She’s Back, and Hell’s Coming with Her novel Chapter 279

Sommer was so weak now that her voice was barely more than a whisper.

“Celine, don’t say another word. Let’s talk about everything once I’ve recovered.”

With that, she shut her eyes in pain, unwilling to utter another syllable.

Seeing her mother in such agony, Celine clenched her fists, swallowing her anger. Deep down, she made a silent vow: no matter what her mother said, she would never let Hester return to the Sutton family.

*

Back in her hospital room, Hester’s gaunt face was twisted with resentment and humiliation. Her arm was ruined—all because of Sabrina, that spiteful witch. If only she hadn’t left the ballroom so suddenly, none of this would have happened. Every carefully laid plan had unraveled in a single night.

Her once-beautiful features were now contorted with rage. She’d never be able to wear elegant dresses again; even in the height of summer, she’d have to cover up with long sleeves. That thought only made her hatred for Sabrina burn hotter. Hester’s hands curled into fists, her eyes flashing with malice.

Sabrina, I’ll destroy everything you rely on. I’ll drag you back down to the gutters where you belong—and then I’ll make you pay.

During all this, Sabrina hadn’t visited the hospital even once. Her excuse was that she needed to stay home and care for her grandmother. Sommer was so furious she cursed up a storm, and in her anger, the wound she’d worked so hard to heal split open again.

Seven days later, Hester was discharged from the hospital. Sommer’s injuries were even more severe and required her to stay for further treatment.

The first thing Hester did after leaving was head straight to Octavia’s garden to beg for forgiveness. She knelt in the grass, remorse etched across her face.

She’d been turning the matter over in her mind ever since. Whoever released that video had done it to hurt Hester deliberately. But Hester hadn’t been back in Port City long and hadn’t made any enemies—who could hate her so much?

Two young faces flashed through Octavia’s mind. She didn’t want to believe it, but all the evidence seemed to point in their direction.

The man who had thrown acid was taken in for questioning. At the police station, he clammed up and refused to say a word. Later, the investigators uncovered his identity: he had a sick mother at home, a wife, and children to support. He himself was in the final stages of cancer and had less than a month to live. But ten days earlier, his wife’s bank account had suddenly received a deposit of half a million dollars.

The police tried to trace the money, but the account was overseas and completely untraceable. Whether it was Sabrina or Celine, Octavia had probed them both. She couldn’t tell if they were just that good at lying, or if they truly had nothing to do with it.

Either way, there wasn’t a single shred of evidence linking those two girls to the crime.