No Strings Attached

Chapter 159

Heidi’s attempt to frame Clara didn’t work, and now she was facing being grounded. Feeling sour, Heidi decided to drown her sorrows at a local bar with friends. After one too many, she called a designated driver to get her home.

She mumbled her address, slumping into the seat, teetering on the edge of sleep.” The ride felt endless until the car finally jerked to a stop.

Thinking she was home, Heidi’s eyes snapped open, but all she saw was a desolate wasteland. Her heart raced as she realized she’d been duped.

As she reached for the door in a panic, a black hood was thrown over her head. A flurry of punches and kicks followed.

Heidi felt as if her insides were being shattered to pieces. She wanted to scream, but her mouth was gagged with something foul, the stench making her

nauseous.

Some time passed, and Heidi was left bruised and sore from the beating, groveling on the ground, begging for mercy. She thought her nightmare was finally over, only to be dragged to a pool of water.

The water in the pool, though not deep, emitted a foul stench that assaulted her

nostrils. She tried to climb out, but the fences were locked tight.

Only now did she realize where she was – an abandoned pig farm, and she was

in the sty.

The thought alone made her stomach churn, and she vomited the night’s indulgences.

When she was discovered the next afternoon, she had been soaking in swine filth for over twelve hours. Ironically, her rescuer was an influencer live streaming at the scene.

Edwin, too, found out about her plight through the live stream.

The story of Heidi thrown into a manure pit spread like wildfire online.

Through tears, Heidi cursed, “It must have been that bitch Clara. Edwin, you must

avenge me.”

Edwin’s heart ached in a way he couldn’t explain, torn between disappointment

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in his sister and sympathy for Clara. With a cold gaze, he informed Heidi, “The doctor says there’s no external damage, no broken bones. Tomorrow morning, I’ll have you sent back to our family’s old house.”

Heidi, tearful and disbelieving, looked at Edwin. “Edwin, I’m in agony. How can there be no broken bones? Why don’t you care? Why send me away? Do you not love me anymore?” she sobbed, attempting to draw close to him, only to be skillfully avoided.

He patted her head, his voice void of warmth, “If you don’t want the Campbell family to fall, you’ll go without a fuss.”

The next morning, Dawson arrived to escort a battered Heidi to the outskirts, to a tiny, dilapidated house amidst the Campbell family graveyard, her only company an elderly caretaker. Content rights by NôvelDr//ama.Org.

Taking in the dilapidated surroundings, the remnants of cold food on the table, and the nearby graves resembling small hills, Heidi was filled with rage. She angrily swept everything off the table onto the floor, her eyes gleaming with an unprecedented fierceness.

“Clara, I will make you pay for this–double!” she seethed.

After dinner, Clara took Snow for a run downstairs, following her therapist’s advice to exercise as a way to ease her depression.

Snow, full of zest, led the way until a familiar figure appeared, bringing him to a halt. The dog barked joyfully, circling lan with excitement.

The weariness in lan’s demeanor seemed to lift a bit. He crouched down, his slender fingers gently massaging Snow’s neck.

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