From His Invisible Wife to the World's Icon novel Chapter 118

"Lydia would never push you!" Joanna shot back immediately.

"What did you just say, Sierra? Lydia pushed you into the ocean?!" Arthur Sutton's furious roar ripped through the ER as he stormed into the room with Cecilia Byron hot on his heels.

A mob of reporters surged forward, desperately trying to breach the ER doors, but the security guards physically shoved them back into the lobby.

Facing Arthur's explosive anger, Sierra's eyes gleamed with triumphant malice. "Dad, she's been paranoid about me and Frederick for months. She lost her mind and shoved me off the pier!"

"You ungrateful bitch!" Arthur bellowed, his face turning purple as he raised a hand to strike Lydia.

Lydia took a quick step back to dodge the blow.

But Joanna suddenly pushed her out of the way.

The heavy, vicious slap landed squarely on Joanna's cheek, the force of it knocking her sideways right into Lydia's arms.

"Joanna!" Lydia caught her friend, staring in horror at the angry red handprint blooming across Joanna's pale skin. Absolute fury ignited in her eyes, and she glared murderously at Arthur.

"Call the cops then!"

"My daughter would never maliciously attack anyone!"

Madeline's fiercely protective voice rang out from the doorway.

Lydia quickly steadied Joanna and rushed over to support her mother. "Mom, I'm fine. Not a single scratch. Please don't stress yourself over this; let me take you back to your room to rest."

"Absolutely not! We are getting to the bottom of this right now!" Cecilia's shrill, grating voice cut through the tension.

Realizing how vicious she sounded, she instantly pivoted, softening her tone to play the delicate peacemaker. "Arthur, honey, I don't want to see Lydia go to prison either. But if she's escalating to attempted murder, God knows what she'll do next if we just let it slide."

"I'm only thinking of what's best for her."

Lydia watched Cecilia's sickeningly flawless acting with a cold sneer.

In front of Arthur, Cecilia was the epitome of gentle grace, but behind closed doors, she was a venomous snake.

"You're right! Call the police right now!" Arthur barked, pulling out his phone.

Her own biological father was eager to personally throw her in a jail cell.

Memories of her childhood came rushing back—how Cecilia used to frame her for skipping school or stealing money, resulting in Arthur beating her mercilessly with a belt...

Her eyes burned with unshed tears.

More than a decade had passed, and nothing had changed.

Arthur was still a pathetic puppet dancing on Cecilia's strings.

She tilted her head back, forcing down the suffocating wave of pain.

In that exact second, the last thread holding her heart together snapped completely.

She let out a hollow, self-deprecating laugh.

Was he really protecting Sierra to this extent?

Allowing a cloud of suspicion to hang over her head was no different from a direct accusation of murder. The PR fallout for The Foster Group would be identical.

"Frederick..." Sierra tugged at his sleeve, her voice dripping with spoiled entitlement.

The officer cleared his throat to regain control of the room. "However, we pulled the dashcam footage from the white Ferrari. It clearly proves that the fall was entirely accidental, the direct result of a physical struggle over a set of car keys."

The officer leveled a withering glare at Sierra's suddenly pale face. "Ms. Sutton, while you were attempting to dodge Ms. Sterling, you tripped her with your heels, which caused both of you to fall into the water."

"Furthermore, the entire altercation was initiated by Ms. Sutton snatching Ms. Sterling's car keys and intentionally vandalizing her vehicle. The footage shows a clear intent to provoke."

"That's impossible! Sierra is the sweetest girl in the world; she would never do something like that!" Arthur shouted defensively. "Are you sure you didn't make a mistake?"

"Mr. Sutton, if you'd like to dispute our findings, you are more than welcome to come down to the station, and we will gladly play the footage for you," the officer replied coldly, before turning to Lydia. "Ms. Sterling, if you wish to press charges against Ms. Sutton for property damage and assault, we will provide you with the official police report."

"I will. Thank you for clearing my name."

As soon as the officers walked out, Cecilia gripped Arthur's arm, her face a mask of panic. Sierra perfectly mirrored her mother, staring up at Frederick with wide, tear-filled eyes.