Chapter 1121



“Died?” Belinda’s eyes widened in shock. “How did it happen?”

Lucas hesitated for a moment before answering. “Lamont had a bad reputation, especially when it came to women. One night, he set his sights on a woman at a bar. She rejected his advances, but he wasn’t the type to take no for an answer. So, he paid off the bartender to slip something into her drink and raped her that night.”

Belinda’s expression darkened, her eyes flashing with disgust. “What happened after that?” she asked.

Lucas said, “What Lamont didn’t realize was that the woman he raped was being pursued by a ruthless crime boss. When the boss found out about the matter, he was furious. He went after Lamont. First, he had one of Lamont’s fingers cut off—but that wasn’t enough. He cut off Lamont’s genitals, too.”

He let out a slow breath before continuing. “His men kept causing trouble at the hospital, showing up every few days to stir up chaos. In the end, the hospital had no choice but to fire Lamont. But even that didn’t satisfy him. He made sure Lamont’s life was a living hell. Two months later, Lamont’s house went up in flames—with him trapped inside.”

“He was burned alive?” Belinda’s eyes widened slightly. “Was the fire set by that man?”

Lucas shook his head, his expression dark. “The police investigated for a long time but found no evidence of arson. According to the case files, the fire started inside the house. At the time, Lamont was the only one there. To this day, it’s unclear whether the crime boss sent someone to do it or if Lamont, unable to endure the constant torment, took his own life.”

Belinda pursed her lips, her brows drawing together as she processed his words.

After a moment, she asked, “Did they perform an autopsy? Are they certain the person who died was Lamont?”

Lucas nodded. “Since his death was initially investigated as a homicide, an autopsy was conducted right away. DNA testing, the severed finger, and the injuries he sustained before his death all confirmed it was him.”

He exhaled deeply. “With Lamont gone, the case hit a dead end. We tried investigating Holley as well, but there was nothing suspicious—at least, nothing we could find.”

Belinda bit her lip, hesitating before asking, “Then doesn’t this prove my mother wasn’t the one who gave me hormones?”

Even now, she refused to believe Holley had been involved in the matter.

Lucas understood exactly what she was thinking.

They still had no concrete evidence linking Holley to the matter. But in his gut, he knew she had a hand in it.

For now, though, he kept that to himself.

Instead of answering, Lucas simply pulled Belinda into a gentle embrace. And that alone told her everything she needed to know. Belinda sighed, falling silent.

At Baker’s house.

The moment Holley stepped inside, she spotted Kylee sitting on the sofa. “Kylee? What brings you here?” A warm smile spread across Holley’s face—until she noticed Kylee’s red, swollen eyes.

Holley’s expression instantly shifted to one of concern.

She hurried over to Kylee. “What’s wrong? Kylee, what happened?”

“Mom, I’ve been diagnosed with HIV!” Kylee’s voice cracked as she threw herself into Holley’s arms, sobbing uncontrollably.

Holley stiffened. For a moment, she couldn’t breathe.

“W-What?” Her voice trembled. “How could that be possible…”

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