Leticia couldn't believe a word she heard.
She glared resentfully at Mrs. Walsh, gritting her teeth, "Perhaps they are not unwell or busy, but simply do not want to see the disgrace of the Walsh family."
"How could that be, Leticia? Don't imagine things," Mrs. Walsh said, forcing a smile as she tried to argue.
Leticia scoffed coldly, "Stop hiding the truth from me. I know very well that grandfather and father have given up on me."
At the thought of this, a sinister plan formed in her mind.
"Mommy, I can't accept that my life is ruined like this, can you help me?"
"It's not about whether I can help you now; I simply can't," Mrs. Walsh replied with regret and self-reproach, "If I had known you would cause such a disaster, I should have disciplined you more."
Hearing this, Leticia felt a surge of frustration.
However, she thought of her plan and instead of lashing out, she bit back, "It's too late to say these things now. What needed to be done has been done."
Mrs. Walsh was left speechless.
Then, Leticia continued, "I don't need you to do anything; just cooperate with me and help spread the news."
"What news?" Mrs. Walsh asked, puzzled.
Leticia said fiercely, "Go to a newspaper and tell them Lance drove someone to death for his woman, but due to the power of the Mercer family, the victim could only suffer in silence."
"No, we can't do that," Mrs. Walsh refused without a second thought.
After saying this and seeing her daughter about to explode in anger, she quickly tried to soothe her, "Leticia, listen to me. Even if we do this, it won't significantly affect the Mercer family or Deanna. Moreover, a simple investigation will debunk this rumor."
"Who said it's a rumor?" Leticia retorted sharply.
Mrs. Walsh was stunned for a moment before she grasped the implication of her words.
Leticia tilted her head in surprise, her pale face flushing red, a handprint faintly visible.
Mrs. Walsh was nearly bursting with anger.
She trembled as she pointed at Leticia, struggling to find her voice, "Have you gone mad? To die for two people who have nothing to do with your life, how could you do this to me? Don't you care about your family at all?"
Faced with such questioning, Leticia remained silent.
She couldn't accept her fate while Deanna and Lance were still well.
Perhaps sensing her thoughts, Mrs. Walsh grew even angrier.
"Fine, if you want to die, go ahead. But let me tell you, even if you die and even if you want me to create public opinion for you, it won't matter to Deanna and Lance because they haven't done anything wrong. On the contrary, it was you who wanted to harm Deanna first. People will only say that you are too fragile and couldn't handle the pressure, committing suicide in jail. Some might even applaud because you were so wicked; living was a waste of food!"
It was hard to deny; these words did strike Leticia hard.
But Mrs. Walsh didn't know.
She looked at her still silent daughter and felt utterly disappointed, "Since you want to die, I don't need to stay here to take care of you. I'll go back soon and come to collect your body after you're dead."
With that, she turned and left.
Soon, only Leticia was left in the hospital room.
Her eyes flickered as she stared at the ceiling, lost in thought.
Two days passed quickly. That day, Deanna got up early and while looking in the mirror after washing up, noticed that the red mark on her face had faded significantly, making her smile involuntarily.
Lance changed his clothes and entered the bathroom just in time to see this scene.
He smiled wryly and embraced her from behind, chuckling softly, "Still worried?"
"Not worried, just checking."
Deanna said as she turned to face him, sharing her findings in a good mood, "Look, isn't the mark much lighter than before?"
Lance pretended to scrutinize Deanna's cheek closely with a teasing intent in his eyes.
"Has it really faded? I can't tell."
"It really has faded; take a closer look."
Deanna didn't notice the teasing in his eyes and earnestly brought her face closer for him to see properly.
Seeing the delicate face up close, a sly smile crossed Lance's dark eyes.
Then he unexpectedly planted a kiss on Deanna's face, his voice cheerful, "Ah, now I see it; it indeed has faded quite a bit."
"..."
Deanna paused for a moment before belatedly realizing what had happened.
By then, she knew she had been played by him again.
"You're teasing me again!"
She playfully punched Lance in the chest.
Lance let her hit him while a deep chuckle escaped his throat.
After fooling around for a while, they left the bathroom and headed downstairs.
On the way, Deanna casually asked, "By the way, did Leticia end up dying?"