Hello, Ex! I Finally Found My Worth! - Chapter 85

Chapter 85: It’s Time

Margaret sat in the dimly lit living room of her sprawling home, her trembling hands clutching a tissue that had long since given up its purpose.

Her normally pristine makeup was streaked down her cheeks, the result of an afternoon spent in tears.

The humiliation she had endured at Alex’s house replayed in her mind, each moment sharpening her anguish into anger.

The look on Emma’s face when she saw her. The way she had begged and pleaded with both Alex and Emma just so they could help her son.

The way Alex had said nothing and the way Emma had barely stood there and let Claire talk to her the way she did while she made a fool of herself.

How dare they? How dare Claire speak to me like that? Like I’m an outsider when Alex and Emma are the outsiders?

The memory of Claire standing up for Emma, her voice cold and unyielding as she ordered the butler to throw Margaret out, was a knife twisting in her chest.

Claire, who had always been cool and composed, always there for her and had loved her son equally had looked at Margaret as if she were nothing—a nuisance to be discarded.

When did she become such a nuisance to Claire? Because of Emma?

Margaret’s grip tightened on the tissue, her knuckles white. “That woman,” she hissed under her breath, her mind circling around everything that happened in front of Emma and how she had knelt down to plead with her.

“Why, Claire? She had no right—no right—to humiliate me like that in front of that gold digger, Emma and that outsider Alex.”

Her anger bubbled to the surface, but it was short-lived. Her mind flashed to the other thing bothering her and despair crashed over her like a wave, dragging her back into the memory of her visit to the lawyer.

Earlier that day after she left Alex’s house, she had sat stiffly in the lawyer’s office, her pride barely holding together her fragile composure.

The man—middle-aged, calm, and annoyingly unbothered—had delivered the news with the detached efficiency of someone accustomed to ruining people’s lives.

“There’s no way around it, Mrs. Thompson,” he had said, his tone leaving no room for argument. “The evidence against your son is overwhelming. The forged documents he used to cover his tracks, and the testimony Alex provided to the board. They are all irrefutable. Your son must plead guilty if he wants to negotiate a reduced sentence. Otherwise, he’s looking at a much harsher punishment.”

Margaret’s heart had sunk into her stomach. “How long?” she had asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

The lawyer had adjusted his glasses. “If he pleads guilty, he could get six to twelve months. Worst case scenario, three years. But if this goes to trial and he’s convicted, it could be much longer. Well, except of course your sister withdraws her statement.”

The lawyer’s words echoed in her mind now, a cruel reminder of the reality she couldn’t escape.

Claire withdraw her statement? How when it was obvious Claire wanted her son dead. She wouldn’t even consider how much she used to love Jake.

Or had Claire never truly loved Jake? How could she be this heartless? Margaret’s sobs deepened, her shoulders shaking as she crumpled into herself.

The thought of Jake, her precious son, locked away in a cold, unforgiving prison cell was more than she could bear. Wouldn’t he die there?

Fresh tears slipped down her cheeks when she recalled how much weight he had lost in just two days. How would he look like if he were to stay there for another six months? Or a year?

No, she thought fiercely, wiping at her tears with trembling fingers. This can’t happen. I won’t let it happen. Not while I’m still alive.

Her mind raced, desperate for a solution, a way out of this nightmare. And then, as if grasping at the last shred of hope, she thought of Vanessa.

She had predicted this and had told her to call if her plan didn’t work out. Now was the time and though she had been scared of what Vanessa could do, she didn’t care now.

All she wanted was to get her son out and in one piece. She thought as she picked up her phone and dialed Vanessa’s line. The line rang twice before Vanessa’s smooth, confident voice answered.

“Hello, Margaret,” Vanessa said, her tone a mix of curiosity and caution. “Did it work out your way?”

Margaret swallowed the lump in her throat, her voice breaking as she spoke. “Vanessa… you said you could get him out right?” she asked hopefully and Vanessa smirked.

“Of course I could,” she said confidently.

Margaret nodded as she wiped the tears off her face even though Vanessa couldn’t see her.

“That’s good. Please, you have to do whatever it takes to free Jake. Anything. I don’t care how you do it—just make sure my son doesn’t end up in prison.”

For a moment, there was silence on the other end of the line. Then, Vanessa’s voice returned, this time laced with a dark satisfaction. “Anything? Are you sure about that?”

“Yes,” Margaret said, her desperation making her voice shake. “Anything. Just fix this.”

Vanessa smiled to herself, though Margaret couldn’t see it. “Don’t worry, Margaret. I’ll take care of it.”

After hanging up, Margaret curled up on the couch, her tears finally subsiding. But the pain in her chest remained, a dull, aching reminder of the humiliation she had endured and the lengths she was willing to go to protect her son.

She stared blankly at the ceiling, her mind numb, even as a small, nagging voice whispered in the back of her mind. What have I done?

But she shoved the thought aside, focusing instead on the faint glimmer of hope that Vanessa would succeed where she had failed.

After the call with Margaret, Vanessa leaned back in her chair, her mind already working through the next steps. She reached for her phone and dialed another number, her lips curling into a sly smile as the line connected.

“It’s time,” she said simply.

The person on the other end didn’t respond right away, but Vanessa knew they understood.

She had been waiting for this moment, and now, with Margaret’s blessing, she had the green light to set her plan in motion.