When His Perfect Mask Shattered I Awoke (Anneliese) novel Chapter 753

It was clear that Penelope believed Elizabeth had no intention of truly confessing or showing any remorse. She impatiently turned toward Derek.

"Just spit it out already, Derek. Just looking at her gives me a headache!"

Derek had originally wanted to give Elizabeth a chance to admit her mistakes and show some remorse, maybe even earn forgiveness from Anneliese.

But watching Elizabeth's evasive and uncooperative attitude, he decided not to drag things out and went straight to the point.

Long story short, Elizabeth and Kenneth had each lived their own lives, carrying on affairs outside their marriage. Gerard Dargan was Elizabeth's lover.

The two had lived together overseas for more than a year—until the Hoff family's business ran into trouble and faced bankruptcy. Elizabeth naturally lost her funding. Unable to support Gerard any longer, and fearing that she would lose her privileged life if her family fell from power, she immediately ended things with Gerard and rushed back, hoping to salvage her marriage.

Who would have thought that Kenneth would continue fooling around during what was supposed to be a family trip? Elizabeth drank heavily that night. Her frustration steadily building, she inadvertently contacted Gerard again once she arrived home.

To her surprise, Gerard had also returned to the country. He rushed to the villa as soon as he received her phone call, that same night.

She quietly snuck him into the villa through a window, and they had a secret rendezvous in the dead of night. But in the midst of their passionate encounter, she discovered he had deceived her.

It turned out he never actually loved her. It wasn't because he couldn't forget her that he chased her across the entire ocean. Even the story about secretly following their family on their trip to Baytree, heartbroken as he watched them trying to repair their marriage, was fake.

The truth was that he had been drowning in massive debt, cornered by debt collectors, and she was the only lifeline he could grasp.

He was only trying to trick and persuade her into giving him money. When she realized the truth, she immediately turned on him and kicked him out.

After their falling out, Gerard left the villa. But he later snuck back into the villa, planning to switch targets and kidnap Jonathan instead.

Before he could act, however, he overheard Elizabeth on the phone, arranging for someone to quietly get rid of him.

Enraged, he set fire to the villa, intending to burn her to death, along with her entire family.

When Elizabeth discovered the fire engulfing the villa, she instinctively suspected that it had something to do with Gerard.

Her instincts kicked in, propelling her to get away as quickly as possible.

She escaped the villa, terrified that Kenneth and Jonathan had already perished in the fire—and that she wouldn't be able to explain herself to the family. Even more frightening was the thought that Gerard was still nearby, waiting to come after her.

The moment Jonathan noticed Penelope grabbing for the ashtray, he wrapped his arms around Anneliese and pulled her close. Then, he turned sideways, shielding her from any flying fragments with his broad shoulders and back.

He anxiously asked, "Are you hurt?"

Lifting her head from his chest, Anneliese gently shook her head.

Having acted out of anger earlier, Penelope quickly realized how inappropriate her behavior had been. She could've hurt the others, too.

She immediately turned her attention toward Anneliese. "Did that scare you, Anne?"

Anneliese hurriedly shook her head in response. Slipping away from Jonathan's embrace, she walked over to Penelope's side. Penelope was flushed with anger, but her complexion was pale, and her chest heaved violently.

"Grandma, it's been so many years… What's done is done; it can't be changed." Anneliese gently comforted the older woman. "Just knowing that the truth has finally come to light is a solace in itself. So, please don't be so angry. It's not worth hurting your health over such things."

Seeing how Anneliese could still comfort her at such a moment, Penelope felt her eyes reddening.

She gripped Anneliese's hand tightly, her voice trembling.