Chapter 289

"Evelyn, I genuinely wanted to be your friend." Amelia's voice trembled as she clutched the thermos tighter. "I even made this soup specially for you. So why... why would you want to harm me like this? What could I have possibly done to deserve such cruelty?"

"You've done nothing to me." Evelyn's lips curled into a knowing smirk, her gaze sharp as daggers. "You only returned two days ago. There's no way you could have crossed me in such a short time." She watched Amelia closely, wondering if the woman would catch her hidden meaning.

Amelia had arrived home just forty-eight hours prior. Meanwhile, Evelyn had been hospitalized since yesterday morning after suffering a severe allergic reaction. Nathaniel and Sophia Bennett had remained by her bedside the entire time, leaving no opportunity for Evelyn to orchestrate any scheme—even if she'd wanted to hurt Amelia.

Furthermore, no one had known about Amelia's return until yesterday. The entire accusation would only make sense if Evelyn possessed psychic abilities to foresee the future. More importantly, Evelyn hadn't even known Amelia existed until their paths crossed yesterday. They'd never interacted before—how could Evelyn possibly have motive?

To any rational observer, the timeline alone proved Evelyn's innocence. Only someone deliberately framing her would ignore these glaring inconsistencies.

The real question was: who actually wanted Amelia harmed? Evelyn already knew the answer.

'This soup delivery is just a pretense,' Evelyn thought coldly. 'Her true purpose is to provoke Nathaniel.'

Nathaniel stood rigidly nearby, his jaw clenched. He recognized Amelia's manipulative tactics but remained silent, knowing Evelyn would disapprove if he interfered.

Amelia lingered beside Nathaniel, studying his unfamiliar expression—a turbulent mix of longing and frustration. She waited with him as the police continued their questioning.

"Nathaniel..." Amelia hesitated before posing her carefully crafted question. "If—just hypothetically—if Evelyn really did arrange my attack... would you ever consider... divorcing her?"

Nathaniel's eyes turned glacial. His response came without hesitation. "Never."

Tears welled in Amelia's eyes instantly. "Why? She deserves punishment for something so vile—"