Marriage with my daughter's father: Darling please be gentle - Chapter 155

Chapter 155: Chapter 155: Is Dianna gone?

Stanley had no clue where Dianna was going — her driving was sharp and reckless, like a woman running from ghosts. But when Beatrix’s car slid into view behind her, tailing close, Stanley eased back.

Beatrix wasn’t tailing for the sake of curiosity — no, this was maternal instinct, sharp and unyielding. She was watching over her daughter, even if Dianna didn’t know it.

The cars carved through the city streets, crossing the old iron bridge where the river below churned dark and restless.

Stanley’s gut twisted. Something was wrong. Dianna’s car wasn’t just speeding — it was accelerating, like she was bracing for impact rather than avoiding it.

And then it happened.

Without warning, Dianna jerked the wheel hard, sending the car crashing through the thin safety rail.

The sound of metal screeching against metal snapped through the air, and then — silence, just for a heartbeat — before the vehicle plunged off the bridge and into the freezing black water below.

Beatrix’s brakes screamed as she slammed her foot down, the tires skidding to a stop. Her world froze in that single instant, her heart lodged in her throat, disbelieving what her eyes had just witnessed. But her body didn’t wait for permission to act.

She threw the door open, bolting from the car, legs pounding against the pavement, hair whipping wildly in the cold river wind. She reached the shattered section of the guardrail, staring down at the rippling water below.

The car had already begun to vanish beneath the surface, bubbles rising in desperate clusters.

“Dianna!” Her scream ripped out of her, raw and panicked, but the river gave nothing back.

Beatrix didn’t think twice. She kicked off her shoes, ready to dive in — but just as her feet left the ground, a pair of strong hands caught her, yanking her back from the edge. She struggled against the grip, eyes locked on the river as Dianna’s car sank deeper, swallowed by the dark, icy water.

A crowd had begun to gather, their faces pale and stunned, murmurs rising in the cold air — but no one moved, frozen by the shock of what they’d just witnessed.

Stanley could barely process the whirlwind of emotions crashing over him. But one thought kept spiraling in his mind, sharp and unrelenting. Is Dianna gone?

***

Meanwhile, the news about Dianna had already reached Kalix and Winter. The weight of it hung heavy in the air, and not long after, Sean and Gina arrived at their place — Lilac in tow.

A deafening silence settled over the room, thick and tense, until Lilac broke it with a sharp huff of disdain.

“I’m sure this is just another stunt — her way of dodging the cops before they could grill her.”

Winter glanced at Lilac, her expression unreadable, but deep down, she couldn’t entirely disagree.

“Maybe,” she murmured. “But this move was reckless. Especially with her mother tailing her the whole time. Stanley said Beatrix was completely shaken by what she saw… like the ground had been ripped out from under her.”

Everyone was still trying to process the situation when Sean returned, slipping his phone back into his pocket after a call with Stanley. He joined the others, his expression a little more composed.

“Dianna’s out of danger,” he announced. “She’s stable and under close monitoring.”

Lilac let out a dry chuckle, crossing her arms.

“See? I told you — nothing was going to happen to her. A national-level swimmer doesn’t just drown. Who does she think she’s fooling?”

But before anyone could respond, Kalix’s voice cut through the room, low but sharp.

“Grandpa.”

His eyes flicked toward Lilac, watching as the smugness on her face instantly froze.

“I’m sure when he refused to say a single word in her defense… that’s when things really started to fall apart for her,” Kalix added. “I heard Aunt Beatrix went to see him the day before yesterday.”

Winter, who had been silent all this time, finally spoke — her voice calm but laced with suspicion.

“But doesn’t it seem strange to anyone? Even her own mother was kept in the dark about whatever scheme Dianna was running behind their backs.”

Lilac gaped, clapping her hands once in agreement.

“Right? Exactly!”

Gina, growing more frustrated, glanced around at all of them.

“What’s the deal with all this? Why don’t you just expose her already? Why keep playing along?”

Lilac looked just as puzzled, but Sean and Kalix exchanged a glance — brief but unmistakable.

Winter didn’t miss it.

There was something about that silent exchange, something unspoken, and the longer no one answered, the more her suspicion solidified.

Sensing the strange tension thickening the air, Sean cleared his throat and shifted the conversation.

“So… what do you think will happen now, Boss? Do you think Grandpa’s going to let himself get emotionally manipulated all over again?” His voice was cautious but steady as he looked to Kalix for an answer.

Kalix leaned back slightly, his expression unreadable.

“That’s up to him,” he replied coolly. “It’s his choice what he wants to believe.”

But deep down, Kalix knew the pattern all too well. Sylvester had always been an easy target for Dianna and her family’s emotional games.

Both sisters had mastered the art of guilt-tripping him, using their father’s condition like a weapon. It wasn’t just Sylvester—even Roger had been dragged into an arrangement he never consented to, all thanks to their manipulations.

And now, once again, it was Sylvester’s turn to decide where his loyalty — or weakness — would lead him.

By the time the others left, the house had quieted down. Kalix and Winter retreated to their room, the unspoken weight of the night hanging between them.

For a while, neither said a word. The silence stretched as Kalix busied himself with a few calls — first to the head cop, then to Stanley — before finally returning to Winter’s side.

“Is there something I should know?” Winter’s voice was quiet but steady.

Kalix paused, meeting her gaze with a cautious look. The unspoken question in her eyes left little room for denial, and after a long sigh, he gave in.

He knew exactly where her question was coming from — and as much as he wanted to keep it to himself, there were few things that ever slipped past Winter.

“The results from the modulator recording came in,” he said finally.

His voice lowered a notch. “Do you want to hear it?”

Winter’s heart skipped a beat the moment his words sank in. The result — the one they’d been anxiously waiting for — was finally out. But what unsettled her even more was how calm Kalix appeared, as if he’d already made peace with the truth.

Shaking off her growing unease, she nodded, choosing to face it head-on.

Kalix played the recording, the clear, unfiltered voice echoing through the room. The moment the voice revealed itself, Winter felt the blood drain from her face.

“It’s… Dorothy,” she whispered, her voice laced with disbelief.

But Kalix remained still, his expression unreadable, as if he had known all along.