His Regret Arrived Three Days Late novel Chapter 168

Back when she was married to Conrad, Annika had heard Moon Hall was off-limits. People whispered it was haunted, and even seeing it from a distance had always put her on edge.

But now, her desperate heart, consumed with the need to find her son, propelled her forward. She kicked open the door to Moon Hall.

Inside the courtyard, fallen leaves swirled, creating a desolate scene. Her sudden arrival sent leaves scattering, and she thought she heard a creak.

Annika’s sharp eyes quickly caught a glimpse of a white sleeve behind a stone partition. She slowed her pace, moving silently.

As if sensing her approach, the white sleeve started to retreat. Annika lunged forward and stomped on it. The sharp rip of tearing fabric filled the air. She bent down and picked up the torn piece of sleeve. It was silk, embroidered with an orchid. It had to be women’s clothing.

Annika remained still, her wary gaze fixed on the corner, watching her every move.

The woman, clearly frightened by having her sleeve torn, fell silent. But her tense, shallow breathing was audible to Annika, who now knew this was no ghost, but a living person. She moved around the stone partition and was met with a pair of vigilant, panicked eyes, like those of a startled rabbit.

The woman held a wooden stick, and just as she was about to bring it down on Annika’s head, Annika ducked and twisted, grabbing the woman’s slender wrist. With a sharp tug, she tried to pin her against the wall, but the woman’s body tumbled out of a wheelchair.

Annika’s hand clamped around her throat. Looking at the familiar face before her, she was filled with an all-consuming hatred.

“Serena?” Annika snarled, forcing the name through her gritted teeth.

“Yes, it’s me. You’re choking me.”

The clear cry of a child suddenly pierced Annika’s heart like a shard of glass. She let go of Serena and scrambled toward the sound. When she saw Monroe lying on a shabby bed, waving his tiny hands and feet, a sharp pain shot through her.

She rushed over and scooped him into her arms. The coldness of his small body felt like a thousand steel nails driving into her heart. She quickly took off her coat and wrapped him in it. Holding her son, she returned to the corner.

Serena, choked and unable to move easily, was half-lying against the wall, gasping for breath. The bright red marks of five fingers were stark against her pale neck—the trace of Annika’s fury.

Annika looked down at her, her gaze sweeping from Serena’s completely bald head down to her flat stomach.

Serena looked up, and seeing Annika’s gaze on her belly, she gave a cold, malevolent smile.