Chapter 218
Internally, she rolled her eyes. Why would anyone willingly rot in that hellhole when there was an easy way out?
“Lucas, stop it! Look at the state your sister is in. How can you interrogate her right now? Mara isn’t like those common criminals. She’s a refined young lady!” Lacey snapped.
But Lucas ignored his mother, keeping his sharp gaze locked on Mara.
“Lucas, I swear, the food was rancid. And the snacks you sent… the others stole them all from me p>
“According to my sources, the guards strictly warned your cellmates against touching your things. You broke the law, and you were serving a punishment. A cell block isn’t a luxury resort. If you don’t face the consequences, you’ll never learn p>
“It was a one-month sentence. Instead of reflecting on your actions, you took the coward’s way out and starved yourself. Congratulations, you’re out. But your body hasn’t fully recovered from your recent trauma, and this stunt will absolutely leave you with chronic digestive damage. Do you realize that p>
Please, she scoffed internally. With the Mercer family’s unlimited budget and gourmet chefs, she’d be back to perfect health in no time.
“She’s weak and exhausted! Get out of this room!” Lacey furiously shoved Lucas toward the door and slammed it in his face.
“Mom, where are Dad and my other brothers p>
“They were all here earlier. Once the doctor said you were stable, they headed home. Your father and brothers have to work tomorrow; they can’t stay up all night.” Couldn’t stay up all night? They just didn’t care enough to stay, she fumed silently.
“I understand, Mom. They work so hard. You should go home and sleep too. I’ll be fine p>
“You’re always so considerate, unlike that p>
“Mom, please go sleep. I don’t want you getting sick p>
“I’m fine. I can’t leave you here all alone p>
“Please, Mom. Seeing you exhausted breaks my heart p>
“Such a sweet girl. Alright, I’ll go rest. Call me if you need anything.” Lacey gently stroked Mara’s hair before finally slipping out.
Thank God. Honestly, Mara couldn’t stand her mother’s suffocating, neurotic hovering.
Alone in the quiet room, Mara clenched her jaw in triumph. Her gamble had paid off.
When Godmother Fiona had visited, she laid out two surefire ways to escape the detention center.
First: perform a heroic act. If someone got hurt during yard time and she saved them, it would earn her an early release for exemplary behavior.
Second: suffer a critical medical emergency.
The first option required planting a paid actor on the inside. Plus, she had zero physical skills. What if she messed up the “rescue” and
injured? The guards were one
nisstep, and the whole pran would be exposed.
The second option was foolproof. It just required enduring a little temporary agony by starving herself.
Once she committed to the plan, she played the generous princess, handing over all her snacks to her cellmates. She even let them take her daily cafeteria rations.
By the third missed meal, she was too weak to even stand in line. The other inmates gleefully took her tray and ate it for her.
Ironically, her recent catastrophic hemorrhage proved to be her golden
ticket. Her baseline health was
already rock bottom so it only took
a brief period of starvation for her to completely black out.
The doctors confirmed severe malnutrition and noted her recent life-threatening miscarriage on her chart.
Medical parole was instantly approved. She would serve the remainder of her sentence from the comfort of a luxury bed.
When the police inevitably interviewed her, she would claim her cellmates bullied her and stole her food.
Serves them right. They happily gobbled up her snacks and lorded over her in the cell. Now she was free, and they were going to pay the price. Adding time to their sentences
would be the perfect revenge.