All Chapters of The Lie Behind His Devotion : Chapter 51 - Chapter 60

Nora waited for an answer, genuinely curious, but Weston gave her nothing but silence.He tucked the blanket carefully around her, turned, and opened a clear plastic bag he'd brought, pulling out a mercury thermometer and flicking it down before approaching the bed.He sat beside her, hand moving instinctively toward the edge of the blanket then stopped himself cold.A few seconds passed before color rose in his cheeks. "You'll need to take your own temperature. Wouldn't be appropriate for me to do it."Fever-fogged and slower than usual, it took Nora a beat to catch up. She took the thermometer from him quickly, and only once he'd turned discreetly away did she tuck it under her arm.Her face, already burning from the fever, somehow found a way to get hotter still.She straightened her clothes and settled back against the pillows, awkward. Meanwhile, Weston had already sorted out the correct dosage of each medication according to the instructions.He poured a glass of warm water and

Sophie reeled from the impact, mind spinning. "Nora Ashford, you said you wouldn't."Nora scoffed. "There's a difference between a beautiful fool and just a plain one. Let me clarify something for you. I said I was afraid of getting my hands dirty. That's not the same as saying I wouldn't, if pushed far enough."Sophie's face went red, veins standing out along her neck, practically vibrating with fury.That's when Vivian remembered her cue, stepping in with theatrical concern. "Nora, how could you say something so rude? Principal Reeves and Mr. Vance are right here watching. What must they think of you right now?"Classic Vivian. Using the people around her as props, then swooping in to look like the reasonable one.She turned to Principal Reeves, all practiced humility. "I apologize for the disturbance, Principal Reeves. Nora's always been like this. Please don't take it personally."Vivian had graduated from the Belmoor Academy herself, and she'd already reached out about attending

Miles hesitated, and when he finally reached the crucial part, he looked up to meet Nora's eyes. "The other sample was Walter Ashford's."Walter Ashford?The news landed like a physical blow. Nora went rigid, frozen in place.Nearly ten minutes passed in silence, her breathing growing shallower by the second.Her brow furrowed sharply, eyes gone dark and bottomless enough to freeze anything they landed on.She stared at nothing for a long stretch before finally lifting her coffee and taking a long, deliberate swallow, an obvious attempt to mask the storm building underneath."And?" she asked.Miles pressed his lips together. "The results confirm it. You and Walter are biological father and daughter."Whatever fragile hope she'd been holding onto shattered completely. Her hand shook around the cup, coffee sloshing over the rim and down her front.I should have seen this coming.Helen had been barely twenty when she'd left her hometown for Meridian City, taking a job as a maid in the As

Nora stared at Helen, eyes wide with shock, her expression frozen solid.Eleanor's voice tore through the silence. "Lies! What, you needed him to force you? You're the one who threw yourself at him, and now you want to flip the story?"Miles helped a trembling, exhausted Helen to her feet and guided her toward Eleanor.Years of suppressed resolve steadied Helen's voice as she made her case. "Everything I said is true. I never seduced Walter. He forced himself on me back then"Eleanor lunged again, hand raised, but this time Nora blocked her before it could land.She stepped fully between them, voice cold. "Mrs. Ashford. That's enough."With that settled, Nora helped Helen up, her tone softening without quite meaning to. "I'll take you to a hospital."Tears welled in Helen's eyes. She managed a small, choked "okay," and the three of them left Eleanor standing there.---At the nearest hospital, doctors confirmed the damage was largely superficial and painful, but nothing life-threateni

Nora, chin lifted, felt heat rush to her face at the sudden charge in the air and pulled back fast, working to smother the flicker of panic in her own eyes."No."Weston's smile only deepened, though he let the moment pass without pushing further. "Take me home, Miss Amanda."She didn't argue. She climbed in first, waited for him to settle into the passenger seat and buckle in, then started the engine.Whether it was the alcohol catching up with him or simple exhaustion, Weston reclined his seat and closed his eyes for the ride.Neither of them spoke a word the entire way. Only once they reached his building did he finally open his eyes again.He took in the familiar surroundings, then turned his gaze fully on her. "I'll be expecting good news from you tomorrow, Miss Amanda."Nora kept one hand on the wheel, a faint smile curving her mouth. "Thank you, Weston."He said nothing more, just opened the door and stepped out.---By the time Nora made it home, it was well past nine.The ent