Silent Dreams Never Die — Author: John Miller 380
Awakened Housewife: Ignore Betrayer’s Begs
Chapter 380 Poisonous Words at the Dinner Table
Finished
Seeing Lucy alone, Xavier’s expectant smile faltered. “Where’s Scarlett?” he asked, unable to mask his disappointment. “Why didn’t she come back with you?”
Lucy didn’t see any reason to hide the truth. “Scarlett… wasn’t feeling up to it. I didn’t want to push her.”
This only seemed to irritate Xavier further. “She’s in a bad mood?” he muttered dismissively.
Hearing the clear disapproval in his tone, Lucy asked, “Grandpa, what’s going on? Did something happen?”
Xavier, his frustration mounting, was about to snap a reply when Vincent’s calm, measured voice cut through from the hallway. “We should start dinner before everything gets cold.”
The interruption forced Xavier to swallow his words, though his displeasure remained evident.
Once seated at the dining table, he couldn’t help but grumble under his breath, “If I’d known she’d turn out like this, I never would have welcomed her into the family.”
Lucy was now thoroughly confused. Instead of pressing Xavier, she turned to her brother and whispered, “Vincent, what is Grandpa talking about?”
Vincent didn’t answer directly. He simply said in a low voice, “Just eat, Lucy.”
As Lucy murmured an acknowledgment, Vanessa came pattering down the stairs.
She was dressed in soft pink pajamas, her hair loose around her shoulders. When she smiled, two shallow dimples appeared in her cheeks.
Lucy’s heart melted at the sight of her little niece. “Come sit by me, sweetie,” she said warmly.
After Vanessa settled into a chair next to Vincent, Lucy scooted her own chair closer. She then picked up the serving tongs and placed a honey–glazed spare rib on Vanessa’s plate.
Reaching out, Lucy gently went to tousle the girl’s hair.
But before her hand could make contact, Vanessa slapped it away, her face scrunching up. “Don’t touch me!”
Lucy pulled back, surprised. “Vanessa, what’s wrong?”
Vanessa stared back defiantly. “You’re icky. I don’t want you touching me, and I don’t want food you touched.”
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Chapter 380 Poisonous Words at the Dinner Table
A
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Finished
Before Lucy could even react, Vincent’s stern voice intervened. “Vanessa. Where did you learn to say something like that?”
Vanessa looked up, reading the seriousness in her father’s expression. Her confidence wavered. “It… it was Mommy,” she stammered.
“That can’t be right, Vanessa,” Lucy said quickly, disbelief coloring her voice. “Are you sure you remember correctly?”
But Vanessa doubled down, her lower lip jutting out. “I’m sure! Mommy said it.”
Lucy frowned, feeling both confused and hurt.
Vincent’s own brow was furrowed, but he addressed his daughter in a controlled tone. “Lucy is perfectly healthy now. She isn’t sick.”
Vanessa looked between the adults, her expression one of feigned confusion. “Oh,” she said simply.
Yet, throughout the meal, she quietly pushed the spare rib Lucy had given her to the very edge of her plate, refusing to eat it.
Lucy noticed the small, deliberate rejection. It stung more than she wanted to admit.
The rest of the dinner passed in a strained, heavy silence.
Afterward, Vanessa scampered back upstairs.
Once she was gone, Lucy turned to her brother. “Vincent, can we talk? Outside.”
Without waiting for an answer, she walked out through the doors to the patio.
Vincent followed a moment later, his posture stiff.
In the chilly evening air, Lucy faced him. “Who do you really think taught her to say those things?”
Vincent’s expression was cold. “She said it was Scarlett.”
“And you believe that?” Lucy asked, her voice rising with frustration. “Vincent, your wife isn’t capable of that.”
A sardonic smile touched Vincent’s lips. “Really? How well do you actually know her?”
“Well enough to know she wouldn’t poison a child against her own family!” Lucy insisted.
After a tense pause, Vincent’s voice grew rough. “Then who was it, Lucy? Me? Our mother? Our
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Chapter 380 Poisonous Words at the Dinner Table
father? Grandpa? Pick one.”
:
“What if she overheard the staff gossiping?” Lucy countered desperately.
“We’ve never discussed your condition with the staff. Not once,” Vincent stated flatly.
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Finished
Lucy felt a wave of exhaustion. Defending Scarlett to her stubborn brother felt futile. “I don’t care what you think,” she said finally, her shoulders slumping. “I believe her.”
“Believe whatever you want,” Vincent replied, his tone final. He turned and walked back into the warmly lit house, leaving her standing in the cold.
Lucy stood there for a long minute, the winter wind biting through her clothes. The chill she felt had little to do with the temperature.
She had argued so passionately for Scarlett, and for what? Vincent’s mind was as unmovable as
stone.
*****
Upstairs, Vincent entered Vanessa’s bedroom after stopping in the kitchen to heat a glass of milk.
Vanessa was curled up in bed, playing a game on her tablet. She looked up as he entered. “Daddy, will you stay with me tonight?”
Vincent considered for a moment, then nodded. “I can. But first, you need to answer a question for me honestly.”
Vanessa’s eyes widened with a mix of curiosity and caution. “Okay…”
Vincent handed her the warm mug. “At dinner,” he began, his voice calm but intent, “who really told you to say those things about Aunt Lucy?”
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