Chapter 144: The Devil protect his own
Lucy emerged from her room, freshly showered and dressed in a soft silk robe, her hair wrapped up in a towel. The scent of lavender and honey trailed behind her as she padded barefoot across the polished marble floor of the Anderson mansion.
In her arms, swaddled in a blue blanket, was baby Andrew, the child she’d claimed, the one she was convinced would finally bind Ethan to her forever. She cradled him gently, rocking him with a mother’s practiced rhythm, though her eyes were heavy with sleeplessness and paranoia.
She hummed lightly as she walked into the sunlit lounge, trying to appear like any proud new mother. But her fingers trembled slightly with each step. She sat down, adjusting the baby in her arms, brushing his soft, curly hair.
"You’re mine now," she whispered, her voice almost manic with devotion. "No one is going to take you from me. Not Mara, not Valerie, not even Bella. She should’ve just stayed out of it."
The thought of Mrs. Bella, lying in a hospital bed unconscious or worse made Lucy shiver. Guilt flickered across her face, but she pushed it away like a shadow she refused to acknowledge.
"I didn’t mean it," she whispered to the baby, as though needing his forgiveness too. "It was an accident. Grandpa too. They’ll be fine. They just... they saw too much."
Andrew stirred softly in her arms, letting out a baby sigh. She kissed his forehead, rocking him closer.
Suddenly, her phone buzzed. A message.
She jumped, startled, and fumbled for it. It was from Philip.
"Where’s Vera?"
Lucy’s heart skipped. She hadn’t had the chance to bring Vera to him yet. Everything had spiraled after Bella fell and Anderson Sr. had seen too much.