Chapter 447

Summer fell silent.

She would rather die than marry this man.

While she was hesitating, Lacey asked urgently, “Summer, w-what did you just say? Y-You’re not with Zeke?”

Summer was dumbfounded. “Ms. Hinton, you don’t know about this? You said you’ve forgiven me earlier. I thought you knew that I’ve forced Mr. Williams to pretend to be my boyfriend. I thought you meant you forgive me for my rude actions.”

Lacey took a deep breath. “So that’s what you’ve wanted to tell me earlier?”

“That’s right. I’m sorry, Ms. Hinton. My mother was pressuring me to marry Humpty. That’s why I had to ask Mr. Williams to pretend to be my boyfriend to get rid of him. I didn’t know that it’s been a torment for you. I’m to blame for this.”

Unable to hold it back anymore, tears streamed down Lacey’s cheeks.

She was simultaneously happy and guilty.

She was glad that Zeke had not betrayed her.

He was still the same Zeke Williams as before—the one who loved her deeply and was willing to sacrifice his life to protect her.

On the other hand, she felt guilty for her misunderstanding of him. In fact, she even chased him away from her side.

Now, the regret was killing her from inside.

With a blurry vision, she looked at Hannah. “Mom, Zeke didn’t betray me. He still loves me.”

Hannah had a look of relief on her face. “I know Zeke is not an unreliable man.”

Lacey sobbed, “B-But I lost him. Zeke, I know I’m wrong now. Please come back! I misunderstood you.

I won’t be that stubborn anymore.”

Hadley stepped forward and patted Lacey’s shoulder with a smile. “Girl, stop crying. Zeke won’t come back, ever. I’ve set a trap around the borders of Oakheart City. The moment he steps into the city, he’ll be arrested. Personally, I think you should stay by my side instead. I’ll treat you much better than Zeke does.”

Lacey paled. “W-What? You placed the thousands of men at the borders of Oakheart City?”

Hadley nodded. “Of course. Who else but me has the power to do so in Rivermouth?”

Lacey nearly broke down upon hearing her words. “Please. Please spare Zeke. Everything’s my fault.

I’m willing to bear all the consequences if you can spare him.”

With an evil grin on her face, Hadley replied, “Sure. That is, of course, if you marry me.”

Lacey froze.

She would rather die than marry a woman.

Right then, Emily’s and Adam’s families came forward.

Emily mocked, “I told you that you were going to jail, but you refused to listen. Do you believe me now?

All you can do is to watch helplessly as your family dies and Sharon lives in the streets.”

Adam sighed, “Emily, please give them another chance on my account. After all, they’re my son and granddaughter. If I do nothing about their situation, people will talk bad about me behind my back.”

Emily gave his words a thought and said, “Sure. I’ll give you your last chance. Transfer your family assets to me, and I’ll make sure all of you survive. Of course, I’ll take care of Sharon until she’s an adult.”

As she spoke, she took out a contract.

Lacey looked at the armed police, then at Hadley. Finally, she gritted her teeth as she raised her hand.

Dawn panicked, and she swiftly stopped Lacey. “Lacey, you can’t sign this. This is Zeke and your hard work. How can you just give it away? Trust me, Zeke will come back to you. He’ll be back by your side soon.”