Chapter XXXV: Was it worth it?

“Oh my god, Mrs Lydia!” the elderly woman exclaimed. “What happened to you?”

Lydia resisted rolling her eyes, knowing the nanny tended to be overly dramatic at times. “It’s nothing, nanny.”

As Constance descended the stairs, she cast a dismissive glance at Lydia before taking a seat regally on the lounge chair.

“Nothing? Oh my,” the skinny nanny fretted. “How can you say that when you’re clearly limping? I’ll go fetch the first aid kit.”

While the nanny scurried off, Lydia gingerly took a seat opposite Constance. When the flustered woman returned with the kit, she immediately began fussing over Lydia’s fresh bruises.

“Oh my, Mrs. Lydia, this never would have happened if Sir Clinton was here,” she tutted disapprovingly.

Finally deigning to look Lydia’s way, Constance raised an imperious brow. “What happened?”

Anger flashed in Lydia’s eyes as she met Constance’s gaze.

The scheming elderly woman simply sneered and let out a harrumphing scoff. “What’s with the attitude?”

“Was it worth it?” Lydia bit out through gritted teeth.

“Excuse me?”

“If you had known all your plotting and scheming against Monique would lead us to this disaster, would you still have gone through with it?” Lydia demanded hotly.

Constance drew herself up. “Watch your mouth, young lady.”

But Lydia was past heeding any intimidation. With a defiant sweep of her arm, she scattered the first aid kit’s contents across the floor, drawing a shocked gasp from the nanny.

“You will not bully me into silence,” Lydia stated, eyes flashing. “We are all in this catastrophic situation because of your crazy, nonsensical vendetta against Monique!”

The nanny sighed. Even the most timid person has a breaking point when pushed into a corner for too long.

Constance narrowed her eyes dangerously as the nanny frantically tried gathering the spilled items while tugging anxiously at Lydia’s sleeve.

Swatting the woman’s hand away, Lydia pressed on relentlessly. “We’re in this nightmare because of you. Clinton being in jail, all of this – it’s on you! You caused this entire debacle!”

The tension in the room crackled like a livewire as the two women stared each other down.

“So I’ll ask again,” Lydia said, voice low and intense. “Was getting your petty revenge worth it? Are you happy now?”

Lydia let out a frustrated sigh, running an agitated hand through her hair. “You’re just too much, Constance. Yesterday was supposed to be the happiest day of my life, but you ruined it all because of your petty need for vengeance against Monique.”

Her voice took on a heated tone as long-simmering frustrations finally boiled over. “Your lies and deceptions have ruined us all.”

Lydia shook her head, a sad, hollow laugh escaping her lips. “why did you have to drag us into your schemes?Why do you have to scheme and manipulate to have your way, no matter who gets crushed underfoot?”

Fixing Constance with an accusatory stare, she demanded, “Did you ever stop for one second to consider the collateral damage? Clinton is in jail because of you. Our reputations, our lives – everything is in ruins thanks to your pathological obsession with getting revenge on your ex-daughter-in-law!”

The nanny shrank back, clearly uncomfortable being caught in the midst of such an explosive domestic confrontation. But Lydia was past caring about propriety or decorum.

The tension in the room has reached a boiling point.

Lydia heaved a sigh and fixed Constance with a resolute stare. “I think it’s best that you leave.”

Constance’s eyebrows shot up in disbelief. “Excuse me? You’re out of your mind. Who the hell do you think you are? What right do you have to chase me out of my own son’s house?”

But Lydia stood her ground. “You heard me. Right now, his partner and love of his life – that’s me. At this moment, I’m the person who loves Clinton the most. What about you? All you do is scheme and manipulate your own son. You don’t know the first thing about real love.”

Fire flashed in Constance’s eyes as she rose to her full imposing height. “Insolence! How dare you question my love for my son!”

“I dare because I know the only person you truly care about is yourself!” Lydia shot back fiercely.

The resounding crack of Constance’s hand across Lydia’s cheek seemed to reverberate through the entire house. But Lydia simply held her stinging face, staring back at the fuming woman with mocking defiance.

“Can’t stomach the truth, can you?”

“You ungrateful bitch!” Constance’s voice dripped with venom. “The only reason you’re by my son’s side is because I allowed it. Just one word from me and you’ll be history in his life.”

But Lydia was done being cowed. Turning to the cowering nanny, she stated firmly, “Nanny Bea, get the maids to pack Constance’s belongings. She is no longer welcome here.”

The poor nanny looked back and forth between the two formidable women, clearly cursing whatever fates had put her in this impossible predicament. “M-Mrs. Lydia, I really don’t think…”

“You heard me,” Lydia reiterated, steel in her tone. “Do it now.”

As the cowed nanny hurried off, Constance laughed derisively. “You foolish girl – you honestly believe you have any authority here? This is still my son’s home.”

But a sense of finality had settled over Lydia. Staring Constance down, she stated with grim certainty:

“Not anymore. Your schemes and betrayals have gone too far this time, Constance. Consider this the consequences of your actions finally catching up to you.”

Constance turned on her heel, ready to storm out, when Lydia spoke up.

“Now more than ever, I’m convinced there’s a deeper reason fueling your hatred towards Monique,” Lydia stated firmly. “Since things have gone this far, there’s no turning back. The investigator stays on the case.”

Constance whipped around, leveling Lydia with a hateful glare. But Lydia held her ground, continuing, “You can forget about trying to blackmail me over my past. It is what it is. And maybe it’s time I came fully clean to Clinton about it.”

Constance’s eyes narrowed calculatingly as she evaluated this newfound daring defiance from Lydia.

The foolish girl was feeling emboldened.

“So the claws finally emerge,” Constance purred with disdain. “I must say, I’m almost impressed by your pitiful backbone.”

Taking deliberate steps forward, Constance loomed over Lydia in an intimidating manner. “But make no mistake, you naive little fool – your tawdry secrets are the least of your concerns now that you’ve awoken a far more formidable beast.”

Their faces were inches apart as Constance hissed menacingly, “You want the full truth about Monique? About what really happened all those years ago? Then brace yourself, because you haven’t the faintest clue about the Pandora’s box you’re choosing to open!”

In Constance’s mind, she was sure that Monique wanted the circumstances surrounding Harriet’s situation to remain buried even more than she did.

Dredging up that ordeal from the past could unleash a torrent of consequences neither of them could control.

At The Jailhouse…

Clinton hugged Lydia tightly, holding her close as if he wanted their bodies to merge together. “I’ve missed you so much,” he whispered softly into her ear.

Lydia tilted her head, and Clinton captured her lips in a passionate, hungry kiss.

The guard clearing his throat loudly at the door caused them to break apart. Clinton leaned his forehead against hers tenderly, caressing her cheek.

“God, this feels so good,” Lydia murmured. “I wish this nightmare could just end.”

She pulled back and led him over to a bench, hand-in-hand.

“How’s Alex doing?”

She shrugged her shoulders. “Oh, you know him – all he does is sleep, eat and make messes. He hasn’t a care in the world.”

He chuckled then gave her hand an affectionate squeeze. “I’ll be home soon, I promise. We’ll get through this together.”

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