Awakened Housewife: Ignore Betrayer\u2019s Begs\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 256 An Unwelcome Midnight Call\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cLily, what\u2019s all this noise?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Seeing Maria, Lily simply explained, \u201cVanessa had a bad dream.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
67\u00a0<\/p>\n
Finished\u00a0<\/p>\n
Maria walked over and gently nudged Lily aside. \u201cLet me handle this. You go get some rest.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Lily was taken aback. \u201cHuh?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Maria bent and scooped Vanessa up, then glanced back at Lily. \u201cGo on to bed. You can trust me with her?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Lily fell silent. It was true\u2013besides being attached to Sabrina, Vanessa was also quite fond of Maria.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Maybe it wasn\u2019t a bad idea to let Maria comfort her.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Besides, Vanessa\u2019s sobs had already quieted to sniffles now that she was in Maria\u2019s arms.\u00a0<\/p>\n
After a moment\u2019s hesitation, Lily left the bedroom.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She had just finished washing up downstairs when Maria came down a short while later.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Seeing her, Lily asked with concern, \u201cMaria, is she settled?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Hearing the casual address, Maria\u2019s brow furrowed in clear displeasure. She corrected Lily with a pointed tone. \u201cLily, I call you by your name out of courtesy. But don\u2019t you think it\u2019s a bit informal for you to call me the same? I am Sabrina\u2019s mother, after all. Shouldn\u2019t that warrant a bit more respect?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Lily didn\u2019t know how to argue.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Given how Vincent was treating Sabrina these days, what Maria said was likely to become a reality.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Too tired to pick a fight, Lily asked flatly, \u201cFine. What should I call you, then?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Maria pondered this seriously for a few seconds before declaring, \u201cFrom now on, you may address me as Mrs. Monroe.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Lily was momentarily stunned. Though she found Maria presumptuous, she was, at the end of the day, the hired help. She could only nod in reluctant agreement. \u201cYes, Mrs. Monroe.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
With Vincent clearly favoring Maria\u2019s side, it was even less wise for Lily to oppose her.\u00a0<\/p>\n
1\/2\u00a0<\/p>\n
20:00 Wed, Jan 14\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 256 An Unwelcome Midnight Call\u00a0<\/p>\n
67\u00a0<\/p>\n
Finished\u00a0<\/p>\n
She was about to drop the subject when she remembered Vanessa. \u201cMrs. Monroe,\u201d she asked, unable to hide her worry, \u201cis Vanessa really alright now?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The title seemed to satisfy Maria. She nodded. \u201cChildren are resilient. A little comfort goes a long way.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Lily remained skeptical but simply said, \u201cI see.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Come to think of it, Vanessa had been hard to soothe lately, yet Maria had managed it quickly. It was clear the little girl had grown genuinely fond of both Sabrina and Maria.\u00a0<\/p>\n
With that thought, Lily bid Maria goodnight.\u00a0<\/p>\n
*****\u00a0<\/p>\n
Early the next morning, just as Scarlett\u2019s alarm stopped buzzing, her phone began to ring.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She had been contemplating ten more minutes of precious sleep, but the ringing shattered any hope of dozing off.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She answered without checking the caller ID.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Vincent\u2019s voice, hoarse and heavy with fatigue, came through the line. \u201cYou need to take Vanessa to school today.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The words snapped Scarlett fully awake.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Assuming Vincent must be at the hospital with Sabrina at this hour, her refusal was instinctive. \u201cI have teaching rounds this morning. I don\u2019t have time to drop her off.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The rounds were real. So was her resentment.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Vincent continued, \u201cI won\u2019t be able to handle school drop\u2013offs or pick\u2013ups for the next couple of days. I\u2019ll need you to go to Ravenshade Villa in the evenings to look after her, too.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Scarlett couldn\u2019t help letting out a bitter, incredulous laugh. \u201cLet me guess,\u201d she said, her voice sharp. \u201cWorking late? Or is your grandfather unwell and needs you?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Vincent didn\u2019t bother to hide it. \u201cSabrina\u2019s in the hospital. Her condition isn\u2019t great. I need to stay with her.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
A cold sneer escaped Scarlett. \u201cSo, for her sake, you\u2019re just going to shove Vanessa aside?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not shoving her aside,\u201d Vincent argued, a defensive edge creeping into his tired voice. \u201cI just can\u2019t be in two places at once. It\u2019s a temporary situation.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
A wave of inexplicable anger washed over Scarlett. \u201cThe result is the same, Vincent! What\u2019s\u00a0<\/p>\n
2\/3\u00a0<\/p>\n
20:00 Wed, Jan 14\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 256 An Unwelcome Midnight Call\u00a0<\/p>\n
A 67\u00a0<\/p>\n
Finished\u00a0<\/p>\n
there to explain?\u201d she shot back, her voice rising. \u201cDon\u2019t you always put Sabrina first in your heart? Why pretend otherwise?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Vincent seemed to start another sentence, but Scarlett had heard enough. \u201cSave your explanations for Vanessa,\u201d she cut in, her tone final and furious. \u201cDon\u2019t waste them on me. I don\u2019t want to hear it.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
She ended the call before he could respond.\u00a0<\/p>\n
That conversation with Vincent cast a shadow over Scarlett\u2019s entire day. Her mood stayed foul.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Even though she\u2019d declared she was done taking care of Vanessa, the worry gnawed at her all afternoon. Vanessa was, after all, her daughter. A mother\u2019s concern wasn\u2019t something she could simply switch off.\u00a0<\/p>\n
With neither Vincent nor Sabrina around, what would happen to the little girl?\u00a0<\/p>\n
The question haunted her through every meeting and patient consult.\u00a0<\/p>\n
When her shift finally ended that evening, Scarlett got into her car. Almost on autopilot, her hands turned the wheel toward the direction of the kindergarten.\u00a0<\/p>\n
By the time she pulled up, the parking lot was nearly empty, and the stream of departing children had dwindled to a trickle.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Scarlett didn\u2019t see Vanessa among the few remaining kids. Anxiety tightening her chest, she approached the security guard at the gate. \u201cExcuse me,\u201d she asked, trying to sound calm. \u201cHas Vanessa Stewart been picked up already?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The guard looked her over, his expression turning appraising and slightly suspicious.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Scarlett opened her mouth to say, \u201cI\u2019m her mother,\u201d but the words stuck in her throat, unsaid.\u00a0<\/p>\n
1.1K\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u3002\u00a0<\/p>\n
B\u00a0<\/p>\n
3\/3\u00a0<\/p>\n
20:00 Wed, Jan 14\u00a0<\/p>\n
Awakened Housewife: Ignore Betrayer\u2019s Begs\u00a0<\/p>\n
Editorial Board: Our editorial team works behind the scenes to refine each chapter, maintain consistency, and deliver the best reading experience.<\/p>\n
Silent Dreams Never Die \u2014 Author: John Miller 256 Awakened Housewife: Ignore Betrayer\u2019s Begs\u00a0 Chapter 256 An Unwelcome Midnight Call\u00a0 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[81],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-27620","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-the-impossible-condition-novel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27620","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=27620"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27620\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=27620"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=27620"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=27620"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}