Chapter 415: Everything Was Deliberately Designed

Chapter 415: Chapter 415: Everything Was Deliberately Designed

The worst possible outcome had come to pass.

Eliza Lynch stumbled back a few steps in disbelief. If what the officer was saying was true, she had to start thinking about how to minimize the fallout.

"Mrs. Lynch, we’re here today not just to update you on our progress, but also to ask you a question. Has Kai Thorne been acting unusually lately?

Besides the smoking and drinking, was there anything else that struck you as odd?"

’The smoking and drinking part referred to Marcus Thompson, which wasn’t a useful comparison.’

So Heath Hale clarified, asking Eliza about other details.

"Unusual? The smoking and drinking *was* the most unusual thing." Eliza Lynch frowned at the question and couldn’t help but retort.

Complaints aside, Eliza Lynch still began to reflect on Kai Thorne’s behavior over the past several weeks.

She suddenly remembered how, about a month ago, Kai Thorne had started frequently going out to meet up with friends.

"Kai Thorne never used to like going out much. He’d usually just stay home with me and our child. He lacked a bit of ambition, but our family had enough money for us to live extravagantly, and besides, I didn’t want him picking up any bad habits. So I indulged his tendency to be a homebody who didn’t socialize much." As Eliza Lynch recalled the past, her expression softened considerably. "But about a month ago, he started going out all the time to see a... Mr. Gary? A man with the surname Gary. He said they were very close friends who hadn’t seen each other in a while.

He wanted to take the opportunity to see him a few times while he was in town and reconnect. That’s all there was to it."

Eliza Lynch thought for a moment before sharing her observations with Zoe Sawyer and Heath Hale.

The reason she remembered it so clearly was that Kai Thorne, who could previously go a week or two without leaving the house, was suddenly going out almost every other day. The change was so stark that it stuck in her memory.

’Mr. Gary? Or was it just some nickname?’

Heath Hale suppressed the doubt and continued, "Anything else? Or did he only start going out so often last month?"

"Not exactly." Hearing this, Eliza Lynch denied it without hesitation, then added, "They’d been in touch a few times before, just not as frequently as last month.

Besides, you asked about what happened *recently*, so I told you about last month. How was I supposed to know you wanted more than that?"

Eliza Lynch muttered a few complaints under her breath.

Heath Hale pretended not to hear. He took out his small notebook and asked for the dates when Kai Thorne met with this Mr. Gary.

’Once I get the specific dates, I’ll have Zoe use her door to take a look. That’ll make everything clear!’

Eliza Lynch quickly rattled off several dates. Before Heath Hale could even react, Catherine Miller, who was standing nearby, lashed out, her face dark with rage.

She lunged forward, slamming Eliza Lynch against the wall and glaring at her with murderous eyes.

Eliza Lynch was too stunned to react. ’Aren’t I just answering the policeman’s question? What is Catherine Miller’s problem? Why did she suddenly slam me against the wall like this?’

"What are you doing?! Let go of me!" Eliza Lynch swatted at Catherine Miller’s arm, trying to break free. "Aren’t you two police officers? Don’t just stand there, pull her off!"

’If she keeps squeezing my neck this hard, I’ll be dead in a minute!’

While slapping at Catherine Miller’s arm, Eliza Lynch yelled at Zoe Sawyer and Heath Hale.

Having let their guard down slightly in the familiar environment of the police station, Zoe Sawyer and Heath Hale were caught off guard. Before they could react, they saw Catherine Miller’s arm pressing against Eliza Lynch’s throat.

One had spent her life working to support her family, while the other lived a life of pampered luxury. The disparity in their strength was immense. No matter how much Eliza Lynch struggled, she couldn’t budge Catherine Miller’s arm.

"Ms. Miller, let go! If you assault someone in front of police officers, you’ll be locked up!" Heath Hale and Zoe Sawyer rushed forward. Each grabbing one of the women, they pulled the red-eyed Catherine Miller away from Eliza Lynch, whose face was already beginning to turn pale.

Clutching her throat and coughing violently, Eliza Lynch pointed a trembling finger at Catherine Miller, her tone vicious. "You dare attack me! I’m going to sue you! I’ll sue you for every penny you have!"

’I have money. I can hire the best lawyers. And this happened in a police station, with two officers as witnesses and a security camera right overhead.’

’The evidence is airtight. I’m definitely going to sue that pauper!’

Eliza Lynch rubbed her neck. Her throat was throbbing, and she couldn’t help but worry if her voice had been damaged.

"Ms. Miller, why did you just attack Mrs. Lynch? I expect a reasonable explanation!" Heath Hale pulled Catherine Miller aside, his expression grim as he stared her down.

’And don’t give me some crap about avenging her husband. I’m not buying it.’

Catherine Miller clenched her fists, glaring daggers at Eliza Lynch from a distance. Only when she heard Heath Hale’s voice did she turn her gaze to him. "Why? The dates she just rattled off... they line up perfectly with when Marcus Thompson got hooked on gambling, when he started taking out loans from loan sharks, when he sold our house!

Is that supposed to be a coincidence, too? Every time that Kai Thorne went out to meet his ’friend,’ Marcus would lose big and start doing all those things.

Once or twice, you could call it a coincidence. But it happened *every single time*. That’s too much of a coincidence!"

Her once-happy family was completely destroyed, and it was all because of Kai Thorne.

Catherine Miller wasn’t a genius, but with all the pieces laid out in front of her like this, even she could put two and two together.

After she finished speaking, Catherine Miller stared at Eliza Lynch’s suddenly pale face. "I get it now," she said. "You’re still holding a grudge about what happened at the hospital, about us trying to switch the children. That’s why you wanted to destroy my family, to leave us with nothing and no one.

Yes, we were the ones who started it. You could have hired someone to beat us up, to cripple us even, and it would have been fine!

But why did you have to get Marcus hooked on gambling? Our home is gone, and now he’s gone too! Is this your revenge?"

After screaming that last sentence, Catherine Miller collapsed to the floor, completely spent. She broke down, sobbing uncontrollably.

She was filled with regret. She never should have lost her senses and agreed to Marcus Thompson’s ridiculous plan.

’And now, my karma has come due.’

As fear gripped Catherine Miller, a sense of relief also began to wash over her.

’Thank God Kai Thorne stopped after killing Marcus. What would I have done if he had come after me next?’

Eliza Lynch stood to the side, completely bewildered. She knew nothing about any of this!

’After we swapped the children back, I only ordered Kai Thorne never to contact Marcus Thompson’s family again. I just wanted to cut all ties, not destroy their entire family!’

"It wasn’t me! I didn’t do it! I didn’t know Kai Thorne was doing any of those things!" Eliza Lynch stammered, flustered. She truly had no idea he had done so much behind her back.

Having witnessed the entire exchange, Zoe Sawyer and Heath Hale shared a look. They stepped between the two women, blocking their line of sight, and led each of them into a separate, empty room.

Given the situation, leaving them in the same room any longer was asking for trouble.

"I really didn’t know about any of this! It has nothing to do with me or my child!"