The Hidden Empress Stripping Her Secrets After Divorce novel Chapter 458

New York, a cramped apartment.

Serena crouched on the floor, staring at the glowing screen of the phone by her feet. Her entire body was shaking—not just a slight tremor, but a violent shudder that rattled her very bones. She reached out to grab the phone, but her fingers slipped awkwardly against the smooth glass. It felt like holding a block of ice. The phone tumbled from her grasp, smacking against the hardwood before coming to rest by her toes again.

She had no idea what Piper's message meant. Was it a genuine invitation, or was she coming for blood? The memory of that afternoon flooded her mind—the glass of juice in the restaurant, Piper's limp arm, her eyes fluttering shut. Serena remembered standing off to the side, watching Leo and Quinn drag her away, feeling a sick, intoxicating surge of satisfaction. That brief high had made her feel like all the cruelty in her life had finally been balanced out.

But that high was entirely gone now, replaced by a paralyzing, bone-deep terror she couldn't shake.

She finally managed to pick up the phone, her hands shaking so badly the text blurred. She didn't know what to do. Sliding down against the base of her cheap sofa, she pulled her knees to her chest and buried her face in her arms. Mrs. Vance's shrill voice echoed in her ears: "A little bastard like you snagging a Vance was the luckiest thing to ever happen to your pathetic life." She remembered her father's brutal slap, the phantom sting flaring to life on her lip.

She thought of Eleanor's mocking glare and her own mother cowering in the shadows. And then she thought of Piper, smiling warmly as she handed over that drink. "The juice here is fresh-squeezed, you'll love it."

How could she have done it? How could she have convinced herself that ruining Piper would fix her own broken life? How could she have let jealousy blind her to the horrific consequences? She pressed her hands to her face, her shoulders heaving with dry, tearless sobs.

When the shaking finally subsided, she grabbed her phone and held down the power button until the screen went black. She popped out the SIM card, tossing it onto the coffee table. Standing up, she walked over to her small cabinet and dug out a bottle of vodka Leo had left behind. She hadn't touched it since. She unscrewed the cap, poured a glass, and downed it in one gulp. The fiery burn choked her, finally bringing tears to her eyes. She poured a second glass and threw that back too. She just wanted to drink until the world went dark.

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Paris, 11th arrondissement. The old apartment building, room 401.

The curtains remained drawn, casting the room in heavy shadows. Lyra sat on the edge of the bed, her fingers white-knuckling the ultrasound report. She had stared at it a hundred times, but the medical jargon was meaningless. The blurry black-and-white shapes just looked like an ominous fog clouding her future.

Her phone buzzed. It was Leon.

[Have you secured Evelyn Sullivan yet?]