Chapter 11

Lily held her, wailing in terror. In an instant, cries, curses, panic, and suffocating tension filled the entire Carter household. Amidst this choking fear, my hands and feet grew icy cold. Could it be… that man’s doing? That man who had so brazenly broken into my room to assault me, completely unafraid of the Carter family’s influence—had he been plotting this all along? Killing Ethan to take his place? The more I thought about it, the more horrified I became. An hour later, the doctor’s test results came in. The soup had indeed been laced with an excessive dose of clindamycin—an antibiotic used to treat infections and sepsis, notorious for causing severe digestive reactions, including vomiting and diarrhea. An overdose could trigger enteritis… or even death. And hadn’t Ethan been suffering from frequent vomiting lately? It all matched. Father-in-law summoned every member of the Carter household, including the servants, to the living room. I clutched Ethan’s hand tightly, unwilling to let go, while he kept his eyes downcast, lost in thought. My gaze swept carefully over each face, searching for the culprit behind this, desperate to unmask them. "Everyone involved in procuring, preparing, or delivering the soup tonight—step forward now!" Father-in-law’s voice was icy, his expression dark as a winter storm, sending chills down everyone’s spine. The Carter family employed nine servants. Though their duties were clearly divided, the kitchen was accessible to all. So when Father-in-law finished speaking, four servants stepped forward—including Mary. "You have one hour to think it over. If no one confesses by then, I’m handing this straight to the police. And every single one of you can forget about working for the Carter family ever again!" "No, please! I’m innocent! When I went to the kitchen to get dishes tonight, I saw Lucy sneaking sips of the soup—it must be her!" One of the servants, unable to bear the pressure, tearfully pointed fingers. "That’s a lie! Isabella, don’t you dare frame me! You’re just trying to cover your own guilt!" "Yeah! I saw Lucy drinking the soup too!" "I saw you sneaking something into the trash can!" "It was you! Just admit it already—don’t drag the rest of us into this!" The servants erupted into chaotic accusations, their voices clashing like a boiling pot. Then, with a furious crash, Father-in-law slammed his teacup onto the floor. "Enough! All of you, shut your mouths!" I knew this pointless interrogation would lead nowhere. Ethan’s vomiting had persisted ever since I married into this household, proof that whoever was behind this was meticulous enough to evade suspicion all this time. My gaze swept over each face—nervous twitches, guilty glances, fingers pointing in desperation. Then I looked at Father-in-law, his expression twisted with rage. Clenching my jaw, I released Ethan’s hand and stood. "Actually... I’ve seen who’s been drugging him." The room fell dead silent. Every eye locked onto me. Mother-in-law lunged forward, gripping my sleeve. "Who? Who’s the heartless monster doing this?" I glanced at Father-in-law. He was watching me too. "I caught her twice, slipping something into Ethan’s soup. At first, I thought it was just seasoning, so I didn’t think much of it." I kept my voice steady, my eyes deliberately scanning each face. Then I saw it—one person’s fingers tightening abruptly, clutching at their trousers. "I know you meant no harm. Right?" I deliberately lowered my gaze to my husband. " Clindamycin treats pneumonia, enteritis, and sepsis. Ethan’s been on antibiotics recently. Someone misled you—made you believe adding more would speed up his recovery. But you never realized... the chemical reactions and overdose would only make him worse."