She Quit Her Family and Found Herself novel Chapter 99

The words had barely left Justin's mouth when he noticed that none of them looked particularly happy to see him.

"What's going on?" he asked.

"What else? It's that wife of his causing trouble again," Valery scoffed, completely unfiltered in front of her son's best friend.

"Hulda?" Justin's mind immediately flashed back to the image of her walking all alone on that dark, empty road. "Did something happen? Because I just passed her walking down the street by herself."

"What? She left?!" Valery's face twisted into an ugly snarl. "What kind of mother is she? Leaving her sick child and the rest of the family behind without even saying a word?!"

Herbert's face hardened, silently agreeing that she had crossed a massive line today.

But beneath the anger, a strange, uncontrollable spike of panic pierced through his chest.

It had started as a faint unease back in the car when she had casually answered a call from some 'irrelevant person.'

Now, with her walking out on him without so much as a goodbye, that unease was rapidly blossoming into full-blown dread.

She had never acted like this before. Around him and his family, she had always been overly cautious, practically walking on eggshells just to please them.

What was going on with her lately?

Was she really just playing games, like Justin had suggested, or was this something else entirely?

For the very first time, Herbert actually began to doubt his own theory that she was just playing hard to get.

"Justin! You're here!" Cora shrieked, fluttering down the stairs like an over-excited butterfly. If she had wings, she would have thrown herself right into his arms.

Faced with her suffocating enthusiasm, Justin instinctively backpedaled, strategically positioning himself behind Wade.

He was genuinely terrified of Herbert's little sister.

Internally, he couldn't help but draw a brutal comparison. Cora was the exact same age as Hulda, yet their maturities were lightyears apart. Hulda was out there fixing sports cars like a total badass, while Cora was standing in her parents' foyer whining like a spoiled brat.

The thought shocked him. He quickly shot a guilty sideways glance at Herbert, feeling bizarrely defensive.

He forcefully shoved the weird thought out of his head.

Valery was the only one fully aware of her daughter's desperate crush. Seeing Justin look so visibly uncomfortable, her face darkened. She grabbed Cora by the arm and yanked her back. "Show some restraint in front of our guest!"

Seeing her parents scowl at her, Cora finally dialed back her enthusiasm. She stood obediently behind her mother, though her eyes remained firmly glued to Justin.

"I heard Miles was sick, so I swung by to check on him," Justin quickly clarified, desperate to nip any misunderstandings in the bud.

Right at that moment, Sylvie walked gracefully down the staircase, carrying the empty food tray in her hands. Miles had eaten every last bite.