Chapter 596
Chapter 596:
The wind drove the freezing rain under the canopy in stinging waves. Effie began to shiver violently, her teeth chattering against each other. Isolde immediately stripped off her beige trench coat and wrapped it tightly around Effie’s small body, pulling her daughter close to share her warmth. The icy rain soaked through Isolde’s thin blouse within seconds, chilling her to the bone.
“Do not be scared, baby,” Isolde whispered, kissing Effie’s wet hair. “Mommy is right here p>
Through the thick gray curtain of rain, a massive black Cadillac SUV pulled slowly to the curb, its hazard lights blinking. Isolde recognized the license plate instantly. It was Grayson’s private vehicle.
A surge of desperate hope flared in her chest. She did not care about their fight. She did not care about her pride. Her daughter was freezing.
𝗧𝗵e 𝖻𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝘳𝗲𝘃𝗂𝗲w𝘴 𝗈𝗻
Through the tinted rear window, she could see Grayson sitting in the back seat, the interior light on, a phone pressed to his ear—his face tight with stress, most likely managing the fallout from the InnoTech audit.
At that exact moment, the VIP side doors of the department store swung open. A uniformed valet rushed out with a massive black umbrella and carefully escorted Victoria and Belle toward the waiting SUV.
Isolde stood just a few yards away, shivering in the freezing rain.
Grayson turned his head and looked out the window. His eyes found Isolde’s through the heavy downpour. She raised one hand and pointed down at Effie, who was huddled against her legs, visibly shaking. Isolde looked Grayson dead in the eye and mouthed the words: Take her.
He saw her. He saw the rain plastering her hair to her face. He saw Effie trembling. His hand moved immediately to the door handle.
Then a piercing scream erupted from inside the SUV.
“Gray!” Belle shrieked. “Your mother! She has collapsed p>
Grayson spun around. Victoria was slumped against the leather seat, her eyes rolled back, one hand clutching her chest in a dramatic display of cardiac distress.
“Mom!” he shouted, grabbing her shoulders. His heart leapt into his throat.
“Drive!” Belle screamed at the chauffeur. “Get to the hospital! Now! She is having a heart attack p>
Grayson’s mind went white with panic. For a fraction of a second, something felt wrong—the theatricality of it, the timing. He knew his mother’s capacity for manipulation, her history of crocodile tears and perfectly orchestrated scenes. A dark, cynical voice whispered that this was another performance designed to punish Isolde. But then he looked at Victoria’s pale, contorted face, and the primal fear took over—the deeply ingrained trauma of Arthur’s genuine medical emergencies collapsing all reason into a single, paralyzing dread. If he was wrong, and she died in this car, he would never forgive himself.
“GO! Mount Sinai, now!” he roared at the driver.
The SUV’s engine thundered. The tires spun on the wet asphalt, kicking up a spray of dirty water that splashed across Isolde’s bare legs. The Cadillac surged forward and disappeared into the blinding rain.
Grayson never looked back out the window.
Isolde stood frozen on the sidewalk, her hand still raised in the air, pointing at the empty space where the car had been. The freezing rain washed over her in relentless waves—but it was nothing compared to the absolute, shattering cold that encased her heart.