Chapter 179

Walter stared in shock, his eyes wide. “You found the grave and opened the coffin for an autopsy?”

Amelia fixed him with a cold stare.

Walter bellowed, “Amelia! How could you be so unfilial and disturb the peace of the dead? Have you no decency? Are you even human?”

He roared, as if this could somehow absolve him of his guilt.

“Your sentence just got longer,” Landon said coldly.

Walter fell silent.

‘What do I care about a longer sentence?’ he thought. ‘Prison is the safest place for me. It’s even better if they lock me up for life. The Hughes family and the Zuckerberg family would never be able to hurt me here.’

“And so does Melissa,” Landon added.

Walter shifted uneasily and blurted out, “That was all my doing. Melissa had nothing to do with it.”

“Melissa confessed to being involved in the murder,” Amelia said coldly. “She also testified that you two planned it together.”

Walter seethed inwardly, ‘What a bitch! After all I did to protect her, she still ratted me out.’

Amelia asked, “Sandra is half a year older than I am. Do you remember that?”

Hearing that, Walter’s heart pounded wildly in his chest.

“Only now do I realize Sandra wasn’t even your illegitimate daughter. You and Melissa had been married all along.” With that, Amelia pulled out the photocopy of the marriage license the police had given to her lawyer.

“You and Melissa got married and had Sandra,” Amelia continued. “Only then did you meet my mother. You lied to her that you were single, and even forged a marriage license.”

The other photocopy was also a marriage license, bearing two names, Walter and Debra.

‘Debra is Mom’s fake name. How could she get the marriage license from the Courthouse with this name?’ Amelia thought.

“Thank goodness I’m not your daughter. Otherwise, I’d be the illegitimate one,” Amelia sneered, her lips curling into a mocking smile.

‘Frankly, I don’t care whose daughter I am, as long as it’s not Walter’s,’ she thought.

Walter never in his wildest dreams imagined that someone would drag the truth he’d so cautiously concealed for twenty years into the light.

His face turned ashen.

‘Marriage fraud, premeditated murder of my wife, and kidnapping of my adopted daughter. Will I face the death penalty for all three crimes?’ he wondered.

He was willing to stay in prison because he felt it was safe there, but he didn’t want to die at all.

‘Nothing else matters, except for staying alive.’ With this thought in mind, Walter, with an expression full of despair, begged, “Amy, please… After I raised you for twenty years, please don’t turn me in. I don’t want to die.”

“Raised me for twenty years? With whose money?” Amelia sneered coldly.

Walter fell silent because he knew the money was from selling Catherine’s antiques. His entire family lived off Catherine’s money.

“Walter, this is our final meeting. Goodbye, and good riddance,” Amelia declared, just as the prosecutors arrived.

They took Walter away on charges of marriage fraud and premeditated murder.

At the same time, they also took Melissa away from prison.

‘I’ve finally avenged my mother,’ Amelia thought in relief.

She was in a good mood, so she called Daniel. “Daniel, it’s finally over. We got justice for Mom…”

“Good. That’s great,” Daniel said with heartfelt relief.

“Hey, Daniel, when are you coming back to Norava?” Amelia asked.

“I’ll see. The company’s keeping me swamped these days,” Daniel replied.

“Edith is in Norava too,” Amelia said with a playful wink.

There was a long silence on the other end of the line before Daniel finally spoke. “I heard the Kingsley family is developing Yeatsmarsh Mountain’s mine. I know two mining geologists. I can ask them to provide a professional assessment.”

“That sounds perfect!” Amelia said with a knowing smile, her lips pressed together in quiet amusement.

Amelia thought, “So Daniel’s feelings for Edith aren’t just guilt, are they?”

“You little schemer,” Landon tapped Amelia on the forehead with a smile. “Marriage is predestined by fate. Don’t go overboard.”

“Okay,” Amelia murmured, nodding gently. But she still thought, ‘Maybe Daniel’s love life just needs a little nudge from me.’

Seasons shifted swiftly, painting Norava in early autumn with a tinge of desolation.

Only a few months had passed since Amelia started a new life, but too many things had happened.

