Chapter 350: Anna Crawls Out of Hell

I often video call Mrs. Lambert. Grandma can now sit in a wheelchair, and her expressions aren’t as blank as before. Despite her slurred speech, her health has significantly improved. Anna hated Grandma so much, and the thing she feared most was Grandma waking up.

Carter and I had devised a plan—an old trick to lure them out! The next day, the thought that Grandma would be home made me incredibly happy, so I took extra care getting ready. Grandma had always been so kind to me. If she saw how well I was doing, she would be happy.

“Carter, do you think this makeup is too light? It makes me look a little pale. Grandma’s coming home today; I need to look my best when I see her.”

Carter took his time putting on his watch, his movements graceful and dignified. People at school had plenty to say about our marriage, even turning it into a story about a disabled tycoon and his young, delicate wife. How could they know that every move he made exuded charm?

Carter wrapped his arm around my waist and studied my face. “Hmm, yes, it’s a bit too light.”

“Then I’ll change the shade… hmm…”

He leaned in and kissed me fiercely, his tall frame pressing me against the open wardrobe. “C–Carter,” I clutched his tie. The temperature suddenly rose in the cramped space, suffocating me.

He was like a hungry wolf, unwilling to let go once he caught his prey. “Chloe, be a good girl and relax.”

These days, I’d been so busy with company affairs—one meeting after another, signing documents, and accompanying Bill to countless meetings. By the time I got home, I collapsed into bed, exhausted. Forget intimacy—there were times I was too worn out to even lift my hands. He was always the one who carried me to the bath.

I kept my eyes shut as he washed my hair and body, drying me off afterward and carrying me back to bed, where I’d fall into a deep sleep. Being married, we hadn’t had any intimate moments in a long time. I had never tried using the closet before!

During that intense moment, my hand unintentionally detached a silk nightgown, causing it to fall and cover both our faces. All I could hear was his soft breathing. “Chloe…”

When it finally ended, my face flushed. He traced my lips with his finger, smiling. “There, now you look better.” I shyly shot him a playful glare. “You’ve picked up some bad habits!”

Looking at my torn stockings, I pouted. “These cost $2,800! You’re paying for them.”

His mood was great. “Alright, it’s my fault. I’ll buy you as many as you want.”

“Oh no, but you didn’t use protection just now!”

“It’s fine,” he reassured me. “I’ve calculated it. This is your safe period; you won’t get pregnant.”

I was about to say more when a knock came at the door. Damian’s voice rang out, “Mrs. Zoey, Sadie’s dead…”

My smile froze. She’s dead?

By the time we arrived at the scene, the police had already pulled her body from the river. It had begun to bloat, and there were visible wounds on her skin. I instinctively took a step back when I saw the white cloth covering her swollen face. She had clung to my car door last night, begging me to help her.

Bill had arrived at the scene, too. He had planned to leave Snowville today to visit Mom, but because Sadie had contacted us prior to her death, the police station took us all for questioning. Last night, he had even said that if she died, he would give her a proper burial. Sometimes, certain words become self-fulfilling prophecies. No one expected it to happen so soon. Bill stood silently as he watched the removal of Sadie’s body, wondering if it was karma. A life for a life.

We went through our statements at the police station, explaining our connection to Sadie. The security footage showed we only exchanged a few words with her before leaving. There was no motive for murder. Before we left, I asked Nelson, “Did she jump into the water herself? She said she couldn’t live without money.”

In the quiet space, using Carter’s connections, Nelson quietly told me, “No, it wasn’t suicide. It was murder.”

“Murder?”

“She was tortured before she died.”

When I heard the word tortured, I couldn’t help but think of myself.

“What kind of torture? From what I saw, her body was intact when they pulled her out.”

Nelson lowered his voice. “It’s pretty awful. She was raped before she died. Her intestines and some organs were taken out and then shoved back in. There’s a clear mark on her neck. She died from suffocation. Afterward, her body was dumped in the river.”

Although I had known Sadie’s life would end badly—likely running from money troubles for the rest of her days—I hadn’t expected her to die so soon, and in such a brutal way.

“Who killed her?”

“We’ve arrested her boyfriend, Ashley. He had a strong motive. According to the evidence, he’d forced Sadie to sleep with other men before, maybe…”

Nelson cleared his throat and said, “You know, some people have very twisted tastes.”

“No, I don’t think it was Ashley. Sadie owed him money. Even though he hated her, he was counting on her to pay him back. If those powerful men had been involved, they would have been more discreet. They wouldn’t have simply thrown her body into the river.”

Nelson turned to me and asked, “Do you have other ideas, Mrs. Bolton?”

I had a suspicion now. There was another person who hated Sadie just as much as I did. Anna.

“Her? Why would she kill Sadie?”

“Because Sadie exposed her affair with another man at her wedding. It made her pregnancy public, and her plan fell apart.” More importantly, Silas had been caught during the wedding and later killed himself. After grieving for a while, Anna would most certainly seek revenge. I had bodyguards when I went out, so she couldn’t get near me. Sadie, the one who had caused it all, was far easier to deal with.

“Mrs. Bolton, you make a good point. Thank you for the direction. I just thought of something—we need to review some earlier footage.”

“Can I help? Anna is good at disguising herself. Maybe I can assist.”

“Sure.”

Nelson led me to the computer and pulled up a surveillance video. It was the footage from last night, where Sadie had been begging us. At the time, the lighting outside had been dim, and none of us noticed a woman standing under a tree at the rear of the car. She stood there like a spirit, looking at us with a nearly resentful gaze. Though she was covered head-to-toe, I had dealt with her enough to recognize her instantly.

“It’s her. It’s Anna!”

She has crawled out of hell!