Chapter 457
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6:10 pm P PDD
Chapter 457 The Night Everything Burned
Chapter 457 The Night Everything Burned
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Derek and Penelope had always prayed their wayward son, Kenneth, would finally grow up and act like a man.
After Kenneth had fathered a child out of wedlock that year, guilt toward Elizabeth weighed heavily on them. So when she agreed to give him another chance, his parents urged them to take a trip together-“a fresh start,” they called it.
It was during Jonathan’s summer break. Following Penelope’s advice, Elizabeth brought him along, believing the boy’s presence might help bridge the distance between her and her husband.
However, the trip went south fast.
Kenneth and Elizabeth barely spoke, their silence heavy with resentment. Then, right before they reached Baytree, Kenneth’s old habits resurfaced-he started flirting shamelessly with a hotel manager.
Fuming, Elizabeth packed up their things, took Jonathan, and drove away in the dead of night.
The Fullbusters had a villa in Baytree, so she headed there with her son, thinking a few quiet days apart might cool her temper.
Kenneth finally arrived three days later.
Elizabeth was in the kitchen when he barged in, and the second their eyes met, the shouting started. Years of anger and betrayal poured out at once. Somewhere between the accusations and slammed doors, she forgot to turn off the gas. A few bottles of wine got knocked over and shattered across the floor.
By the end, both were furious. They stormed off to different rooms, refusing to back down.
No one could have guessed what would happen next.
During the night, the villa went up in flames.
Elizabeth woke coughing, her throat raw from smoke. The hallway was filled with heat and firelight. The wooden staircase below her was already burning, the air thick and impossible to breathe.
She managed to crawl to the balcony and jump from the second floor, landing hard on the grass. By the time she looked back, the whole villa was ablaze. The fire glowed like a monster, its heat licking at her skin as she stumbled backward.
That’s when the realization hit-Jonathan was still inside.
Staring up at the inferno, she froze and was paralyzed by terror. Her legs refused to
move.
By the time she reached the front gate, fire trucks and ambulances were already there.
Through the flashing lights, she saw Kenneth behind the police line-disheveled, with ash on his face and eyes filled with disbelief.
When their gazes met, his shock turned to fury. He accused her of abandoning their son, of saving herself and letting Jonathan burn.
She screamed right back. The fight was ugly, raw, and loud enough to drown out the sirens.
Fortunately, the firefighters managed to pull Jonathan just in time. He was unconscious but alive.
Then, a thunderous explosion tore through the villa.
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Chapter 457 The Night Everything Burned
The blast killed one of the fire captains instantly.
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Elizabeth still saw it-the orange glow illuminating the night sky, the crowd’s terrified screams, and a little girl with tear-streaked cheeks near the tape.
The girl screamed, “Daddy!” again and again, thrashing in the arms of a young firefighter who tried desperately to hold her back.
The fire raged until dawn. When they finally pulled the captain’s body from the ruins, there wasn’t much left-just a few charred remains.
It was gruesome.
Jonathan, who’d regained consciousness at the hospital, slipped away before dawn. He ran all the way back to the scene.
He arrived as they pulled the captain’s body from the rubble. A young firefighter was cradling a little girl, her sobs raw and endless against the wail of sirens.
The girl broke free and collapsed beside the wreckage, screaming until her voice gave out.
Jonathan dropped to his knees beside her and tried to cover her eyes. She clawed at his hands and bit his ankle hard enough to draw blood.
He didn’t let go.
Elizabeth remembered running over, gagging from the smell of smoke and burnt wood. She yanked the girl away, shouting, “Hey, kid! You can’t bite people! Let go p>
The girl looked up at her, eyes blazing with pure hatred.
Elizabeth had never encountered anything like it. The child looked feral-wild and broken. Those eyes haunted her for years.
The smell of smoke, the screams, and the little girl’s hatred.
It was all burned into her memory.
Later, she found out that the firefighter killed in the blast was named Frederick Claude.
She never imagined that Anneliese would be the same young girl from Baytree.
Elizabeth placed a trembling hand over her chest, her heart thudding painfully. She reclined on the couch, gasping for air.
No surprise, Jonathan never pursued any romantic interests-no blind dates or casual flings. Nothing.
Suddenly, he announces he’s getting married.
To whom? A woman who is divorced and has no possessions.
Of course. It all fits now.
It’s her-that girl.
God… how could it have been her?
Elizabeth threw the towel aside and shot to her feet. Her pulse roared in her ears as
she rushed out of the yoga room.
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6:10 pm P P DD
Chapter 457 The Night Everything Burned
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One hour later, at the Fullbuster Residence.
Elizabeth burst into the living room, still breathless, while Penelope was arranging
two pots of blooming daffodils by the window.
“Mother!” Elizabeth called, striding forward.
Penelope’s hands stopped in midair, and her expression instantly darkened. She made no effort to turn around.
“I told you to leave Oceaton,” she stated flatly. “Why are you still here? Do you want me to book your ticket myself p>
Elizabeth clenched her jaw and sharply addressed the two nearby maids, “I need to speak with my mother-in-law alone. You may go p>
The maids hesitated, glancing uncertainly at the old Penelope. Everyone in the house knew Elizabeth couldn’t order them around with her mother-in-law’s approval.
She tightened her grip on her purse. “Mother, please. This isn’t something we can ignore p>
Penelope finally looked up, irritation flickering across her face before she sighed and waved the maids away.
Once they were gone, Elizabeth wasted no time, as she knew her mother-in-law’s patience was paper-thin. She took out her phone, viewed the latest headlines about Anneliese, and showed the screen to Penelope.