The Sleeper's Wrath and His Wife's Strike novel Chapter 185

Lester’s mind was a tangled mess, throbbing with a headache so fierce it felt like his skull might split open. He pressed his fingers to his temples, completely bewildered. “What message?”

“You didn’t get it? I sent you a screenshot last night—told you to watch out for Lindsay.” Naomi frowned and reached into Lester’s pocket for his phone.

She entered his passcode and pulled up their chat. Nothing. The message thread was empty.

“Lester, I know you’re upset with me, but you shouldn’t have deleted my messages without even reading them.”

Lester took the phone from her, his brows drawn tight. “I didn’t delete anything.”

“If it wasn’t you, then who else could it be?” Naomi’s voice sharpened, frustration leaking through. “If you’d seen what I sent you last night, maybe things wouldn’t have turned out the way they did.”

Lester fell silent. After dinner last night, he’d gone straight to see his mother. She knew his phone’s password—she was the only other person who could have deleted the message.

“What did you send me, exactly?”

Naomi pulled up the conversation on her own phone and handed it over for him to see.

He read it, shook his head, and let out a bitter laugh. “Guess I brought this on myself. If I’d just answered your texts or picked up your calls a few days ago, maybe none of this would’ve happened.”

“Lester, are you still mad at me? How long are you going to stay upset?” Naomi seized the moment, her voice soft but earnest. “And I never betrayed you. If you really don’t want me to see Joseph anymore, I won’t. The only person I care about is you. Even if you lost everything, I’d still be here.”

She knew Lester wasn’t the type to give up easily. When he turned things around, she’d be right at his side.

“Naomi, I’m sorry. I never wanted to hurt you—I had my reasons.” Suddenly, Lester pulled her into his arms and broke down, his voice thick with tears. “I just wanted to keep you safe. I needed you to be okay, even if it meant staying away.”

So that was it!

They were just about to lose themselves completely when the doorbell rang, slicing through the heat of the moment.

Naomi, slightly breathless, poked Lester’s chest with her delicate finger, pouting playfully. “Who’d come knocking at this hour? Don’t tell me you found someone else while I was gone.”

Lester held up his hand in mock oath. “I swear, there’s only you. Always.”

Naomi pushed him aside and grabbed her clothes from the floor. “Fine, I’ll get the door and see who it is.”

With that, she turned and went to answer it.

As she opened the door, Tracy stood on the other side. The sight of Naomi stopped Tracy in her tracks, her expression shifting instantly as the words died on her lips.