Chapter 70
Jarred didn’t stop walking, taking long strides into the emergency building. “What about the others p>
“The old lady, Mrs. Sterling, and Ms. Carlyle were all brought to the hospital. The old madam suffered severe shock and fainted on the spot; she’s currently in observation. As for Mrs. Sterling p>
The captain hesitated. “Her injuries are severe. Her leg was crushed, and she suffered burns. The doctors mentioned a high risk of infection. They are operating on her now. As for Ms. Carlyle p>
His voice dropped. “She is critically injured, but she refuses to go into the operating room. She’s been waiting for you p>
A muscle feathered in Jarred’s jaw, but he said nothing.
Just then, the doors to the emergency room were pushed open lightly, and a frail figure gripping the doorframe slowly limped out.
“Jarred p>
Celeste’s voice was raspy, laden with a tightly suppressed sob.
Jarred looked up, his gaze turning instantly frigid.
The Celeste standing before him was covered in wounds. Her pale-colored dress was completely unrecognizable, the entire right side soaked in blood and mysterious grime.
Her exposed skin was painted with a horrific array of bruises and burns.
The leg that Sienna had previously pushed down the stairs—the one that had just recovered enough to bear weight after two months—
Was now a mangled mess of flesh and blood. The bandages wrapped below her knee were completely soaked through with crimson, and her ankle was swollen beyond recognition.
Leaning against the wall, she looked like she could collapse at any second.
She had never played the part of a fragile, weeping damsel; her persona had always been that of a stubborn, resilient woman.
Even now, battered and bleeding, she bit her lip fiercely, her eyes shimmering with unshed tears that she stubbornly refused to let fall.
That facade of desperate bravery, masking excruciating pain, instantly twisted the heart of anyone who looked at her.
Jarred’s heart sank heavily. He quickly closed the distance, reaching out to support her trembling frame. His fingers brushed against a fever-hot burn, and his voice dropped into a dark, solemn register. “Where is Sienna p>
Leaning against his chest, Celeste trembled slightly and shook her head. “She… set the fire, and then she ran p>
Before Jarred could speak, she shook her head again, the movement so weak it looked like it took every ounce of her remaining strength.
“Jarred, I never thought she could be so cruel… She pushed me into the liquor cabinet first, and when she saw me trying to help Helena, she actually threw a chair at her. She even deliberately knocked over the candle, starting the fire to stop me from saving them p>
“Grandmother was so terrified she passed out on the spot. If I hadn’t dragged this crippled leg and fought with my life to pull Helena and Grandmother out of the flames, all three of us would have burned to death in there p>
She looked up at Jarred, and for the first time, a hint of genuine brokenness cracked through her famously resilient eyes.
Coupled with her grotesque injuries and her usual reputation for being honest, upright, and never speaking ill of others p>
Jarred didn’t hold a single shred of doubt.
When he first received the call, he was only told that Sienna had set a fire and escaped. On the way over, his assistant reported that both the maids and guards claimed Sienna had physically assaulted Celeste and his mother.
He had still harbored a sliver of disbelief, intending to have his assistant thoroughly investigate the matter.
But seeing Celeste in this horrifying condition now, whatever doubts he had left were entirely drowned out by a tidal wave of murderous rage.
His fingers curled into tight fists as an icy, savage wrath rolled violently in his eyes. He asked darkly, “How are Grandmother and my mother doing p>
Celeste sniffled, looking as though she were violently willing herself to stay strong. “Grandmother just suffered from shock and smoke inhalation; she’ll be fine. But Helena… I just got the news. Her condition… isn’t looking good p>
As she said this, her body went slack, sliding downward. Her face contorted in sheer agony, as if she were the one who had sustained the critical injuries, overflowing with heartbreak for Helena.
“Jarred, I truly never thought… Sienna could be this vicious p>