Chapter 523
When Hayley saw Zara in the holding cell, her emotions had already settled.
Zara sat behind the glass partition, picked up the receiver, and gestured for Hayley to do the same.
Hayley looked at Zara’s haggard appearance and let out a deep breath before picking up the phone.
“Zara, are you getting used to being in here?” Hayley asked.
Zara pursed her lips and nodded carefully.
Yeah. I’m getting used to it,” she replied.
Seeing Zara’s cautious demeanor, Hayley felt a heavy weight in her chest.
Tears immediately streamed down her face.
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“I asked you to come abroad with me, but you just had to stay here. Now things have turned out like this, and there’s nothing I can do to save you,” Hayley said.
Zara bit her lip. “Daron still won’t forgive me?”
All this time locked up, Zara was completely in the dark about what was happening outside.
Hayley had already dragged Marina into the mess, even going so far as to announce to everyone that Marina was Daron’s wife.
She and Daron were already standing on opposite sides.
Daron would never forgive Hayley, and of course, he wouldn’t forgive Zara either.
Zara drew in a shaky breath and shut her eyes for a moment.
‘Even after Hayley came back, Daron still wouldn’t budge,’ Zara thought.
She bit her lip, her spirits sank, and she refused to say another word.
This isn’t at all how I pictured things going, Zara thought.
Zara could still remember how Daron had looked after her when she first returned from abroad.
Just a few months ago, things were so different between us. How did it all fall apart?’ Zara thought. “This is all Marina’s fault. If it weren’t for Marina, Daron and I wouldn’t be in this situation now.”
Sering Zara fall silent, Hayley spoke gently to reassure her.
“Zara. I’ve already talked to the lawyer. The maximum sentence is ten years. When you get out, we’ll go abroad together. We won’t rely on anyone just do your best to behave and reform while you’re in there.”
Zara listened to Hayley, her eyes widening in surprise. She never thought Hayley would just throw in the towel like that
She drew in a shaky breath, looking at Hayley, barely able to believe it.
Even if Daron won’t help, shouldn’t Hayley be trying something else? Zara thought.
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Chapter 523
Hayley avoided Zara’s pleading gaze and spoke in a low voice.
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*Zara, you know how powerful the Zamora and Blanchard families are. Bette has been pressuring me every step of the way lately. I’m out of options,” Hayley said. “I’m sorry, sweetheart.”
Zara pressed her lips together as tears streamed down her face.
“I’ve long wanted to give up. You kept pushing me to keep going. And now, when everything’s gone wrong, you just turn your back on me. How can a mother be so heartless and selfish?” Zara said.
Zara was falling apart, her emotions spiraling as she started blaming Hayley.
Hayley’s expression froze, and she stayed completely silent.
Only after Zara calmed down did Hayley finally lift her head, speaking softly to comfort Zara.
“Zara, I’ll be waiting for you when you get out,” Hayley said softly.
“When the time comes, I’ll bring you overseas with me. We still have plenty of money, right? That’s more than enough for us to live on,” Hayley reassured her.
Zara didn’t respond.
Hayley hesitated for a moment, then finally spoke up softly.
“Zara, before I left the country, I entrusted you with that money. Where did you keep it?” Hayley asked.
“I’ve already bought a house overseas, but now…” Hayley trailed off.
Zara looked up at Hayley, disappointment flooding her eyes as the truth hit her.
“You didn’t come back to save me at all, did you? You just showed up because I still have the money, right?” Zara said.
Hayley shook her head. “Of course not. I really wanted to save you. I did everything I could.
‘Now Marina can’t even show her face in our circle. Everyone knows about all the shady things she did before she got together with Daron.
‘Because of her, Daron sent Leo to prison, and now, because of her, he’s sent you to prison too. Marina’s not exactly innocent either. She had her ex-boyfriend thrown in prison and bankrupted him.
“These days, nobody in our social circle wants anything to do with them. After all, they’re way too cutthroat.”
In Hayley’s eyes, Daron and Marina weren’t going to have it easy. Given time, their relationship was sure to hit the rocks.
Zara stared at Hayley in silence,
There was a humble, almost ingratiating look in Hayley’s eyes.
“Zara, I need that money now to secure our future,” Hayley said.
Zara looked into Hayley’s eyes, silent for a long moment before finally speaking softly. “That money is gone.”
She’d already handed the money over to Daron. Her pride made her do it. She gave it back just to try to make herself look better in his eyes.
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Chapter 523
But even after giving the money away, nothing changed between her and Daron.
Now, Zara was kicking herself for ever giving that money away.
She took a deep breath, her face falling.
Hayley’s grip on the receiver tightened, her face showing disbelief.
“How could it be gone? Didn’t I hand it over to you before I left the country?” Hayley said.
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Zara bit her lip, looked up at Hayley, and said in a serious tone, “At that time, I thought there was still a chance to patch things up between Daron and me, so I gave the money back.”
Hayley took a deep breath, her face stiffening.
You handed over all the money?” Hayley said in disbelief. “But now Bette is suing me, demanding that I pay her back.”
Zara’s face went rigid as she remembered Bette’s words from her last visit.
She clenched her jaw, giving Hayley an annoyed look.
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Why did you have to mess with Bette?” Zara demanded. “Daron’s not backing you anymore. You’re just making things worse for yourself.”
Hayley’s face fell.
Bette had been on the losing end with her more than once over the years. No way someone as petty as Bette would pass up a chance like this to get even.
Hayley felt completely powerless.
Zara pressed her fingers to her brow, falling quiet.
When she caught the look on Hayley’s face, Zara finally understood just how badly Hayley had screwed things up.
Seeing Zara stay silent, Hayley pressed her again.
‘Zara, who did you give that money to?” Hayley asked.
Hayley still had a bit of cash on hand. She could afford to let that priority.
60, but right now, dealing with Bette’s lawsuit was her top
If Bette refused to let up, Hayley might not even be able to leave the country this time.
Hayley knew all too well just how scheming Bette could be.
Now that Bette finally had the upper hand, she was definitely going to try to get back at Hayley for everything she’d suffered
before.
No matter what, Hayley had to find a way to dodge the lawsuit and leave the country.
Zara bit her lip, her gaze uncertain at first as she looked up at Hayley, but then she spoke firmly.
“I gave the money to Marina,” Zara said. “I thought maybe giving her the money would help us build some trust, but I never expected things to turn out this way.”
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Hayley’s expression shifted sharply, and she blurted out, “When you gave her the money, did anyone see it?”
Zara shook her head.
“No one saw it,” Zara said.
Hayley took a deep breath, feeling like she could barely breathe.
She thought, ‘Of course Marina will never admit that she took the money. After all, that’s a lot of cash.