Amelia gazed at the scenery outside the car window, then turned to look at Landon beside her, struck by the illusion that they had already been married for a lifetime.

‘Justice has finally been served. And I’ve dealt with all my enemies. Will the rest of my life be smooth sailing?’ Amelia wondered.

Suddenly, a wave of nausea hit Amelia. She instinctively covered her mouth, retching involuntarily.

“Honey, what’s wrong?” Landon asked anxiously.

Alarmed, Landon quickly ordered the driver to head to the hospital while gently patting Amelia’s back to help her breathe easier.

“I’m fine, just a bit nauseous,” Amelia smiled, then suddenly realized, ‘Wait… My period hasn’t come this month. Could it be that I’m pregnant?’

Worried, Landon asked, “Did you eat something bad?”

“We had the same thing today,” Amelia said, flashing a sly yet gentle smile. “But just to be safe, let’s go to the hospital and check it out."

Landon nodded. “Alright.”

When they arrived at the hospital, Landon was about to take her to the emergency room, but Amelia said, “Let’s see an Obstetrics and Gynecology instead.”

Landon’s face paled with worry. “Are you having stomach pains again?”

‘Come to think of it, it’s probably about time for her period. Hasn’t it been detoxified already? Why is she still feeling unwell?’ Landon thought anxiously.

“You’ll know after we see the doctor,” Amelia smirked as she made the Obstetrics and Gynecology appointment.

At the triage desk, as soon as she explained her symptoms, the nurse immediately handed her a pregnancy test.

Landon recognized it instantly and froze, his eyes wide with shock. “You… You’re pregnant?” he stammered.

Amelia replied calmly, “I don’t know yet. I’ll take the test and see.”

Amelia glanced at the frozen Landon and chuckled, “Relax, this is just part of a standard Obstetrics and Gynecology checkup. It doesn’t necessarily mean anything.”

“Test now!” Landon urged.

Snapping out of his daze, Landon felt a surge of anticipation. ‘Wait, am I going to be a dad? It’s happening so fast. I’m not even ready for this.’

The nurse looked at Landon, the renowned tycoon, and shook her head with an amused smile.

Moments later, Amelia returned holding the pregnancy test. It showed two lines, though the second was still faint.

After two lifetimes, Amelia’s greatest wish had finally come true. She was going to be a mother.

“Congratulations, Mrs. Kingsley. You’re pregnant,” the nurse said with a smile.

Overwhelmed with ecstasy, Landon scooped Amelia into his arms and twirled her around.

He shouted ecstatically, “I’m gonna be a dad! I’m gonna be a dad!”

“Stop it! Everyone’s watching.” Amelia blushed crimson, playfully nudging him.

But Landon never cared what others thought.

He curled his lips in disdain and scoffed, “Ignore them!”

Feeling helpless, Amelia had no choice but to bury her face in the crook of his neck. ‘I’ll be less embarrassed this way,’ she thought.

“Honey, we’re having a baby. We’re having a baby!” Landon exclaimed.

He was immersed in happiness, his heart overflowing with joy.

Having learned the result before he did, Amelia remained composed.

“Come on. Let’s go see the doctor,” Landon said.

“Wait… Do we need to see the doctor now? Isn’t it too early for prenatal checkups?” Amelia asked.

“We must see the doctor.” Landon insisted.

Then, Amelia watched in utter embarrassment as Landon bombarded the doctor with a rapid–fire barrage of questions. “Are there dietary precautions? Is there anything special we should watch out for in daily life…”

The fifty–something doctor chuckled at his nervousness. “Is this your first time being a father, Mr. Kingsley?”

“Yes,” Landon replied.

“No wonder you’re so nervous. Just be careful with intimacy. There’s no need to overthink everything else,” said the doctor.

“Oh…” Landon replied, looking quite down.

‘No more kisses and hugs,’ he thought.

“Not even once?” Landon asked.

The doctor burst out laughing. “I suggest you avoid it during the first and last three months of pregnancy.”

Landon’s bubble of happiness suddenly popped…

Utterly mortified, Amelia grabbed Landon’s arm and practically dragged him out of the hospital.