Watching You Burn In Regret novel Chapter 251

At that very moment, in Riverbend City.

At the Sullivan estate.

Willa's father, Lloyd Sullivan, and her brother, Marcus, had already left for work after breakfast. Her mother, Janie, had been about to join her socialite friends for a game of cards, but she stopped at the door, remembering that Willa was back.

Ever since she'd returned a few days ago, Willa had been acting off, wandering around as if she'd lost her soul. Janie, feeling a persistent unease, decided to check on her. She went upstairs and knocked on Willa's door. "Willa, time to get up."

Willa was the daughter of Lloyd and his mistress. The mistress had died from complications during childbirth, leaving only Willa behind. In matters like these, men could be ruthlessly pragmatic. He had his affairs, but he never let them disrupt the family at home. Any women—or their children—from outside were never brought into the fold. Lloyd had initially planned to wash his hands of Willa, offering a lump sum to have her put up for adoption.

But when Janie found out about the child, she had someone bring Willa to the Sullivan estate. There were two reasons for this. First, Janie's health was poor. After giving birth to Marcus, she'd had several miscarriages and felt she had failed Lloyd. Second, she had always wanted a daughter to complete their family.

Over the years, Janie treated Willa like her own flesh and blood. Whatever Marcus received, Willa was given an equal share, without any favoritism. Yet, for all her efforts, Willa had always remained distant.

Janie knocked for five minutes with no response. Finally, she had a maid bring the spare key and opened the door.

The moment she stepped inside, she saw Willa lying motionless on the floor, an empty bottle of sleeping pills scattered beside her.

Horrified, Janie screamed for the maids, and together they rushed Willa to the hospital to have her stomach pumped. After a frantic morning, Willa was finally moved from the emergency room to a private ward.

Seeing that she was out of danger, Janie's racing heart finally began to settle. "You silly girl," she scolded gently, her voice thick with relief and frustration. "How could you do something so foolish?"

Lying in the hospital bed, Willa's face was ashen. She stared blankly at the ceiling, her eyes devoid of light, and said nothing.

"Janie, you shouldn't have brought me to the hospital," Willa whispered through her tears. "You should have just left me there. If Dad finds out about this, he'll kill me."

Willa's relationship with Lloyd had always been strained; he had never truly accepted her as his daughter. He was a man with a volatile temper and an obsession with appearances. When Sheridan was paralyzed in the accident and Willa fled to Meridia, Lloyd had felt utterly humiliated. After screaming at her, he had forbidden her from ever returning to the Sullivan family.

Janie, snapping out of her shock, sighed again. She knew all too well what it felt like to be in love with the wrong man. Looking at Willa, she felt a deep, painful empathy. As the matriarch of the Sullivan family, however, she knew how to keep a clear head in a crisis.

"Don't panic," she said, her voice firm but gentle. "I know you're scared, but there's always a solution. This is no reason to throw your life away. We won't tell your father just yet. Once you're feeling stronger, I'll take you to the Powers family myself. You're carrying his child. Even if Sheridan doesn't want to take responsibility, his family has to answer for it."

She added, "Once you and Sheridan are officially engaged, your father will have to accept it."