimed. How could she forgive such a blatant distortion of right and wrong? She felt a lifelong desire to fight them.

The following morning, during breakfast with Vera, Waverly arrived, barefaced, her eyes swollen, and dark circles prominent. She'd clearly spent the night crying. Raylee showed no pity.

"What are you here for?" Raylee asked coldly.

"Waverly, please stop looking so miserable," Vera grumbled. "It's unsettling."

Waverly, unable to control herself, began to cry. "Raylee, can you forgive Samuel?"

Anticipating a confession, Raylee interrupted, fearing the truth might slip out. "If you're going to cry, do it at home. Don't ruin our mood!"

Ignoring Vera's presence, Waverly approached Raylee, shaking her arm. "Raylee, Samuel didn't mean to send you to the psychiatric hospital; he never wanted you to become…an idiot. He went to confront the hospital director about your mistreatment with electroconvulsive therapy. He's realized his mistake and wants to make amends."

"Enough!" Raylee, enraged, slapped Waverly.

The resounding slap made Waverly's head jerk. Vera's face paled in disbelief.

"It's not true, Grandma," Raylee quickly explained. "Don't listen to Waverly's nonsense!"

Vera's expression darkened. Panicked, Raylee insisted, "Grandma, I wasn't mistreated. I'm fine. Don't listen to her baseless claims!"

"Then why does your limp seem worse? Be honest, have you been abused?" Vera asked, worried.

Raylee had hidden her crutch upon returning home, trying to conceal her injury. But Waverly had revealed the truth. Before Raylee could continue masking it, Waverly seized Vera's hand, crying, "Grandma, please persuade Raylee! She's furious with Samuel and won't forgive him. If she tells Jeremiah, Samuel is doomed. Please help him; he's your only grandson."

"I told you to shut up!" Raylee, infuriated, slapped Waverly again. "Speak again, and I swear I'll—" Her menacing glare seemed ready to tear Waverly apart.

Terrified, Waverly covered her face, then looked up pitifully, speechless.

Suddenly, the housekeeper cried, "Old Mrs. Goodridge, are you alright? Please, don't scare me!"

Raylee turned to see Vera collapsed, clutching her chest, gasping for breath.

"Hazel, call an ambulance!" Raylee shouted.

Waverly, shocked and numb, stood motionless, too frightened to approach Vera.

Raylee glared, radiating murderous rage. "You'd better pray Grandma is safe," she warned, "otherwise, I'll make sure you join her in death!"