The Hidden Empress Stripping Her Secrets After Divorce novel Chapter 628

Lawrence closed his eyes, his fingers rhythmically tapping against the armrest. Sebastian was clinging to life in a coma, Evelyn was standing guard over him in Switzerland, Julian was relentlessly digging into the past, and some ghost in the shadows was systematically dismantling Logan's life. Logan himself was thrashing around like a rabid animal. The entire situation was spiraling completely out of control. He had to tread carefully. He couldn't afford to get dragged down with them.

Meanwhile, in Madeline Thorne's apartment.

The curtains were tightly drawn over the small windows, and a half-unpacked suitcase lay open on the edge of the bed. Madeline sat cross-legged on the mattress, a laptop balanced on her lap. The screen was flooded with breaking news headlines: 'Chinese Billionaire Involved in Catastrophic Swiss Car Crash' and 'Victim Suspected to be Thorne Enterprises CEO Sebastian Thorne.'

She stared intensely at the articles, her finger swiping aimlessly across the trackpad as she reread the same lines over and over. She had been back from Paris for several days now, but she hadn't made a single move regarding her career. Before coming home, she had transferred all her active cases at the Paris branch. Since arriving, the partners at her firm had already called twice to ask when she was returning to the office. Both times, she had vaguely told them to give her a little more time. What exactly she was waiting for, even she couldn't articulate.

She picked up her phone, then tossed it back onto the sheets. Picked it up. Tossed it down.

She was hesitating.

When Evelyn and Sebastian had checked out of their hotel in France, Madeline had immediately booked a flight back to the States. She knew Louis had also gone to Switzerland shortly after. And now, the news was broadcasting that Sebastian had nearly died in a wreck. If the reports were true, Evelyn's entire world had to be falling apart. But if it was a lie...

Biting her lower lip, she found Evelyn's contact and hit call.

It rang three times before connecting.

"Evie." Madeline purposefully softened her voice, lacing it with a delicate, cautious concern. "Where are you right now? I just saw the news about Sebastian getting into an accident in Switzerland... Is it real?"

The line fell dead silent for a few agonizing seconds.

When Evelyn finally spoke, her voice was raspy, carrying the heavy exhaustion of someone who hadn't slept and had spent hours crying. "...It's real."

Madeline's grip on her phone tightened. "Are you still in Switzerland?"

"Yes."

"How is he? Is he out of danger?"

"He's still in the ICU. He hasn't woken up." Evelyn's voice was barely a whisper, as if she were terrified of speaking too loudly. "The doctors said... the next few days are critical."

A jolt went through Madeline. She listened closely to Evelyn's tone, meticulously analyzing it. The sheer exhaustion sounded authentic. The hoarseness sounded real. Even the slight, trembling pauses fit perfectly. But there was a strange, underlying feeling—she couldn't quite put her finger on it, but something felt fundamentally off.

"Are you there all alone?" Madeline asked.