His Wicked Obsession (Archer and Virginia) novel Chapter 438

Madeline Caldwell stood outside the slightly ajar door, holding a thermos of blood-building soup the housekeeper had spent all afternoon brewing. Just as she reached out to push the door open, she froze in her tracks.

On the hospital bed.

Chloe was sitting up against the headboard, holding a compact mirror and several makeup remover pads. She was aggressively scrubbing at her cheeks and lips. Her previously ghastly, bloodless face was quickly reverting to its natural, healthy flush under the harsh wiping.

After cleaning her face, she tugged at the thick bandages wrapped tightly around her wrist and complained in annoyance.

"These bandages are way too tight. It's suffocating. Does that hack of a doctor even know how to wrap a wound properly..."

Standing just outside the door, Madeline saw everything, and the blood in her veins seemed to freeze solid.

Her scalp tingled wildly, and a layer of cold sweat broke out across her back.

This was the daughter she had held in the palm of her hand and raised since childhood.

How had she turned into this?

A compulsive liar, full of calculated schemes, willing to use life and death itself as a bargaining chip...

Madeline's grip tightened around the handle of the thermos, her knuckles turning white from the force.

She didn't push the door open. Instead, she spun around, walking quickly to the fire stairwell at the end of the hall. Pulling out her phone, she found Archer's number and dialed it.

On the elevated ring road.

Archer's ringtone shattered the silence inside the car.

He picked up his phone, seeing 'Madeline Caldwell' flashing on the screen. He made no attempt to hide it and immediately answered the call.

"Mrs. Caldwell."

On the other end, Madeline's voice carried a distinct, exhausted tremor. "Archer, do you have a moment right now? I need to see you."

Archer glanced at Virginia beside him. "Right now?"

"Yes, right now." Madeline took a deep breath, speaking faster. "It's about things that happened in the past... I have something very important I need to explain to you clearly..."

She couldn't even tell which version of Chloe was the real one anymore...

"Didn't the doctor say you needed to rest? Why did you come out here?" Madeline took a deep breath, her tone remarkably icy.

Chloe froze, her brow furrowing slightly.

She had been raised by Madeline since she was a child. It was no exaggeration to say she could instantly interpret the meaning behind her every smile, every frown, and every word.

Madeline was acting incredibly cold toward her.

Chloe lowered her eyes, her hands balling into fists as her mind raced: By the looks of it, this idiot had probably figured out she faked the suicide.

Forcing herself to stay calm, she looked back up, latching onto Madeline's arm as tears began to stream uncontrollably down her face.

"I just suddenly started thinking about the past, so I wanted to come out for some fresh air."

"The past?"