Chapter 12 - The Matriarch’s Plea
The next morning, Evelyn Howard arrived at the hospital room.
The once proud, intimidating socialite looked like a shell of herself. Her designer coat was wrinkled, her hair was disheveled, and she carried no purse, no entourage—just two trembling hands clasped in front of her.
"Elena," Evelyn whispered, standing near the doorway, too afraid to step fully into the room.
"Mrs. Howard," Elena responded smoothly, closing her book. "Visiting hours for non-family members are restricted. You should leave."
"I am the grandmother of that baby," Evelyn choked out, stepping closer. "Elena... please. Julian is facing twenty years in federal prison. The press is outside our home. The board is stripping our family name off the company. If you testify against him... if you release the full audio tapes to the media... we will lose everything."
Elena looked at her mother-in-law with an expression of quiet pity.
"When I was lying at the bottom of those stairs, Evelyn," Elena said softly, "you didn't ask if I was alive. You didn't ask if your grandson was breathing. You stood there and watched, hoping Vanessa would finish the job so you wouldn't have to deal with a commoner in your family."
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"I was in shock! I didn't know—"
"You knew exactly what you were doing," Elena interrupted, her voice turning razor-sharp. "And now, you get to live with the consequences."
