Chapter 34 She Burned Down Dreamy Garden
At around 8 PM, Emma's car pulled up to the grand entrance of Dreamy Garden.
Evelyn had arrived early and followed her through the gates.
Emma stepped back onto this property that had once briefly belonged to her, the air thick with the rich fragrance of lilies.
But her heart was ice-cold now.
Gone were the butterflies and wistful longing of the past.
Evelyn said nothing, simply giving her hand a gentle squeeze as they approached the main house.
The entire estate blazed with lights, like a brilliant jewel against the night sky.
The butler spotted her immediately and hurried over.
"Ms. Rodriguez, you've arrived! Let me contact Mr. Harrison right away to come home."
Emma's voice cut through the air like ice. "There's a servant here named Julie Thomas?"
"Yes, Ms. Rodriguez. Julie came to work here three years ago." The butler quickly responded, then gestured to a nearby staff member. "Go find her and bring her here immediately."
Emma and Evelyn settled onto the living room sofa as a maid brought them steaming coffee.
Within minutes, Julie was escorted into the room. The moment she saw Emma, terror flashed across her face, and she ducked her head.
Emma approached her slowly, gripping her chin and forcing eye contact.
Julie recoiled in fear before dropping to her knees with a thud.
Emma crouched down to her level, her eyes sharp as blades, boring into Julie's with such intensity it seemed she might tear her apart.
The suffocating pressure made everyone in the room uncomfortable.
"You've been making my soup for the past three years?"
Julie struggled to maintain composure, stammering, "Ms. Rodriguez, that's... that's what we servants are supposed to do!"
Evelyn lunged forward, kicking Julie over with fury blazing in her eyes.
"You evil witch! Still trying to lie? Tell us—who is the mastermind behind this?"
Julie scrambled back up, desperately prostrating herself before Emma.
"Ms. Rodriguez, I was wrong! I was so wrong! Please have mercy! I have sick family members who need my care!"
Evelyn's eyes went blood-red with rage as she delivered another kick, screaming, "You piece of trash! That's your excuse for destroying someone's life? You deserve to rot in hell!"
Julie kowtowed frantically, pleading, "I was wrong, Ms. Rodriguez! I truly was! Please forgive me!"
"I didn't mean for this to happen! I really didn't!"
Her cries carried pure desperation.
The butler, witnessing this scene, had no idea what was happening.
How had Julie become Emma's enemy?
He quietly stepped away to call Nicholas urgently.
Emma stood over Julie, looking down with dark, merciless eyes.
"Julie, if you don't tell me everything, I guarantee you'll spend the rest of your life behind bars. You'll never see the outside again, and your mother and sick child will have to fend for themselves."
"Tell me, who ordered you to do this?"
Life in prison? Julie broke down completely, tears streaming down her face.
"Ms. Rodriguez, I'll tell you! I'll tell you everything!" She trembled violently as she continued.
"It was Karen!"
"She made me do it! She promised me a fortune if I followed her orders—enough money to never worry again!"
"She said you didn't deserve to carry Mr. Harrison's child! She said only her daughter deserved to bear the heir to the Harrison family!"
It was Karen—Zoe's mother and Emma's foster mother.
An uncontrollable fury erupted from the depths of Emma's heart, threatening to consume what remained of her sanity.
Emma had been lost at age six, ending up in an orphanage until Karen took her in, giving her four years of comfort with the Perez family.
She had once believed Karen was her savior.
Then, when Emma was ten, Karen found her real daughter and discarded Emma without a second thought.
If it had been simple abandonment, that would have been one thing.
But Karen had arranged for thugs to knock Emma unconscious, nail her inside a wooden crate, and set it adrift on the river toward the ocean.
She had intended Emma to die.
That day, twelve-year-old Nicholas had spotted the floating crate from his car window and ordered the driver to pull her from the water.
She had been soaked, burning with fever. He convinced a nearby farming family to take her in and left money for medicine.
He promised he would return for her, that he would bring her to Emerald City.
But that very night, their car crashed on the highway, and Nicholas's father died instantly.
She waited two years, but he never came. So at twelve, she ran away to Emerald City to find him herself.
The painful memories crashed over her in waves.
Her heart felt crushed by an invisible fist, the pain so intense she could barely breathe.
A bone-deep chill spread from her feet through her entire body.
She had thought gratitude and grudges could cancel each other out.
But now she knew they never could.
She would never be weak again.
The child she lost—the Perez family would pay for that.
Evelyn clenched her fists in rage. "The Perez family dares to be so brazen! Tomorrow, I'm going to destroy her."
Just then, the butler entered cautiously. "Ms. Rodriguez, do you need assistance?"
"I'm taking this woman with me. Handle the cleanup here."
Emma's voice held no emotion whatsoever.
"Yes, Ms. Rodriguez."
The butler gestured, and two security guards immediately hauled Julie to her feet.
Julie screamed through her tears, "Ms. Rodriguez, I was wrong! Please spare me! I'll never do it again! I'm sorry! Please!"
Evelyn stepped forward and slapped her hard across the face. "Shut up, you poisonous witch!"
She stuffed a large rag into Julie's mouth, then had the guards escort her out. She would personally take her to the police station.
Emma walked outside, but as she passed the fragrant Dreamy Garden, she stopped.
The pristine white lilies bloomed in sacred perfection, releasing their intoxicating fragrance.
But now they filled her with nothing but disgust and revulsion.
"Butler, do you have gasoline here? Bring me two containers."
The butler froze, then quickly gestured. "Bring two containers of gasoline immediately!"
Within moments, four servants carried over two large containers of fuel.
Without hesitation, Emma began dousing the exquisite lilies with gasoline.
The acrid smell instantly overwhelmed the delicate floral fragrance.
"Ms. Rodriguez! But this..."
The butler cried out in shock. Didn't Emma love Dreamy Garden more than anything? These were rare lily varieties Nicholas had collected from around the world.
A match struck. The tiny flame danced, then fell onto those pristine white petals.
Fire erupted skyward.
The delicate petals instantly curled and blackened, crackling as they burned.
Thick smoke billowed up, choking and suffocating.
Emma stood before the blazing lily garden, letting the heat waves wash over her face. The firelight reflected off her pale features, and her eyes burned with an intensity fiercer than the flames themselves.
The fire grew wilder, consuming the entire Dreamy Garden.
Smoke roiled upward into the night sky.
Every memory she had shared with Nicholas in this place was shattered and scattered.
Falling into the hungry flames.
She smiled coldly, turned, and walked away.
Others only saw her ice-cold retreating figure, but they couldn't see that tears were already streaming down her face.
For the little life that never had a chance.
For the marriage that would never reach its destination.
For twelve years of stubborn devotion that had led to nothing.
Step by step, she walked out of this scarred estate, away from his life forever.