Find me in your labyrinth (Stella and Jonathan) novel Chapter 3426

Two days later, Marina Evert received a call from her mother, Rhiannon. "Marina, do you have some time right now? You need to come home."

Marina feigned ignorance. "Is something going on?"

Rhiannon clearly didn't want to elaborate over the phone. "There's just a bit of a situation."

"Alright, I'll head back right now."

Marina quickly wrapped up her work at the office and drove back to the Evert estate.

When she walked in, the entire family was seated in the living room in complete silence. The atmosphere was heavy and suffocating. Her grandparents wore dark, stormy expressions. Phoebe sat right beside Grandma Evert, dressed in a flowing white gown with her dark hair cascading down her back. She looked every bit the fragile, obedient victim. She glanced up at Marina for a split second before quickly dropping her gaze.

"What's going on?" Marina asked, acting surprised.

Aunt Charlotte's face was ice-cold. "Marina, how exactly did my Phoebe offend you? Don't you think your actions are a little too vicious? Are you trying to kill her?"

"We haven't even investigated the situation properly," Rhiannon argued back. "How can you be so sure my Marina did this?"

"If it wasn't her, then who? Us?" Mr. Evert retorted sharply.

Rhiannon didn't dare talk back to the family elders. Though she was boiling with indignation, she kept her mouth shut.

"Since Marina is back," Jude interjected, trying to keep the peace, "let's just ask her what happened first."

Trevor Evert, Marina's third uncle, pushed something across the coffee table. "Marina, what is this?"

Marina stared at the small, black, button-like object resting on the glass. She furrowed her brow. "I've never seen that before in my life."

"You've never seen it?" Aunt Charlotte sneered. "This little gadget is the reason the dogs have been howling every night. You purposely came home late before, trying to divert everyone's attention so we'd think the dogs were barking at you. The noise finally stopped for a few days, but the moment you came back home two days ago, they started barking all over again! Multiple times a night!"

Charlotte took a breath, glaring at her. "Thank God your grandmother realized something was off and had the kennels inspected. That's where we found this!"

"What exactly is your endgame here?" Charlotte demanded. "You know perfectly well that Phoebe struggles with her sleep. Are you trying to torture her to death? How can someone so young be so deeply malicious?"

"I'm coming over right now," Carson said, his voice dropping an octave. "Wait for me."

Marina gave a soft, pathetic "okay."

"Running to Mr. Foster for backup again?" Aunt Charlotte offered a plastic smile. "It doesn't matter who you call this time. It won't save you!"

Her heart aching for her daughter, Rhiannon snapped, "Carson is Marina's fiancé. If he hears that she's being bullied, of course he's going to come check on her!"

Furious, Aunt Charlotte finally let out the toxic resentment she had been harboring for months. "Phoebe was the one who was supposed to marry into the Foster family in the first place! Who knows what underhanded tricks you, Jude, and Marina pulled behind our backs to swap the bride out for Marina!"

Phoebe's brow twitched. She lifted her gaze and stared directly at Marina.

In that split second, Marina saw a flash of raw, unfiltered hatred in her cousin's eyes.

So that was it. Poisoned by her parents' manipulations, this was exactly what Phoebe thought of her.