Imprisoned While Pregnant, She's Back for Payback novel Chapter 500

**Keepsake 500: Mom, You’re the Best**

Kylie’s voice sliced through the air with an icy detachment, as if she were recounting the exploits of a stranger rather than expressing her own feelings. The only hint of emotion that crept into her tone was a deep-seated disgust, a visceral reaction to the situation at hand.

Nadine, ever the peacemaker, picked up on Kylie’s discontent and attempted to infuse the atmosphere with a lighter spirit. She offered a tentative smile, her brow furrowed with concern. “Mom, that’s just how it goes sometimes. But really, you shouldn’t let seeing Tess get to you like this. Did she do something to upset you again?”

Nadine’s eyes were filled with worry as she searched Kylie’s face for answers, hoping to find a glimmer of reassurance.

But when Kylie’s gaze met hers, the bitterness within her erupted, spilling out uncontrollably.

“The Larsons came over! They’re my family, yet every single one of them chose Tess, a girl they’d only just met! They even gave her that emerald bracelet—the Larsons’ heirloom, meant for their heiress!”

Kylie’s voice rose, her anger igniting as her eyes glistened with unshed tears, the kind that come from deep frustration and betrayal.

“What?”

The moment those words reached Nadine’s ears, the calm composure she had been holding onto shattered. She felt a surge of tension course through her body, her heart racing.

“The emerald bracelet meant for the Larsons’ heiress? Mom, are you absolutely sure about this? Why on earth would they give something so precious to Tess?”

Disbelief laced her voice, urgency and frustration bubbling beneath the surface.

How could this be fair?

Tess had been a stranger to the Larsons until now. How could she suddenly be elevated to the status of their heiress after just a single encounter?

“How would I know?! Aunt Olivia and Uncle Benjamin must have lost their minds! How could they so carelessly hand over that kind of legacy?”

Kylie’s fury was palpable, so intense that it sent her into a fit of coughing, her body shaking with the force of her emotions.

Nadine sat there, frozen on the edge of the bed, her mind racing in a haze of disbelief. She was so overwhelmed that she barely registered Kylie’s coughing fit.

“Mom, you know what that emerald bracelet signifies. Didn’t you even try to stop them?”

With a sense of desperation, she clutched Kylie’s arm, her heart pounding as she sought answers.

Kylie clenched her jaw, her frustration boiling over. “Of course, I tried! But your dad stopped me!”

The mention of Henry snapped Nadine back to reality, her jealousy momentarily giving way to clarity.

She tightened her grip on the blanket, her knuckles turning white.

Henry must have intervened because, if Tess truly inherited the Larsons’ fortune, he would stand to gain the most as her biological father.

But…

Nadine’s eyes turned steely, her heart hardening.

“Yes, I’m a Larson too, and I can’t just stand by and watch Tess jeopardize the family’s legacy.” After what felt like an eternity, Kylie finally seemed to arrive at a resolution. She nodded decisively, her expression softening as she reached out to Nadine, patting her hand affectionately. “Don’t worry, sweetheart, I’ll talk to them. You don’t need to stress so much.”

“And even though Tess is my biological daughter, you will always be the one I cherish the most. If the Larsons truly wish to give her something, I promise you’ll receive your fair share as well.”

“Mom… you’re the best.”

As those words left Kylie’s lips, Nadine felt a rush of emotions swell within her. Her eyes glistened with unshed tears as she threw herself into her mother’s embrace, her pride momentarily set aside.

Meanwhile, Lyra observed the entire scene through the glass window of the hospital room, her expression a mask of cold amusement.

She turned away, a smirk curling at the corners of her lips.

Unbelievable.

Kylie was determined not to let her biological daughter enjoy any of the good fortune that came her way. If Tess received something nice, Kylie insisted that her adopted daughter share in it as well.

I’ve never seen anything quite like this.

Lyra scoffed internally, committed the room number to memory, and slipped away quietly.

Just as she exited Nadine’s room and stepped into the elevator, she collided with Raven, who was ascending from the lobby to meet her.

“How did it go?” Raven inquired, stepping out of the elevator with a curious expression. “Did you manage to find Nadine’s room?”