He Buried Me But I Painted My Own Resurrection novel Chapter 196

In the living room of Gauthier Manor, all the curtains were drawn tight.

The thick blackout fabric blocked out the afternoon sun, drowning the entire space in a suffocating, sickly gloom.

Grant sat on the oversized leather sofa, half his body sinking into the cushions, his spine curved forward as if the bones had been ripped from his back.

His head was wrapped in fresh bandages. His face was ghastly pale, and a dark shadow of stubble covered his jaw.

In his hand, he tightly clutched a single cufflink. It featured a delicate, understated engraving—elegant without being flashy.

Sienna had custom-ordered it for his first birthday after their wedding. It was said she went through three different design drafts before settling on the final piece.

At the time, he had taken it dismissively, glanced at it, and muttered, "The design is too old-fashioned." He had then tossed it into the very bottom drawer of his desk, never to open it again.

Now, it was the only thing he had left to hold onto.

Suddenly, the doorbell rang.

A maid hurried over on her tiptoes to answer it, trying to keep her footsteps as quiet as possible.

The door swung open, and Madeline Gauthier walked in.

Dressed in a meticulously tailored haute couture suit and carrying a limited-edition designer handbag, she strutted in on her high heels.

As soon as she had heard the news of Lyla's pregnancy, she had rushed over immediately, unable to hide the joy plastered across her face.

Hearing the noise, Lyla hurried down the stairs.

"Mrs. Gauthier, what brings you here?"

Her voice was sweet and light, layering on a deliberate show of obedience.

Madeline patted the back of her hand, her eyes instinctively dropping to Lyla's stomach. She let her gaze linger for a second or two before looking back up, her smile deepening.

"I came to see my first grandchild, of course."

"You silly girl, a pregnancy is huge news. Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

Lyla lowered her head, offering a shy, demure smile.

"Grant has been in a bad mood lately. I was afraid of bothering him."

Madeline let out a cold scoff, pulling Lyla over to the sofa and stopping right in front of Grant.

She looked down imperiously at her ruined son.

"Destroying yourself over that woman—is it really worth it?"

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