Married To My Ex's Brother, Reborn Miraculously-Chapter 263: Withdraw the case.

Paule lowered his head, guilt and sorrow etched deep into his features. He knew Anne’s resolve was like stone, but still, he had come with hope.

"Lorie is already dead," he said quietly, pain lacing his voice.

Anne froze. The news struck her like a slap.

"What? Lorie... died?"

She stared at him, stunned. Just yesterday, Lorie had been alive. How could she die?

"How? When?" she asked, struggling to make sense of it.

Paule drew in a shaky breath. "The police said she and Robert had a violent fight... They stabbed each other. Both of them died."

Anne sat in silence, absorbing the words. She had her resentment with Lorie. But she had never wished for her death. She wanted justice, legal consequences, not tragedy. A slow, heavy ache unfurled in her chest.

"I spoke to Patricia," Paule continued. "She told me she made those cupcakes herself for you. She swore she didn’t put anything in them. She broke down, saying she might not like you, but she’d never go so far as to plan to kill you."

He lifted his eyes to hers. "I believe her. I saw the sincerity in her eyes. The fear, the remorse. She wasn’t lying."

Anne didn’t respond immediately. Her expression hardened.

"Please," Paule pleaded. "We’ve already lost our daughter. I’m begging you...forgive her. Withdraw the case. Show mercy."

Anne sat silently, her gaze locked on Paule. Her chest tightened, an ache rising that was far more than anger. This was the man she had called Papa, loved him, and given up so much to bring back from the brink of death. And now... he was here, pleading for Patricia, the very person accused of trying to kill her.

A bitter taste filled her mouth. She looked away, forcing herself to swallow the sting of disappointment.

"My friend is still lying in a hospital bed," she muttered, "and you come here asking me to withdraw the case?"

Paule hung his head down, shame pressing heavily on his shoulders. "I know how terrible this all is, but I’m telling you, it wasn’t Patricia."

Anne turned to him sharply, her eyes flashing with fury. "Then who was it?" she demanded. "Patricia baked those cupcakes. Audrey collapsed minutes after eating one. Who else could be responsible?"

Her voice cracked with emotion, but she kept going. "I was just a second away from tasting one myself. If I had, I would’ve ended up in that hospital bed or worse." Her hand trembled as she pressed it against her stomach. "And my unborn child..."

She didn’t finish the sentence, her heart shaking at the thought of losing her child. Tears welled up in her eyes, glimmering but unfallen.

Paule’s face went pale as the weight of her words hit him.

"You... you are pregnant?" he whispered, his eyes falling to her stomach in disbelief.

Anne gave a small nod, blinking away the tears. "Yes. And I was this close to losing my baby."

The silence that followed was suffocating. Paule looked shattered, his mouth opening but no words coming out. There was nothing he could say after this.

Anne drew a long breath, squaring her shoulders.

"The investigation is underway," she said firmly. "The truth will come out soon. If Patricia is innocent, she’ll be released. But until then, I won’t interfere."

Her voice was resolute. There would be no mercy, not until the truth was clear.

Paule didn’t try to argue further. His shoulders drooped as he gave a slow, resigned nod.

"I understand," he murmured. "I’m sorry for bothering you with all this... You should rest now. Take care of yourself. I’ll leave."

He stood up, turning toward the door. But after just a few steps, he faltered and stopped, his back still to her.

"Don’t hate this poor father." His voice was filled with quiet sorrow. "I’m just a weak, incapable man. I couldn’t keep my wife in line. I failed to raise my daughter right. And in the end, they caused you the deepest wounds."

His emotions tightened his chest as he added, "I’m truly sorry. For everything. I apologize to you on their behalf. If there is any place in your heart for mercy, please, forgive them."

And with those final words, he walked out.

Anne sat frozen in place. Her strength crumbled as soon as the door closed behind him. Hot tears spilled down her cheeks, one after another, unrestrained.

"I don’t hate you," she whispered. "I could never hate you..."

But her eyes hardened as she stared ahead through the blur of tears. "But I can’t forgive Patricia or Lorie. Not after what they did."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Later that day...

Anne’s phone buzzed with an incoming call. The name on the screen made her heart lurch—Audrey.

A rush of emotions —relief, joy, and guilt —surged through her all at once. Her hands trembled as she picked up the call.

"Hello? Audrey?" she breathed, her voice quivering.

"Anne..." came the soft, familiar reply.

"You are awake," Anne blurted out, her eyes welling up instantly. "Thank God. I was so scared." freёnovelkiss-com

Her voice cracked, and a sob escaped her lips. "I’m so sorry, Audrey. I never should have let you eat those cupcakes. I should have known what Patricia and Lorie were capable of... You nearly lost your life because of me."

"Nonsense," Audrey cut her off. "Why are you blaming yourself for this? You told me Patricia baked those cupcakes. I chose to eat them. I could have passed or even stopped you from trying them. We both knew how twisted those women were—but neither of us thought they’d actually go this far. This isn’t your fault, Anne."

Audrey’s words washed over her like a balm, chasing the guilt away from her heart. She hadn’t realized just how much she needed to hear them, not until now.

"You are okay... that’s all that matters to me," Anne whispered, blinking the tears from her lashes. "And Patricia and Lorie—karma caught up to them. Lorie is dead. She and her husband fought and killed each other. And Patricia is with the police. I’ll make sure she doesn’t walk away from this. She has to face the law."

"I heard," Audrey replied softly. "The entire thing... I still can’t wrap my head around it."

She was quiet for a moment before adding, "Honestly, I never imagined Lorie would meet such a horrific end. It’s tragic, really. No matter what she did, she didn’t deserve to be killed."

Anne let out a weary sigh, her thoughts drifting back to her last encounter with Lorie at the bakery. The memory still played vividly in her mind.

"She looked so pale, thinner than before," Anne recalled. "She told me how her life had changed after marrying Robert. Said she wanted to apologize to me." Her tone hardened. "But I should have known better. It was just another one of her tricks to lure me in and hurt me."

"She never changed," Audrey muttered. "Still the same insecure, bitter, and vengeful woman."

Anne agreed with her. "Yes. Not even her own suffering changed her. She probably blamed me for everything wrong in her life. That’s why she and her mother plotted to poison me, to punish me. But in the end, she paid the price with her life."

"Bad things catch up with bad people. Let’s not dwell on them anymore. They have already faced the consequences. I want to hear about you. Are you doing okay?"

A lump formed in Anne’s throat at her friend’s concern. "I should be asking you that."

Audrey laughed. "Oh, I’m doing better than you’d expect," she said with a playful edge. "And you won’t believe the reason."

Anne raised an eyebrow, instantly intrigued. There was a glimmer in Audrey’s voice, something secretive and exciting. "What are you hiding from me?" she asked with curiosity.

Audrey lowered her voice to a conspiratorial whisper. "My boyfriend came to see me. He wants me back. And he said he is ready to marry me."

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