His Mute Wife: He Can't Sleep After She Left-Chapter 176: I Framed Him for Kidnapping Me on Purpose
Kiana Sutton stared intensely at Kate Lynch. Kate’s cheeks were flushed, but her eyes were clear; those words she just spoke didn’t seem thoughtless at all.
Kiana’s heart pounded wildly, her mind instantly raced with a swarm of questions.
How did Kate know she was investigating what happened three years ago? Was it Elliot Crowe who accidentally let it slip?
And, would Kate really tell her the truth about what happened back then?
Seeing Kiana’s reaction and expression, Kate curled her lips into a sly smile, leaned close to Kiana’s ear, and whispered, "That’s right. Your father was innocent. I deliberately framed him for kidnapping me because I didn’t want your family to be reunited."
Even though she already knew her dad was innocent, hearing it from Kate’s own mouth made Kiana burn with both fury and shock.
"Why? We’ve never even met before. My father has never done you any wrong. Why would you do that?"
Kate didn’t understand sign language, but she could more or less guess what Kiana was trying to say.
"I won’t tell you the reason, and you’ll never find out. Just remember this: in this lifetime, your whole family will never be reunited, and your father will never get out of prison."
Watching Kiana’s furious face, Kate laughed in triumph, "To put it bluntly, what can you do even if you uncover what happened back then? I’m the Lynch Family’s heiress, and Ethan Sinclair’s lover. What do you think you can do to me?"
Kiana’s eyes blazed with anger—she had a moment where she truly wanted to kill Kate Lynch.
Suddenly, Kate reached out and put a hand on Kiana’s shoulder, speaking as if proposing a deal, "How about this? Let’s make a trade. As long as you leave Ian and promise never to appear in front of him again, I’ll find a way to get your father out of prison and reunite your family."
Kiana did not believe a word Kate said; Kate always seemed so kind and generous, with a cheerful, lively smile, as if no matter the hardship, she could always face it with a grin.
In truth, though, she was cunning and two-faced.
Kiana knew perfectly well that even if she agreed to leave Ethan Sinclair, Kate would never let her family off.
She swung her arm and harshly knocked Kate’s hand off her shoulder. There was no way she was going to make a deal with the person who had framed her father and sent him to prison for three years.
As for her dad, now that she was sure Kate had set him up, she would find a way to clear his name no matter what.
"So our negotiation has failed? Heh... Kiana Sutton, you’ll pay the price for your choice."
Before Kiana could even process what Kate meant by "price", Kate suddenly let out a scream and flung herself into the lake.
Kiana’s mind went blank. 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖
"Help... help! I can’t swim!"
Kate struggled and splashed in the water, crying out for help. Kiana could only stare, her feet glued to the spot.
She had only knocked Kate’s hand away—she didn’t push her into the water.
"Ah... Someone! Someone fell in the lake!"
No one knew who shouted, snapping Kiana out of her daze. At that moment, someone leaped into the water and hauled Kate out.
Within moments, a crowd of people hurried over to check what had happened.
On the other side, Ethan Sinclair had been pulled into a discussion about future business developments by several executives. He finally managed to get away, and when he saw that Kiana hadn’t returned yet, he was just about to message her when a girl rushed up to him.
"President Sinclair, something’s happened—Eldest Miss Lynch fell into the water!"
"What? How could she suddenly fall into the water for no reason?"
"It... it looks like your wife pushed her in!"
Ethan’s face changed dramatically. Without a second thought, he dashed toward the lake.
The lakeside was crowded, everyone jabbering and noisy.
But when Ethan appeared, a path opened for him.
As soon as he got there, he saw Kate Lynch soaking wet, coughing violently, probably from swallowing too much water.
Her delicate brows were furrowed in pain, her hacking cough sounding like she was about to spit out her lungs.
Stella was gently patting Kate’s back, trying to help her breathe. "Sis, are you okay?"
When Kate’s face and ears reddened from coughing, Stella glared angrily at Kiana—who was now surrounded, as if people were scared she would run off.
"Kiana Sutton, you’re vicious! My sister spent three years bedridden because your father put her there and wasted her youth. Now that she’s finally woken up, you can’t stand to see her live and want her dead!"
Kiana’s face was pale as paper. She had just tried to explain, but she couldn’t speak, couldn’t prove her innocence, and all her desperate gestures went ignored.
Even if someone understood her, no one would believe her!
The moment someone jumped in to save Kate Lynch, Kiana finally realized Kate had set her up.
Kate first used the truth from three years ago to provoke her, then deliberately jumped into the water to frame her for it.
Kiana had always known Kate wasn’t a good person, but never imagined she’d go so far as to risk her life just to set her up.
"The Fifth Master’s here."
Someone in the crowd shouted, and everyone’s eyes went straight to Ethan Sinclair.
Kiana’s heart quivered violently; she looked over at Ethan.
Ethan’s face was grim. The moment their eyes met, his cold, sharp gaze felt like a knife stabbing into her chest.
Kate noticed Ethan staring at Kiana, so she coughed again with exaggerated pain, then weakly reached out her hand to Ethan, "Ian..."
Ethan finally broke his stare and strode over to Kate’s side.
Kate was wearing a dress, now drenched so badly her bra was almost visible, yet no one bothered to cover her up.
Ethan, face still cold, took off his jacket and draped it over her shoulders. "Are you all right?"
"I’m fine... Don’t... don’t blame Kiana; she probably didn’t mean it, cough cough..."
Stella was outraged, "Sis, she almost killed you and you’re still defending her!"
"I... cough cough..."
Kate tried to say something, but started coughing violently again.
Her fragile, pitiful appearance made everyone feel sorry for her, while all they did was point fingers at Kiana.
Just then, Tina Crowe and Evan Shepherd—the hosts—hurried over after hearing about the commotion.
When Evan saw how pale and ghostly Kiana looked, he frowned worriedly, but just as he was about to speak, Tina shot him a fierce glare.
"President Sinclair, I’m so sorry that Eldest Miss Lynch had an accident at my wedding. Her clothes are soaked through and I’m worried she’ll catch cold. You’d better take her to get changed. I promise I’ll give you and Eldest Miss Lynch an explanation."
