Ex Cried as I Wed a Tycoon

Chapter 453

Marcia had been fuming the whole ride over, muttering under her breath about how she was going to give Fidelia a stern talking-to the moment she saw her.

But when Fidelia appeared in front of her, eyes wide with fear and lips trembling with hurt, Marcia's resolve melted away. All thoughts of scolding her daughter vanished in an instant.

She knelt down, her voice gentle as she soothed Fidelia. "Sweetheart, where's Effie? How could she just leave you on your own and let you wander off like this? It's dangerous-she should've known better."

At the mention of Effie, Fidelia's expression shifted.

"No, Mom, it's not like that," Fidelia blurted out, shaking her head.

Marcia stared at her in disbelief. "Fidelia, what are you saying?"

Fidelia bit her lip, hesitating, clearly struggling with her words.

“What's going on? I thought you didn't even like Effie. Why are you sticking up for her?"

Marcia's confusion showed plainly on her face.

Fidelia had intended to keep quiet-she still held a grudge against Effie, after all— but after what happened today, she realized maybe Effie wasn't as bad as she'd always believed. So, swallowing her pride, Fidelia recounted the events that had just unfolded.

mean to say you really saw Isabel there, but

help-loud enough for anyone to hear. She just glanced back at me and then stood

clenched, her face twisting with anger. "Unbelievable! I can't believe Isabel would do something like that. But honestly, given where

something so harsh, but Marcia had never approved

she knew she wasn't the only one. Even Lindy Etheridge, she suspected,

why, even though Isabel had once been the only woman-besides family- to be close to Lyman Etheridge,

standing a short distance away, but she'd been

into fists so tightly

a stain she could

the Foster family's daughter, but the truth was, no

family had ever

she was close to Lyman. No one

her openly, but behind her back,

had been a

drink, things got out of control. Her mother insisted she was innocent, but the gossip was merciless: folks claimed she'd seduced him for money, schemed her way into

pregnant—and that's how Isabel came

up in

mostly ignored, left to