Larissa Judson and Haskell Palmer novel Chapter 479

“Do you really think I’d believe a word you say? You deserve everything that’s happening to you! You lied to us for years, secretly in contact with your father. If you had just told me or Finley the truth about your situation, we could have helped you deal with him. This is all your own doing!” Leopold’s voice was filled with rage. “I’m not saving you. And don’t even think about calling Finley. He’s in the hospital right now because of the poison he took to save you, a poison he never got treated for himself.”

“From now on, you’re on your own. Your life is your own problem.”

He hung up without a second thought. He would never forget what she had done while he lay unconscious in a hospital bed. The fact that he hadn’t killed her with his own hands was the greatest mercy he could offer.

Vivica’s grip on her fork tightened. “Leopold, was that that little bastard, Honora?”

She didn’t need an answer. She slammed her fork down on the table. “How dare that wretch call you! If it weren’t for her, we wouldn’t be in this mess!”

They had been cast out of the Judson family, and the old man hadn't even given them a house. They were now living off their personal savings.

The more Vivica thought about it, the angrier she became. “It just goes to show, blood is thicker than water. No matter how well you treat an outsider, a wolf will always be a wolf!”

Her rage turned to regret. “If I had just realized that sooner, if I had just been good to my own daughter from the start, we wouldn’t have ended up like this.”

She looked at Leopold. “I know you and Finley used to dote on her, but she is the reason for our downfall. No matter how much she begs, you must not give in to her again. I’ll make sure to remind your brother when I see him at the hospital.”

…

In a dilapidated rental unit in a rundown part of the city.

“You little bitch! Open the damn door! Who told you to lock it? What are you doing in there? Open up!”

The bathroom door rattled violently as someone slammed against it from the outside, the lock on the verge of breaking.