The Cherished Wife (Noelle and Charles)
Chapter 453

Annie's hand instinctively went to her cheek, her gaze clouding over. She bit her lip and whispered, "Winter says she regrets it. She never meant for things to go this far."

"Guilty? Yeah, right!" Suzy sobbed, angrily wiping her tears. "Guilty? She didn't even blink when you were taken away. She didn't care whether you lived or died. How could she possibly feel guilty, especially after she looked down on you for your scars? If you hadn't gone to her, she wouldn't have..." Words tumbled out of Suzy in a rush of fury. Once said, they could not be taken back.

Seeing Annie's face turn ashen, Suzy quickly took her hand. "I'm so sorry, Annie. I didn't mean to. I just..."

"It's okay," Annie said, pulling Suzy into a hug. "Don't worry about it now. Just try to get some sleep. I'm here for you."

"Annie, I just can't let it go. I really can't. She's been at odds with Noelle for years. What's that got to do with us? Why do we have to get involved?"

Annie's heart ached as she looked at Suzy. She had seen through Winter's facade after her own injury, but Suzy had continued to be friendly with her. Annie had thought Suzy would resent Noelle after what happened, but it turned out Winter was the one Suzy truly despised.

"Annie, don't you hate her? After what she did to your face, you..."

"Stop, Suzy," Annie cut her off, turning away. "My face will heal. What matters now is you and what you're going to do..."

"I'm going to sue them. I'll sue them all," Suzy declared, her emotions surging once more. "I have to sue them."

"Sue them? Who's them?" Annie's thoughts flew to Yevgen, and a pang of sorrow hit her. She gripped Suzy's hand more firmly. "Suzy, about that..."

"No, I can't tell anyone. If I do, it'll be all over the place. Annie, what am I going to do? So many people from our group were there tonight, and they all saw what happened. How can I face them again? What's going I to happen to me now?" Suzy was overwhelmed with emotion every time she thought about the night's events. "Annie, I'm so lost!"

"Suzy, just take a deep breath. It's going to be okay." Annie wrapped her arms around Suzy, gently patting her back to soothe her. "Xavier has already handled it. Those people won't say a word, and no one else will replace out about tonight. If you want to go after them, I'm right here with you."

"No, I can't let it get out. I just can't!" Suzy clutched Annie's arm, shaking her head desperately. "Annie, you won't think less of me, will you?"

"Of course not! I could never." Annie tenderly touched Suzy's face, drying her tears. "This isn't your fault, Suzy. If you don't want the news to go public, we won't. But those two..."

"Where are they now?"

"I'm not sure. Maybe they're still around. Winter and Xavier might know. I asked Winter when we were leaving, and she told me not to worry and that she'd take care of it and make sure you get justice."

"Justice? What kind of justice can

she give me? Can she restore what

I've lost?" Suzy's eyes darkened at the mention of Winter. "I'm not going to let this slide. Winter's going to pay for the pain I went through today."

QUMS

"Suzy." Annie held her close. "Try to get some rest. Don't think about any of this right now. Everything will be better after some sleep."