A Journey from Bitterness to Truth (Matilda and Yvan) novel Chapter 173

The whole bar fell silent as if electrified by the sheer audacity of what they'd witnessed. Not a single soul stepped forward to intervene.

It took Matilda just five minutes to down the entire bottle of Hennessy, and the silence was broken by a chorus of gasps. Some patrons trembled faintly, eyes wide in disbelief. They had thought Horatio was only bluffing, but here was Matilda, proving them wrong with her reckless drinking. Such a stunt could lead to... it could tear her stomach lining to shreds!

The burning alcohol scorched her throat, and a searing, cramping pain spread through her belly. Matilda felt like she was going to hurl right there and then, but she fought back the urge with a roar. Staggering over to Chloe, she grabbed her friend's hand and, with reckless abandon, smashed the empty bottle onto the ground.

The shattering sound reverberated through the bar, making every heart skip a beat.

"I've had enough of your high and mighty act..." Matilda spat out each word, shielding Chloe behind her. "Can't you see she's shaking? Do you get off on pushing a woman to the edge? What did Chloe ever do to you, huh? Did she commit murder or ruin your precious families? I'll have you all know, I'm Matilda Thompson, and I did time for murder five years ago. I won't hesitate to go back if it means protecting her from the likes of you!"

With that, Matilda, eyes blazing with fury, grabbed Chloe's hand and dragged her toward the exit, managing to choke out a single word, "Go!"

And just like that, no one dared to stop them.

They had been outbraved by a woman's courage.

Once outside, Chloe burst into tears, sobbing, "Mat, I'm so sorry. We need to get you to the hospital; you could have a bleeding ulcer..."