He Buried Me But I Painted My Own Resurrection novel Chapter 87

"Just... be careful," Grant said, his tone softening dramatically.

Lyla limped toward the elevators, looking every bit the fragile, pitiful victim.

The moment she turned the corner and was safely out of sight, her tears vanished instantly, replaced by a calculating smirk.

Down in the lobby, the space beyond the glass doors was a chaotic sea of people.

Telephoto lenses, boom mics, and phones streaming live were all shoved together in a massive mob. Security guards held a strained perimeter, barely managing to maintain order.

Lyla took a deep breath, instantly recalling her tear-stained, heartbroken expression. Leaning heavily against the wall, she slowly stepped out into the fray.

The second she pushed through the glass doors, every camera and microphone locked onto her. The blinding flashbulbs fired in rapid succession, turning the lobby into a strobe light.

She immediately ducked her head, dabbing at her dry eyes with the back of her hand. Her shoulders trembled slightly, and she forced her voice to crack.

"Please, everyone... I'm begging you. Please stop blocking the entrance. Please don't hurt Grant anymore."

A reporter shouted over the din, "Miss, what is your relationship with Mr. Gauthier? Why are you here?"

Lyla looked up, her eyes perfectly bloodshot, projecting the image of a woman who had suffered unspeakable wrongs.

"I... I'm just here representing the Gauthier family to check on Sienna... She's in the hospital, and I was so worried about her."

She spoke the words "representing the Gauthier family" softly, yet made entirely sure they were captured by every mic.

The crowd went silent for a fraction of a second before erupting into a frenzy.

Representing the Gauthier family? Who was Lyla Lennox to represent them? Was she his new wife?

A journalist immediately fired back, "Miss Lennox, in what capacity are you representing his family? Has Mr. Gauthier finalized his divorce with Sienna Sawyer?"

"What exactly is your relationship with him? Are you the third party who ruined their marriage?"

Lyla acted terrified by the aggressive questioning, stammering incoherently. "No. Grant and I... we've just... we've known each other for a very long time."

He had to go down. Lyla had thrown herself to the wolves for him, for his family. He couldn't just leave her to face it alone.

Right at that moment, a stifled, agonizing moan bled through the heavy door of the hospital room.

It wasn't loud, but it pierced the suffocating tension in the hallway like a needle.

Grant froze in his tracks.

Lucas was the first to react, throwing the door open and rushing inside.

Sienna was curled into a tight ball on the bed, her forehead coated in cold sweat, her knuckles white as she gripped the sheets. Her face was ghastly pale, and her lips were bitten bloody. Her entire body was locked in a violent spasm.

The system punishment had returned.

A team of doctors rushed into the room, their expressions turning frantic the second they saw the erratic spikes on the heart monitor.