His Wicked Obsession (Archer and Virginia) novel Chapter 471

Madeline Caldwell stumbled inside, escorted by several police officers.

She wore a plain silk dress today, but her hasty arrival left it completely wrinkled, making her look entirely disheveled.

The moment she laid eyes on Archer Vanderbilt lying in a pool of blood, and Virginia Caldwell tied to a chair, a suffocating wave of regret and shock washed over her.

"Virginia, Archer..." Madeline collapsed to her knees, tears streaming down her face. "I'm so sorry... Back then at the beach, the one who dragged you out of the water and gave you CPR... wasn't Chloe. It was Virginia. Virginia was the one who saved you!"

Archer had lost a terrifying amount of blood. His vision blurred, and though he vaguely heard the truth being spoken, it felt surreal, almost like a dream.

"Virginia..."

He tried to reach out and touch her face, wanting to tell her not to be afraid because he was here.

But his hand only made it halfway before the dizzying effects of severe blood loss took over.

His vision went completely black, and his tall frame crashed heavily to the floor.

...

That evening, at the Capital City Detention Center.

Chloe Caldwell was dressed in an oversized, blue-and-white prison jumpsuit. Her soft hands, once meticulously cared for to play the piano, were now weighed down by cold silver handcuffs.

Her once-prized long hair clung greasily to her scalp, and she radiated an aura of defeated decay.

On the other side of the reinforced glass divider sat Madeline, her eyes still swollen and red.

She had changed into a dark gray vintage silk dress. There was a faint red mark on her forehead, and a few strands of white hair had appeared at her temples. She no longer looked like the untouchable, perfectly maintained society matron.

"Mom, I know I was wrong. Please, beg Archer for me, okay? By the way, how is he? As long as he's alive, he'll definitely forgive me. After all, I saved his life!"

"Saved his life?" Madeline stared at her, her eyes filled with bitter regret. "Do you have absolutely no shame left?"

"The one who pulled Archer out of the ocean was Virginia! The one who dragged him to shore and gave him CPR was also Virginia!" Madeline's knuckles turned white as she spat out the agonizing truth.

"It wasn't enough for you to steal the credit for saving his life, but you actually tried to kill her! How did I raise you to be so vicious?!"

Chloe's pale lips trembled violently, but she couldn't utter a single word in her defense.

Madeline had nothing left to say to her. She stood up, dropped a chilling "Reflect on your sins in there," and placed the receiver back on the hook before turning away.

"Mom! You can't leave! You can't do this to me!" Chloe slammed her hands frantically against the glass, her features contorted into a monstrous mask. "I'm a Caldwell! I'm Mrs. Vanderbilt! Come back!"