Bound by the Past, Locked by the Heart novel Chapter 146

Whatever.

She rolled over and buried her face in the pillow.

How much longer was she supposed to live like this? How had her life turned into such a disaster?

Without realizing it, she drifted back into a restless sleep, only to be jolted awake by her ringing phone.

She blindly grabbed it and pressed it to her ear. "Hello?"

"Willa." The familiar voice on the other end belonged to Naomi. "It's Mom."

Willa woke up completely.

"Willa, why haven't you been answering your phone?" Naomi complained. "I've called you multiple times, and you never call back."

Willa gave a dismissive excuse. "I didn't hear it. I forgot."

"You could have at least sent a text." Naomi sounded annoyed. "I was worried sick. You have no idea—"

"If you need something, say it. If not, I'm hanging up," she interrupted.

There was a brief silence on the other end before Naomi's tone shifted to a sweet, cloying affection. "Willa, Mom just misses you. I want to see you so we can have a nice chat."

The sudden warmth made Willa's skin crawl. She frowned, her patience thinning. "Are you going to tell me what you want or not? I'm hanging up."

"Wait, don't... Let me treat you to lunch. Just the two of us," Naomi tested carefully.

Willa agreed immediately. "Where?"

Naomi was clearly surprised, her voice spiking with excitement. "That restaurant you love. I've already booked a table. You have to come."

After hanging up, Willa stared blankly at her phone screen for a long time.

She knew this lunch was far from innocent, but she still wanted to go.

She desperately needed to get out of the house for a breather.

The moment Willa pushed the front door open, two bodyguards instantly blocked her path. "Ms. Vance, are you heading out?"

"My mother invited me to lunch," she replied flatly.

The bodyguards exchanged a troubled look. "Well... we have to ask Mr. Yates first."

"Wills, don't make me worry." Randal's words dripped with a terrifying, neurotic obsession, sounding far more like a warning than a plea.

Her heart skipped a beat. "I know."

Willa arrived at the private dining room first, leaving the bodyguards stationed at the door.

This was the first time in days she had been completely alone. Taking a deep breath, even the air around her felt like freedom.

"Willa!" Naomi's voice echoed from the hall.

Willa turned to see her mother walking in with a bright smile. Taking a seat across the table, Naomi looked her up and down with exaggerated concern. "Oh, you've lost weight. Have you not been eating properly?"

That forced display of maternal affection only made Willa's defenses spike.

She stared back coldly, offering no response. She wasn't here to pretend they had a loving relationship.

Unfazed, Naomi waved a waiter over and ordered an entire spread.

"I ordered all your favorites, Willa. Eat up."

"Mom." Willa couldn't stomach the fake pleasantries anymore. "Why did you want to see me?"