Imprisoned While Pregnant, She's Back for Payback novel Chapter 425

Chapter 425 Mr Ember

Patricia quickly found the old surveillance footage.

“This is the footage you asked for. It covers the entire month of June that year.”

Tess glanced over and nodded. “I really appreciate it.”

Hearing that, Patricia waved her hands like it was nothing, but sweat was already forming on her forehead.

Tess noticed her tension and shared a glance with Lyra.

Lyra winked at her, silently saying it was okay.

The three of them went back to the surveillance room, and Patricia had Wendy set up a computer specifically for Tess and Lyra to watch the footage.

Soon, the screen showed the figures Tess and Lyra had been searching for.

“Yes, that ward!”

Their eyes were instantly fixed on the screen.

The footage was from over ten years ago, so it was still dark and blurry.

It was a three-person patient room, and both Tess and Lyra focused carefully on the middle- aged woman in the corner.

They had checked Nicholas’s wife’s personal information and photo before leaving so they could spot her immediately.

On the footage, she looked depressed, often staring out the window.

The two other women in the ward had families gathered around taking care of them, but she was by herself.

“Mrs. Wood, when will your family get here?” the doctor urged her.

Ever since she was admitted, barely anyone had come to see her. But her due date was getting close; she could deliver any moment and badly needed someone to stay with her.

Rachel Wood froze, then shook her head quietly. “Doctor, my husband isn’t around.”

“Any other family? Your hospital fees are already half a week late. If you can’t pay by the end of the week, we’ll have to discharge you.”

The doctor frowned. While his tone was harsh, the look he gave the lonely woman showed some pity.

Rachel clutched the bedsheet tightly and lowered her head as she pleaded, “P-Please don’t kick me out. My husband is trying to get the money!”

The doctor’s frown didn’t case, and his eyes dropped to Rachel’s stomach.

Rachel’s body was weak, and she hadn’t gotten enough nutrition while pregnant. The delivery would be extremely hard on both mother and child.

The pity in the doctor’s eyes deepened. He sighed. “You should rest and wait for the baby’s father to come.”

Once the doctor was gone, Rachel seemed to lose all her energy. She slowly lay back down on the bed, her eyes dull and lifeless, until a single tear fell.

She must’ve been thinking about something. She touched her stomach, then bit her lip and tried to get the phone beside her.

“Nicholas, the hospital is rushing me … When will you be back?”

“Skip this,” Tess said in a low voice.

Wendy hesitated, then fast-forwarded the playback.

Lyra spoke up and made her stop as soon as Nicholas came into view.

Tess and Lyra held their breath, staring at the screen.

Nicholas rushed back, a hint of urgency and panic barely showing on his face.

“Honey, I’m going to pay the bill right now!”

He quickly calmed Rachel, automatically touched his pocket, and rushed to the payment area.

“Pause. Still, this time frame-pull up the surveillance from the maternity ward payment area.”

Tess frowned, narrowing her eyes.

Wendy did as she was told, and soon Nicholas appeared on the screen.

He stopped at a corner a short distance from the payment area and pulled out a thick stack of bills from his pocket.

Estimating those were one-hundred-dollar bills, it looked like about a hundred thousand.

Tess’s gaze sharpened instantly.

That amount of money was worth a fortune ten years back.

Nicholas was just an ordinary employee at the crematorium. How could he suddenly come up with that much money?

He took some of the money to pay the bills, and then he immediately hid back in a quiet spot.

He got an urgent call, answering politely, nodding, and smiling nervously the whole time.

When the call ended, his overly polite face finally relaxed, but he looked drained, and his shoulders were trembling.

Tess paused the footage and used the mouse to zoom in on Nicholas’s phone. The caller ID was clear-Mr. Ember.

Mr. Ember…

Tess took a picture of the screen with her phone, then asked Wendy to put the surveillance back on Rachel’s room and speed it up.

In just a few minutes, they watched Nicholas pick up Rachel shortly after she gave

birth.

Tess and Lyra straightened up from leaning over the computer, both with blank expressions.