Burn Me Once Burn With Me (Ruby Grayson) novel Chapter 428

As soon as the person at the center of the storm stepped forward, the once-chaotic room fell into a hushed silence. All eyes turned to Frieda.

With her gaze lowered ever so slightly, Frieda exuded a gentle, almost ethereal calm—a sense of detachment that seemed to set her apart from everyone else.

“I’ve seen the photos and videos circulating online,” she began, her voice steady. “The woman standing next to my husband, Hanley, is not Violet, who passed away over a decade ago. Hanley has already confessed to me: that woman is named Selma. She does resemble Violet somewhat, and after making a few subtle changes, she deliberately approached Hanley. My husband has told me everything, and I have chosen to forgive him.”

Her words, serene and unhurried, echoed through the hall.

“Hanley already addressed these matters with the media,” she continued, “but I understand that after everything that’s happened, it’s hard for the public to trust any official statement. That’s why I’m here today, to speak for myself and clarify things.”

Having finished, Frieda set down the microphone. Without lingering, she stepped off the stage, moving with quiet composure.

Ruby narrowed her eyes, following Frieda’s every move until she disappeared among the crowd.

In Ruby’s memory, Frieda had always been spoiled—used to getting her way, a faint air of arrogance clinging to her. But after marrying Hanley, that arrogance gave way to restlessness, even bitterness.

It had been more than two weeks since Ruby had finally left the Grayson family for good.

She found herself replaying the image of Frieda’s black dress as she vanished from sight.

Ruby had even asked Fanny and Pamela to keep tabs on Frieda from time to time. Yet, lately, it felt as if Frieda had become an entirely different person overnight.

The more Ruby dwelled on it, the stranger it seemed, but no matter how she turned it over in her mind, she couldn’t make sense of it. For now, she could only set her doubts aside.

With Frieda’s public statement, Hanley seemed much more at ease as he stood at the podium.

He gave a sweeping glance over the now-quiet guests and members of the press, then picked up the microphone again, his gaze brushing past Sylas and landing on Ruby. “Mr. Cunningham, you just tried to disrupt the service. I’m not sure what your motive was, or who put you up to it. After all, neither I nor the Grayson family has ever had any direct conflict with you, Mr. Cunningham, or with Mr. Veyne.”

His words were calculated, every syllable carefully chosen.

Though he feigned confusion, his look and tone left little doubt—he was pointing the finger straight at Ruby.

A ripple of tension ran through the crowd.

Hanley offered a magnanimous smile, adjusting his tie with practiced elegance. “Of course, the little disturbance just now can easily be overlooked. Between the evidence I’ve presented and my wife’s personal testimony, there’s more than enough here to refute the rumors and slander that have been circulating about me and the Grayson family. I trust our friends in the media will report the truth with fairness and integrity.”

He gave a courteous bow.

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