I Walked Away And He Lost His Mind (Zephyra) novel Chapter 82

Antonia stormed into the house behind me. “Zephyra, who said you could come in?”

Her voice drew the attention of Martin and Janice, who were standing near the staircase. The moment they saw me, they instinctively pulled their hands apart.

“You’re back. You could have made a sound,” Martin chided, his voice tight.

Seeing their flustered expressions, I couldn’t help but laugh, the mockery in my eyes deepening. “How interesting. I come back to my own home—a home you summoned me to—and one of you acts like I’m trespassing while the other scolds me for not announcing my arrival. Am I not welcome here, or were you just afraid I’d see something I wasn’t supposed to?”

The three of them froze, their faces stiffening. Martin and Janice’s little “love affair” was a secret, after all, and they had no defense against my accusation.

Just then, Lisa, the housekeeper, slipped in, glanced our way without a word, and hurried into the kitchen.

Janice shot me a look, then craned her neck to peer past me toward the door, feigning concern. “Zephyra, didn’t Mr. Lancaster come back with you? Was he held up by something?”

“I didn’t ask him to come,” I said, strolling further into the living room and dropping my bag.

At that, Martin’s thin eyebrows furrowed into a deep line. Before he could speak, Antonia jumped in, eager to fan the flames.

“Did you not tell Steven? Or did you piss him off and he refused to come? Is that why you couldn’t bring him back with you?” she said, her head tilted with an air of smug satisfaction.

Martin took the bait instantly. I knew the one thing he was terrified of was offending the Lancasters. His face contorted with rage as he glared at me. “Zephyra, is what Antonia said true?”

I smiled. “If I said no, would you believe me?”

She paused for dramatic effect. “I don’t mind losing face, but if this reflects badly on you and Mom, that would be terrible.”

I had to laugh. So that’s why Antonia had been lying in wait, acting as if the restaurant incident never happened. She was saving her ammunition for this very moment.

Janice’s expression immediately soured. “Zephyra, I know you’ve looked down on this family ever since you married into the Lancaster house. But no matter what, you two are sisters. If you’re not going to protect her, fine, but how could you accuse your own sister of stealing? You’ve broken my heart.”

As she spoke, her eyes actually began to well up with tears.

That was the last straw for Martin. Just like in my past life, he fell for their manipulation completely. “Zephyra, don’t you forget you’re a Jones, too!” he bellowed. “You think you’re some Cinderella who married her prince? Take a good look in the mirror! You have no looks, no personality. If it weren’t for the Jones family propping you up, the Lancasters would have thrown you out on the street long ago!”