Chapter 495
It all happened in a blur.
No one had time to react.
Tessa’s face rapidly turned a frightening shade of purple under Sarah’s suffocating grip.
She clawed frantically at the hands around her neck, but she couldn’t break the hold.
Snapping out of her shock, Camilla screamed for help while desperately trying to pry Sarah off.
Sarah possessed an unnatural strength; even together, Camilla and Tessa couldn’t budge her an inch.
Finally, the two officers outside heard the commotion and rushed in, forcefully dragging Sarah away from her victim.
Tessa’s legs gave out, and she collapsed against the wall, clutching her chest and coughing violently.
Camilla quickly supported her weight, keeping a wary eye on the screaming woman.
Sarah was shoved face-down onto the bed, her arms twisted behind her back by the officers. Even restrained, she continued to thrash and shriek. “If nobody loves me, then you can all go to hell! Die, all of you! Why should you get to be happy when I have nothing? You all deserve to die p>
“She’s insane. She’s completely lost her mind,” Tessa gasped out once she had finally caught her breath. She stared at Sarah in pure horror, her hand still pressed to her pounding heart.
Sarah had constantly pushed the boundaries of Tessa’s understanding, but it was only now she realized the woman was far more malicious and selfish than she ever could have imagined.
She was incapable of self-reflection. She never saw her own faults, only the perceived injustices inflicted upon her by the world.
The officers exchanged uneasy looks as they struggled to hold Sarah down. One of them, who appeared to be in charge, spoke up. “She genuinely seems to be experiencing a severe psychiatric episode. We need to take her in for a psychological evaluation immediately p>
As Sarah was dragged out of the room, her piercing screams echoed down the corridor.
Tessa remained slumped against the wall, taking deep, shuddering breaths, still shaken to her core.
Camilla grabbed a cup of water from the bedside table and handed it to her. “Here, have some water. Catch your breath p>
“Thank you,” Tessa managed to say, a bitter smile touching her lips. “You were right all along. I was a fool to let her manipulate me for so many years. I’m only just now seeing how evil she truly is p>
“At least you see it now,” Camilla offered gently. “Honestly, I thought you were going to protect her for the rest of your life p>
The comment made Tessa flush with embarrassment.
Right on cue, the lawyers from The Charles Group arrived, accompanied by Oscar.
Lance walked in right behind them. His gaze zeroed in on the angry red marks blossoming on Tessa’s neck before snapping to Camilla with naked concern. “Are you guys okay p>
“I’m fine,” Camilla assured him. “But she had a terrible scare. She should probably get a check-up p>
Lance shot his mother a stiff, awkward look. “I’ll go get her registered p>
Tessa touched her bruised throat, watching Lance walk away with a look of profound relief in her eyes.
She had made too many mistakes and knew she had no right to demand his absolute forgiveness. Seeing even this tiny sliver of care from him was enough to warm her heart.
Not long after Lance left, the officers brought Sarah back.
She was deathly pale, still spitting venomous curses.
One of the officers addressed Tessa directly. “She has suffered a complete mental break. We should have caught it sooner. It’s been decided that she will be transferred to a psychiatric ward for treatment. If you have anything left to say to her, say it now p>
Tessa had absolutely nothing left to say to the raving lunatic before her. She simply held out the prepared legal documents, forced Sarah to ink her thumbprint on the dotted line, and said in an exhausted voice, “Take her away. From this moment on, she has zero connection to the Charles family. No matter what happens to her, do not contact us again p>
Sarah, who had been muttering incoherently, suddenly snapped her head up. Her wild eyes locked onto Camilla. “You can’t take me away! I’m not crazy! I’m not going to a psych ward! I know a secret! Camilla, I know a secret you want to hear! Save me, and I’ll tell you p>
Camilla stared down at the deranged woman with a glacial expression.
As much as she desperately wanted to uncover the truth of the past, she knew better than to trust a word out of Sarah’s mouth.
Even if Sarah did know something, the police would extract it from her. Camilla had no intention of bargaining with a lunatic.
“No deal, Sarah,” Camilla replied smoothly. “The ramblings of a psychiatric patient hold no weight. Goodbye p>
Sarah was wheeled away. Shortly after, the official Charles family accounts released a blistering public statement detailing every single one of Sarah’s crimes. The exposé covered everything from how she faked injuries as a child to frame Lance, to how she lured Tessa to Silvania to orchestrate her kidnapping.
The story of an adopted daughter violently turning on her benefactors played out like the plot of an addictive soap opera, instantly setting the internet ablaze.
Comments poured in by the thousands, making Sarah the most hated name online overnight.
Some called her an ungrateful monster; others compared her to a psychotic villain straight out of a thriller.
Meanwhile, in a cramped, unremarkable apartment in Cabinda, Shirley stared at her phone screen in utter disbelief as she scrolled through the endless list of Sarah’s atrocities.
Was this really the same fragile, innocent girl she thought wouldn’t even hurt a fly?