A Wedding Night Gone Terribly Wrong novel Chapter 180

With the illusion of charity shattered and the mask of the benevolent mother ripped away, Madeleine's true nature was exposed. To Winifred, the woman standing before her was nothing short of a mortal enemy.

"Why did you try to kill me?" Winifred demanded, taking a slow, deliberate step forward.

Madeleine instinctively stepped back. She knew Winifred was trained in martial arts. Chester Shultz was a legend in his field, and he had passed every ounce of his lethal skill down to his granddaughter.

"You wanted Iris to marry Holden so badly that you orchestrated a scheme, even stabbing yourself to frame me. Fine. I walked away. You won. So why couldn't you just let me go?" Winifred's voice was a low, dangerous hiss. "Stuffing a living, breathing person into a suitcase and tossing them into a freezing river... that requires a sickening level of depravity. How did you even live with yourself?"

Madeleine backed up until she hit the window frame, her face pale and rigid. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

*Hah!*

Denial. Typical. A woman who would gut herself for social leverage obviously had no conscience to speak of.

Winifred raised an eyebrow. "Oh? It wasn't you? Then it must have been Iris. Iris shoved me in that suitcase, didn't she?"

Madeleine's head snapped up, her panic instantly overridden by fierce defensiveness. "Don't you dare drag Iris into this! She is innocent. She would never do something so horrific."

*Knock, knock, knock.*

The door cracked open, and Jasmine peeked her head in. "Ma'am, Mrs. Lockwood and Coco are here."

In a split second, Madeleine adjusted her posture, smoothing her features into a welcoming, serene smile. "Come in, please."

Winifred seamlessly slipped back into her role as the detached medical professional, opening her medical bag and arranging her tools.

The two women fluttered into the room, chattering loudly.

"Oh, you haven't started yet?" Mrs. Lockwood asked.

Madeleine reclined on the bed. "Dr. Shultz is just prepping."

Coco clapped her hands together. "Perfect timing! We get to watch!"

Madeleine exchanged a quick look with Jasmine.

Taking the cue, Jasmine spoke up. "We actually have plenty of fresh mint and dandelion growing in the backyard."

Mrs. Lockwood smacked her forehead with a laugh. "Oh, that's right! I totally forgot. When we were doing the memorial service at the Ancestral Wing recently, I even took pictures of the garden back there."

Madeleine looked at Winifred. "Dr. Shultz, would you mind going to pick some?"

Mrs. Lockwood offered Winifred an apologetic, friendly smile—a stark contrast to her earlier sneers. "Would you mind, Winifred? You're the professional. I'd trust a brew made by you much more than anything the kitchen staff could throw together."

Going to the Ancestral Wing had been Winifred's exact plan all along. If she was going to find evidence of what happened three years ago, she needed to search the place where Holden had kept her shrine.

"Of course," Winifred agreed, turning to pack her bag while discreetly slipping a small pouch of snake and insect repellent into her palm.

"I'll show the doctor the way," Jasmine volunteered, immediately pulling a woven basket from the closet.