Kneeling for a Second Chance Novel

---- Chapter 453 By noon that same day, news of the fire and kidnapping had already reached Nicholas and Martha. Martha took Valeria's hands, looking at her over and over again before pulling her into a tight hug. "You nearly scared me to death." After letting go of Valeria, she grabbed Sebastian's hand. " Were you planning to keep something this serious from us until it hit the news?" Sebastian slipped back into his usual laid-back drawl. "We just didn't want you guys to worry about us." Nicholas set down his cup with a heavy thud. "I never thought Wendy and Gabriella could stoop this low.

They've completely lost their minds." Brody stepped forward, reporting , The hospital just called about Ms. Grant-" Martha cut him off coldly. "She's no longer part of the family. "She's in the ICU with burns all over," he continued, reporting , "There's a real risk of full-body infection soon." Nicholas frowned. "She brought this on herself." The Grant family refused to pay for her treatment. Her accounts were frozen, and the money she siphoned from ---- ZeromMuses had already been recovered. Two female officers guarded her ward around the clock.

After all, she had been the mastermind behind the abduction. Wendy didn't deny what she had done, signing the statement without hesitation. Now, she sat ina detention cell, waiting for trial. She had turned down a defense lawyer. When she met Alexander in the visitation room, she gave a bitter smile and asked, "What's the point of having a lawyer? A mother tried to kill her own daughter. What defense could I possibly have?" Alexander looked at her in silence before sliding a DNA report across the table, the test showing his and Valeria's names.

Wendy opened the report , glanced at it, and let out a broken laugh through her tears. She had dreamed of this for years, longing to have a child with the man she loved. And yet, she had nearly killed that very child with her own hands. It was just a piece of paper, but it weighed on her like a burden. "T'm scheduled for surgery next week. Sebastian found a donor match for me. The same day you and Gabriella abducted Valeria, he went to Rolster City to speak with the donor's family," Alexander informed.

"The doctors said if my condition stabilizes after a week, they'll operate next week." Wendy knew she had been wrong, but it was far too late. ---- She had asked to see Valeria, but the only reply that came back was that Valeria didn't want to see her and that she would never acknowledge Wendy. Alexander closed his eyes with a sigh. "She's been distant with me, too. She probably doesn't want to see you either. You'll have to accept that." "T understand, really. I... " Wendy broke down in tears. "I was wrong." "There's something else I need to tell you," he mentioned.

She thought he was about to ask for a divorce, so she nodded silently. She no longer deserved to be Valeria's mother, a part of the Grant family, or even his wife. "T want to leave the Grant family. I'll tell my parents, make it official, and I'll step away from the name and everything tied to it. That way, we're no longer bound as the eldest son and daughter-in-law, and the gossip won't touch Valeria anymore." "Alright." Wendy nodded. "Are you not going to divorce me, though? Especially after everything I've done?" "Marriage means sharing the weight. You're my wife.

Your mistakes are mine too," Alexander answered. Whether Valeria chose to see him as her father or not, he would accept it. Just observing her from afar and knowing that she and Selena were safe was enough. He had never been much ofa father ---- anyway. That same day, Alexander went back to the Grant residence. He stopped first at the prayer room, bowing his head in quiet prayer for along while. Then, he made his way to Nicholas! study, where Martha and Nicholas were waiting for him. Alexander lowered his head and said, "In my heart, I'll always be your son.

I'll still come by to see you." Martha's eyes reddened as she stood and helped him up. "You will always be my son." Nicholas came forward and patted Alexander's shoulder. Maybe this was really the best forward.