Imprisoned While Pregnant, She's Back for Payback novel Chapter 517

Abel suddenly felt like the air in the room had gotten heavier.

Olivia, having gotten her answer, didn’t seem as fierce as before. She casually grabbed a few grapes from the small dish sitting on Finn’s bedside table and popped them into her mouth.

Within minutes, half the plate was gone.

“Mrs. Olivia, Tess peeled those for me. I barely got to eat any,” Abel said, his voice full of regret.

Olivia froze mid–bite, her brows knitting as she glared at him.

“Oh, really? You’ve got some nerve, kid! You mind that I’m eating grapes, but you’ve got your eye on my granddaughter?”

She gave an indignant huff, pushing the plate aside–then sneakily popped two more grapes into her mouth anyway.

Tess peeled these herself. No point letting them go to waste, especially not for some outsider.

Abel broke out in a cold sweat.

Great. I’ve managed to offend the elder before I even have a chance to make a good impression.

“Mrs. Olivia, I shouldn’t have said that,” he said quickly. “Please, go ahead and eat. If there aren’t enough, I’ll peel more for you myself. Even though I’m hurt and sick, I’ll make it work.”

Olivia turned her face away with a hum of satisfaction. “That’s more like it. You’d better show some sincerity if you think you’re worthy of my granddaughter.”

With that, she clutched the grape dish possessively and continued eating, one grape at a time, clearly enjoying herself.

Violet watched her mother’s childish behavior and rubbed her forehead helplessly.

Meanwhile, Abel’s eyes were still locked on that plate of grapes, full of regret.

I should’ve just eaten them earlier. I held off because Tess peeled them herself, and I wanted to save them, but now? They’re gone–straight into someone else’s mouth.

He sighed quietly and made a mental note. Next time Tess comes to visit, I’ll turn on the charm. Maybe she’ll peel another plate for me.

1/3

The thought made him grin without realizing it.

“What’s that smirk for?”

Violet came up behind him and flicked his forehead with her finger.

Abel jerked his head back, rubbing the spot. “Ow. Sorry, Mrs. Violet.”

“I have a question,” she said coolly.

“Sure, anything,” Abel replied, instantly straightening up.

“Shannon’s not dead, right? And Nadine is her daughter with Henry?”

She asked it so bluntly that Abel froze.

He hadn’t mentioned anything specific about Shannon when he’d told the Larsons about Tess’s past–mostly because there hadn’t been solid proof yet. But it seemed Violet had pieced it together herself.

“Yes,” he said after a pause, nodding without hesitation.

The cheerful mood in the hospital room vanished in an instant.

Olivia’s once kind expression turned cold. She slammed the empty grape plate down on the nightstand.

“Well, isn’t that just perfect. Nadine and Shannon, what a pair!”

Her voice dripped with sarcasm and fury. Her eyes glinted with anger as she thought about how those two had fooled Henry completely–and how poor Kylie had been kept in the dark, grateful all these years for lies.

Violet’s face hardened too, her brows drawing tight.

“Nadine’s about the same age as Tess,” she said slowly. “That means Henry and Shannon were already involved way back then?”

The words hung heavy in the air.

Benjamin, sitting by the corner, was so furious that he pushed himself up with his cane.

“If that’s true,” he growled, “then Henry must’ve been sneaking around with Shannon long before he even married Kylie!”

Violet’s gaze deepened, her mind racing. “But wasn’t Shannon introduced to Henry as Kylie’s best friend?”

“Maybe,” Abel said cautiously, “they actually knew each other even before Kylie came into the picture.”

Everyone turned to look at him.

The idea was unsettling–and the silence that followed made it worse.

They exchanged grim looks, cach seeing the same anger reflected back.

“That’s … very possible,” Violet said finally, clenching her fists. “If Tess and Nadine are so close in age, then this wasn’t some short–term affair. If what you said is right, then Shannon getting close to Kylie, becoming her so–called best friend–it could’ve all been planned from the start.”

As she spoke, the horrifying pattern became clear. A cold sweat broke out down her back.

If this were all true, then Shannon and Henry had set Kylie up from the very beginning. And Kylie, sweet and trusting after being spoiled all her life, had been the perfect prey for their long game.

“Abel,” Olivia said suddenly, breaking the silence. “When you’re back on your feet, I have something important I’ll need your help with,” she said, her tone calm but heavy.

Abel nodded without hesitation. “Just tell me what you need. I’ll do everything I can.”