The Hidden Empress Stripping Her Secrets After Divorce novel Chapter 178

Upstate Women’s Correctional Facility, Visitation Room.

Lydia Langford sat rigidly on a cold plastic chair, glaring through the thick shatterproof glass at the television screen mounted on the wall. It was the global live broadcast of a rebuilding project’s opening ceremony in Africa.

On the screen, the woman she despised to her very core—Evelyn Sullivan—stood bathed in the morning light. She wore no glamorous gown, no flawless makeup. Clad in simple khaki field clothes, she commanded the absolute respect of every politician, tribal leader, and international academic present, all of whom rose to their feet to honor her.

The old chieftain’s trembling voice echoed through the translator: “...We call her our ‘Angel’... We call her ‘Dr. Rose’!”

The red silk fell away, revealing the magnificent statue.

Lydia’s hands balled into tight fists, her nails digging so deeply into her palms that they drew blood. She watched the locals bowing in reverence, witnessed the sheer admiration in the eyes of the global medical elite, and saw Evelyn accept the monumental praise with total serenity.

"Ahhh—!!!"

She shrieked in uncontrollable hysteria, slamming her hands against the reinforced glass with a dull thud. A prison guard immediately rushed forward, pinning her down. "Prisoner 7564! Stand down!"

"Get off me! Let go!" Lydia thrashed like a wild animal, her eyes completely bloodshot. "Why! Why does she get to live like a queen while I rot in here! It’s not fair! I won't accept this!"

She was forcibly dragged out of the visitation room and marched back to her cell. Her agonizing screams echoed down the barren concrete corridors, sounding like a slaughtered beast.

The heavy steel door slammed shut.

Lydia collapsed onto the freezing concrete floor, shaking violently. It wasn't fear; it was pure, unadulterated hatred.

One year. She had been sentenced to a year in prison with a one-year probation. And her parents, her precious sister Lyra...

"Heh... haha..." She started laughing, a shrill, deranged sound. "Liars... they're all liars..."

Visitation hours arrived again.

Lydia was hauled back into the visitation room. This time, it was the Langford family's butler, an old man who had served them for twenty years. He picked up the receiver through the glass, and Lydia mechanically grabbed hers.

"Miss Lydia," the old butler’s voice held a sliver of pity. "Mr. and Mrs. Langford sent me to check on you."

Lydia’s eyes ignited with desperate hope. "Did Mom and Dad figure something out? Are they getting me out? I can't stay in this hellhole another day! I want out!"

The butler fell silent for several agonizing seconds before murmuring, "Your parents said... they want you to serve your time and reflect on your behavior."

The hope on Lydia’s face crystallized into horror.

And now?

Evelyn was receiving global worship, while she, Lydia Langford, decayed in a cell.

How sickeningly ironic.

---

A few days later brought another visitation day.

Lydia had entirely given up hope. She trudged mechanically into the visitation room, only to freeze when she saw the person sitting across the glass.

It was a woman in her thirties, dressed in an impeccably tailored champagne suit, with flawless makeup and an aura of absolute elegance. It wasn't anyone from the Langford family. Lydia didn't recognize her at all.

The woman picked up the phone and smiled gracefully. "Miss Lydia Langford?"

Lydia narrowed her eyes defensively. "Who are you?"

"Someone who can help you," the woman replied, her tone perfectly even. "Or rather, someone who wants to make a deal."