The Best Revenge It Wasn't Even Your Child novel Chapter 275

Lorinda’s face was tight with worry as she called Amanda. No one answered.

Catherine tried too. For half an hour, she kept dialing, again and again, hoping Amanda would finally pick up, but each call went straight to voicemail.

Outside, rain poured down in sheets, drenching the city and washing away any lingering heat from early summer. The storm should have felt refreshing, but for Catherine, it only made her more anxious. She couldn’t shake the feeling that she was trapped, like a frog in a pot where the water was heating up bit by bit. There was this creeping sense of danger she couldn’t explain, as if something terrible was just beneath the surface. Still, every time she tried to calm down, she wondered if maybe she was overreacting. The water didn’t feel that hot yet… did it?

The rain was so thick and wild that there was no way they could get to the orphanage to look for Amanda. The whole city of Cabinda felt drowned in the downpour.

Rain drummed against the tall windows, blurring the world outside. The reflection of a man flickered across the glass. No matter how hard the rain tried, it couldn’t wash away the heavy, brooding energy he brought into the room.

At eleven that night, Lance called Aaron.

“What’s going on with the thing I asked you to check?” His voice was low, impatient.

There was only one day left before the three-day deadline. Normally, Aaron would have had everything sorted a day early. But this time, things were different.

Aaron had spent the whole day dodging Lance, timing his visits so there were always other people around. He did everything he could to avoid being alone with him. But when Lance called, there was no hiding.

“Lance, it’s… complicated. It’s taking longer than expected. This goes way back—”

The line went dead.

Aaron felt the pressure settle over him. He swallowed, but before he could gather his thoughts, his phone buzzed again. A message from Lance: If you don’t have an answer tomorrow, don’t bother coming back.

Aaron stared at the screen, his face pale. He started running through what he would say, practicing in his head, trying to imagine every possible reaction Lance might have and how he’d respond. Would Lance do what he did that night and bring another custody agreement to Catherine? That would be a disaster.

The rain had stopped, but the sky outside was still gray and heavy. Feeling like a man heading to his own execution, Aaron got in his car and drove straight to SilverLeaf Industries.

***

“Gavin, there’s something going on with Catherine.”

At that moment, Gavin’s phone rang. It was the hospital.

He’d been buried in work lately. Ever since he’d stopped Catherine from being assigned to Harrell, he hadn’t checked in on her situation. The Green family had gotten involved, and the hospital, not wanting to offend them, had done whatever Adelina wanted. Caught in the middle, the hospital staff had just tried to lie low and avoid trouble.

Now, though, things had gotten out of hand. Somehow, the James family was involved too. The hospital director called Gavin, his voice tense, and explained everything that had happened, leaving nothing out.