Chapter 894



Kallie nodded, her voice thick with emotion. “Thank you, Lacey. Thank you so much.”

Lacey merely nodded, a flicker of something unreadable in her eyes. After what felt like an eternity, Elma’s eyelids fluttered open.

Catching Lacey’s approving nod, Kallie rushed to Elma’s side, enveloping her in a tight embrace.

“Oh, Elma…” Kallie sobbed, tears streaming down her face. “Don’t scare me like that again. Are you alright? You gave me such a fright.”

Elma’s condition had always been delicate, and Kallie had dedicated her life to bettering Elma’s health. Yet, the growth-inhibiting drugs inflicted by Cara had left unseen scars, and the side effects would only manifest as Elma grew older. The future was uncertain, and the terrifying prospect of teetering on the edge of a precipice loomed large.

All Kallie wanted was for Elma to live a normal, healthy life, but that dream seemed to slip further away with each passing day. The thought of Elma’s uncertain future sent a fresh wave of grief washing over Kallie, and her sobs intensified.

Elma, weak as she was, reached up with her tiny hand to wipe away Kallie’s tears. “Mommy, don’t cry,” she whispered, her voice small and frail. “I’m sorry for causing you worries. I feel better now. My chest hurt a little just now, but it’s gone now. Please don’t cry.”

Kallie choked back her tears and turned to Lacey, her eyes filled with gratitude. “Lacey, I… I don’t know how to thank you,” she stammered, her voice thick with emotion.

Lacey’s arms were crossed tightly over her chest, and a sneer curled her lips as she listened to Kallie’s heartfelt thanks. “You really know how to put on a good show,” Lacey spat, her voice dripping with venom. “All this performance of motherly love… It’s sickening. I have examined your daughter, and I know what you’ve done to her.”

“Just drop the affectionate act.”

Kallie stared at Lacey, stunned. “Miss Payne, what are you talking about?”

Most of the guests had departed, but a few curious onlookers remained, their ears perked at the escalating confrontation.

Lacey’s voice rose, cutting through the tense silence. “Am I lying, Kallie? Then explain why your daughter is much older than she looks. You’ve been drugging her, haven’t you? You did something to stunt her growth. If you truly loved Elma, you wouldn’t have done this to her. Those drugs make her organs fail, and she won’t live to see twenty.”

Lacey’s words hit Kallie like a ton of bricks. Her eyes widened in shock, not in anger, but in deep sorrow and despair. Was her precious Elma truly destined to die so young? The thought was unbearable.

Overwhelmed by grief, Kallie couldn’t even muster a response to Lacey’s accusations. Lacey interpreted Kallie’s silence as an admission of guilt. “If I hadn’t been a doctor and hadn’t figured it out, would you have just continued poisoning your own child?” Lacey sneered. “This little girl means nothing to me, yet even I feel sorry for her. What kind of monster hurts a child, let alone their own flesh and blood? You’re no better than the devil himself!”

Lacey’s cruel words echoed in Kallie’s ears. Clutching Elma tightly, Kallie sobbed, “Elma, what are we going to do?”

Elma squirmed in her mother’s arms, anxiety gripping her small heart. She longed to raise her voice and tell the world that Lacey was talking nonsense. The culprit behind all those drugs was that evil Cara, not Kallie.

All these years, Kallie had desperately tried to protect Elma from further harm, keeping the truth of Elma’s condition a closely guarded secret. Only her family and Clayton were privy to the truth. Not even Kallie’s closest friends knew.

The onlookers gasped, their eyes widening in disbelief at Lacey’s shocking revelation. “Oh my god, could it be true?” one whispered.

“But Kallie adores her children!”

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