Second Chances Protecting Mrs. Hall

Chapter 54

Aria’s funeral was a subdued affair. The Wilson family had seen better days, and the attendance was sparse, with few relatives or friends present. Zoe was confined to her bed, leaving only Nora and Mateo to attend the graveside service.

Tears streaked Nora’s face as she watched a woman emerge from a black luxury car on the cemetery road. Her eyes, red and swollen from crying, widened in anger. “It’s you! You’re the reason Aria is gonel How dare you show up like this? I’ll make you pay!” she shouted.

Emma’s choice of attire was no accident. She often wore black and white, but today she had chosen a striking deep red dress, complemented by sunglasses and an unusual touch of red lipstick. Her outfit was more of a statement than an expression of grief.

“I dressed this way on purpose, but believe me; I had nothing to do with Aria’s death. If you want someone to blame, go after Sebastian. Go ahead; kill him. Get your revenge, and see where that gets you.” Emma replied, her voice icy.

“Enough, Emmal” Mateo interjected, raising his hand as if to strike Emma, but her bodyguards quickly stepped in to hold him back

Emma’s sneer was cutting. “We both are your daughters. When Aria was causing me trouble, where were you?”

Mateo’s response was muted. He knew he had been unjust to Emma for various reasons, and his quilt made him avoid her. Even now, he favored Aria. “Aria was always with me. She was the closest to my heart. She was my daughter, not you,” he said, his voice strained.

Hearing this confession, Emma felt a sharp pang in her heart, but she masked her pain with a colder, more mocking smile. “That’s sad because Aria never really saw you as her father.”

Her words became increasingly pointed. “You may have provided for her, but after she was released, she couldn’t even be bothered to call you. But of course,” Emma continued, her tone cold and detached with a hint of malice, “the dead are beyond our reproach. Arguing about it now is useless. She’s gone, and she’ll never have the chance to show you any gratitude.”

Nora, driven to madness, lunged at Emma but was swiftly restrained by the bodyguards.

crossed, a cold smirk playing across her lips. Hidden behind her sunglasses, her expression remained a

posture, tall and defiant. “Mateo, what a tragedy. Fate gave you two daughters, and yet you’ve lost them both. Now, you’re left with nothing but this selfish, heartless woman by your side. You’re going to pay

hurled insults at her retreating figure. “You and your mother are nothing but monsters! I regret ever

our love for twenty years! Your mother, on the other hand, never saw a good day. Do you know how miserable she was? She suffered a thousand times more than Aria. I’ll tell you. I was the one who killed her! I knew about her depression, so I messed with her meds. I taunted her daily with massages and pushed her toward suicide.

the eerie laughter, Nora hadn’t anticipated the sharp pain that shot through her arm,

my hand… it

seemed like a vengeful spirit from the depths of hell, her mind a blank slate overtaken by raw matice. It was as if

the scent of blood. Mateo stood frozen, overwhelmed by fear. “How

Today it’s the arm, tomorrow it might be

Chapter 54

helps!”

pain now squirmed in agony, like an insect in its death throes. With a powerful kick, she sent

the ground, the shock knocking her unconscious. She slid off Aria’s tombstone, leaving a smear

go with Emma to the cemetery, but she had. insisted on facing

glass, half a bottle

am. Because Aria is dead,”

she was drunk, her cheeks flushed, a smile

her sadness, he reached out

down, tears streaming down her face. “Today, I found out that my mother had died because… Nora deliberately messed with her meds. Damn it! Why didn’t I