Imprisoned While Pregnant, She's Back for Payback novel Chapter 556

The moment those words left his mouth, a dark smile curved across Abel's lips. His knuckles cracked as he flexed his fingers, already deciding where he'd land the first hit.

Somewhere that would hurt badly but leave no mark people could see. That way, this slick talker wouldn't go crying to Tess.

As the malicious thought twisted through Abel's mind, Lachlan watched him quietly.

When Bessie had led him upstairs earlier, his instincts had gone off right away. Every part of him screamed that this man was dangerous.

Abel was a real threat.

The light in Lachlan's eyes faded. The air between them grew tight and heavy, like even the wind had stopped moving.

"Take it outside if you're going to fight," Tess snapped.

She pulled the door open and slammed it shut again with a loud bang.

Both men twitched at the sound. Whatever fire they had left fizzled out.

They exchanged one last glare before turning away, each heading to his own car.

From the window, Tess watched their cars pull away. Only then did she lock the door with a firm click.

Later that night, Lachlan checked into a hotel near Evermount Heights.

His room was high up. From the window, he could see the green lawns spread below.

He dragged a chair over and sat down, staring at the view.

All he could think about was what had just happened and how Tess didn't believe him.

Or maybe she just didn't care about what he'd said.

To her, that childhood marriage contract was probably nothing more than some old family joke. But to him, it was everything. The one thing that had kept him going all these years.

He let out a long breath, lifted the glass in his right hand, and downed the last drop of whiskey in silence.

Lachlan had always been a man of restraint. He never drank. So it felt strange that the first time he ever touched alcohol was in a foreign country.

But then again, since it was her city, he didn't really mind.

The liquor burned down his throat like fire. His eyes stung. Before long, everything started to blur.

The world tilted. The moon outside the window seemed to slide right off the sky and fall to the ground.

Wait—why is the moon on the floor?

He blinked hard and rubbed his eyes, but it didn't get up.

This couldn't be right. I'd seen the moon a thousand times before. It's never like this.

He reached out as if to set it upright again, but his body swayed and he collapsed instead. His elbow smacked against the floor. The pain jolted him halfway back to reality.

Turns out, he'd simply fallen off his chair in a drunken blur.

Lachlan gave an awkward little grin, rubbed his sore arm, and pulled himself back into the seat.

The moon outside was still shining—bright and steady, just like always.

But the clarity didn't last. Soon the room began to spin again, everything doubling and shifting.

His thoughts scattered like dust.

"Grandpa, why do I have to learn piano?"

He didn't want to. Looking at the old man beside the piano, ruler in hand, he felt both scared and wronged.

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