She Was Never Just a Pretty Face novel Chapter 200

Late into the night.

Hilda took the elevator up alone.

She pushed open the door to the VIP suite.

Catherine was sitting on the sofa inside. Hearing the door open, she turned to look at Hilda, her voice quiet but carrying an unprecedented severity. "Where did you go?"

Hilda's voice was hoarse. "Mom."

Catherine slowly stood up.

Her body trembled as she rose, but she walked over to the door and firmly shut it. Then, she raised her hand and slapped Hilda hard across the face. Her voice cracked with fury. "Did you go see Luther? Are you going back to him? Have you completely lost your mind? Did you forget why you married Harrell in the first place? It was to escape Luther! Now that Harrell is lying in a bed, you suddenly can't hold on anymore? Morton and Harrison are still here holding this family together! We don't need a woman sacrificing herself for us! What on earth are you doing? How much do you think this will destroy Harrell if he ever finds out? If he wakes up tomorrow, how am I supposed to look him in the eye? If the company fails, we'll survive. If we lose the big house, we'll live in a smaller one! We're not going to starve to death in the streets! Why would you go back to Luther? You foolish, foolish girl, what are you doing? Are you trying to kill me? Harrell's accident already took half my life, and if you leave now, you're taking the other half!"

Catherine broke down into choked, agonized sobs.

She shoved Hilda weakly.

And then, she pulled her tightly into her arms.

She wailed aloud. She hated this world. She completely despised the brutal unfairness of it all.

Most of all, she hated her own inability to protect her children.

She hated that Hilda had to go beg Luther for their survival.

Hilda buried her face into Catherine's shoulder.

Her cheek burned with stinging pain, but she knew the pain in Catherine's heart was infinitely worse. When she opened her mouth, her voice broke with sobs.

"Mom, I don't have a choice."

"If we go bankrupt, yes, we can survive."

"But keeping Harrell alive costs an absolute fortune."

"I can't let Grandpa Morton live out his final years in disgrace."

"And what about Jolie—the woman who hit Harrell? Mom, do you know what I saw today? I was driving, and I saw her sitting out at a cafe, perfectly fine, eating waffles. She was laughing and having a grand time with Sylvan and Mina. And the moment I saw that, all I could think about was Harrell. About everything this family has endured. About Yorick. About Sebastian."

"Every single one of those monsters is living a fantastic life."

"And we're the only ones drowning in misery."

"If going back to Luther means I can take everything back."

"Why shouldn't I do it?"

"Mom, why shouldn't I?"

Hilda clutched tightly at Catherine's clothes.

Her face was drenched in tears.

She wept with suffocating grief.

She had no other options. She couldn't just live peacefully while watching the Judson family burn to ash.

She knew perfectly well that by going back to Luther, she was crossing a line.

In the eyes of society, any future with Harrell was permanently severed.

She clung tightly to Catherine, her voice raw with agony. "If... if Harrell ever wakes up, tell him to forget about me. Tell him to find a good woman, get married, and live a beautiful life. He shouldn't sacrifice anything else for me. I just want him to be okay, Mom. I just want him to live."

Catherine tilted her head up, tears streaming endlessly down her face.

She weakly pounded on Hilda's back.

This foolish, foolish child.

She had completely lost her mind.

Hilda held her tight, soaking Catherine's clothes with her tears, her voice muffled to the absolute limit.

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