All Chapters of Web of Deceit: Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

The sky was already beginning to brighten by the time Serena returned to the studio. After she changed into her pajamas, she immediately fell asleep when her head hit the pillow. She was exhausted. She didn't know how long she had been sleeping before being startled awake by a series of urgent knocks.Serena's eyes flew open as she stared at the familiar ceiling above. Her breathing was rapid and uneven. It took her a while to fully come back to her senses.She had a nightmare.There was a river of blood beneath her in the dream. It was scary and vivid. She could also vaguely hear the sound of a baby crying in the distance."Ms. Serena? Are you awake?" Hannah's voice came from outside. Serena's eyelashes trembled slightly. She then pushed herself up, lifted the covers, and stepped out of bed.A wave of dizziness hit her as she stood."Ms. Serena? Ms. Serena!" Hannah's voice grew more anxious."I'm coming," Serena called out while dragging her sluggish body to the door.Ha

On the 15th of December, Serena's mother, Elaine Johnson, was finally released.Stella had taken the day off to go with Serena.The weather report had been right. It was a beautiful, clear winter morning. The sun broke through thick clouds and spilled across the snow-covered ground, making it sparkle like diamonds.Outside the gates of Northlorn's prison, Serena stood in a light beige wool coat. Her figure looked slender against the cold wind, and her long, dark hair swayed gently down her back."Stella, what time is it?" Serena asked. Her eyes were fixed on the tall prison walls ahead, and her hands were tightly clenched together, revealing how nervous she was.Stella gently patted her shoulder. "It's just eight-thirty. Don't worry—she'll be out soon."Just as she said that, the heavy iron door let out a loud creak, and a smaller door on the side opened.Serena's eyes widened, and she immediately ran forward."Mom!"Elaine stepped out, pausing for a moment when she saw her da

Silas was quiet for a moment, as if he was processing her words, before he asked, "Why did you move out?"Serena figured that he was probably confused as to why she had moved out when he had promised to give him Southbrook Manor."I won't accept Southbrook Manor." Serena paused, then continued, "I took everything I need, so you can deal with the rest however you'd like.""Are you sure?" Silas' voice was still as cold as ever. "There's still room for revision in the agreement, so you can tell me any conditions you want.""It's fine, let's go forward with this one."Serena was too tired to spend any more effort on this marriage. Even her own mother thought that Silas and Dawn were a match made in heaven. She was truly a pitiful, ridiculous clown—an outsider in this marriage.Silas didn't respond.For a long moment, both ends of the call were silent.Then, Serena asked, "When are you free to finalize the divorce?""You seem to be in a rush."His words surprised Serena. Wasn't

With a loud bang, the door was slammed shut, and the sound of Serena vomiting came after.She only felt better once she had completely thrown up everything she ate that morning.Her reaction was alarming, the sound of her retching resounding across the door.Shawn frowned, turning to look at Silas. "Dad, what's wrong with Mom? Is she sick?"Silas' eyes darkened, and he ruffled Shawn's hair gently. "She's probably been too tired for the past few days.""Does that mean she can't come see me as much anymore?"Silas only replied, "You can ask her that."Shawn sighed, mumbling under his breath in dissatisfaction, "She was never this busy, though… She suddenly became really busy after Mom came back…"The door to the washroom opened, and Serena came out after tidying herself up.Silas and Shawn looked at her."Mom!" Shawn's face was filled with worry. "Are you alright?"Serena was already feeling much better after vomiting, just a little tired.Silas looked at her, his long, narro

At the traffic police station, they managed to find the surveillance footage: Serena hadn't started driving three seconds after the lights turned green, and Samuel crashed into her because he didn't slow down."Even though the car in front didn't slow down, the car behind didn't slow down either, causing the crash. In this situation, the car behind has full responsibility. You two can discuss whether you should go through insurance or settle this privately.""Sir, look at this! I got injured!" Samuel pointed at a small scrape on his forehead, making a big deal of it. "I'm feeling nauseous, and I'm about to throw up! I need to go to the hospital!"The traffic officer responded, "That's fine, but you have to finish the paperwork here first.""Can't do that, I'm going to throw up right this second…" Samuel made a big show of clutching his head, his expression twisting. "Get me to the hospital now, or face the consequences!"Clearly, he was trying to play dirty!Serena sat there and