The Abandoned and Terminally Ill Lady Married a Monster - Chapter 120

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Illina sighed and shook her head, her fist trembling. What on earth had that thing Ailee said to make them react this way? Illina lacked even the energy to shout, clenching her fist tightly.

Lane smiled, an easy, fluid expression, and sat beside Illina. His hand stroked her shoulder with practiced gentleness.

“I knew they wouldn’t contact us. But Sister didn’t seem to know. About our family’s mine being taken, or the guild’s supplies being cut off.”

At Lane’s words, Illina’s shoulders jolted. The hand at her forehead dropped, seizing Lane’s arms.

“You met with Ailee?”

“I knew you wouldn’t be able to sleep, Mother, so I pulled some strings. I just came back from seeing her.”

Hope flickered in Illina’s eyes. Lane found it so ridiculous he had to struggle not to sneer. Illina gripped his arm fiercely, as if he were Ailee herself, who had run off to the Grand Duke’s household. Lane wanted to shove her hand away, but he restrained himself.

“They wouldn’t let us meet her, no matter what we tried. So, what did she say? That thing!”

Illina could not contain her agitation.

Lane winced, complaining softly that she was hurting him. Illina took a shallow breath, trying to master her racing heart. She released his arm and placed her hands on the table.

“Well, hurry up and tell me. Did she say there was something else she wanted from us?”

Lane paused, dragging out the moment for dramatic effect. His mother always tried to treat him and Lizzy equally. To make her move according to his will, he needed to pull her strings a little. Otherwise, she would run straight to Lizzy and tell her everything. And it was better for Lizzy to remain in her current state for a while. If Lizzy learned the truth, she would undoubtedly try to find Ailee herself. That wouldn’t do. Their mother needed to understand exactly who deserved the credit for this.

Illina’s hand twitched, already impatient to grab his arm again. Lane’s gaze fell on her trembling little finger. Tsk, tsk, he clicked his tongue internally. So impatient. He took her hand in his.

“More importantly, Mother. It seems what Sister said… wasn’t a lie.”

“Why are you stopping halfway to say something strange? What did Ailee say? Hmm?”

Patience was visibly etched in Lane’s eyes. It was not a pleasant expression. Only his mouth maintained its soft curve as he continued.

“Just listen. Do you remember how Sister used to say she might have an ability?”

Illina saw the faint anger flickering in her son’s eyes and stopped pressing him. It was a gaze that warned her, his own mother, not to cross the line. She decided to retreat.

“…She did.”

Only then did the madness in Lane’s eyes recede. His expression softened, and he gave a faint smile.

“Yes. She has one. I just came from confirming it with my own eyes—no, with my own body.”

“What… do you mean?”

Illina’s pupils trembled.

That was impossible. The girl couldn’t have been lying all this time. She had clearly said nothing happened when she took the medicine. An ability, now? Impossible. Besides, she didn’t even have the ability-control organ one was supposed to be born with!

“Does it hurt? Is it just pain? Nothing else?”

“Do you feel anything… leaking? Anything at all?”

But the child, pale and wan, had only clutched her stomach, seeming to understand nothing. It was the same afterward. Just in case, Illina had observed her carefully and even run another ability test, but there had been no reaction. Of course there wasn’t. The child completely lacked the organ that any normal person should have been born with.

Illina was completely rattled. Lane could feel the tremor that ran through her hand. He let it go, spreading his arms theatrically, inviting her to look at him.

“Haven’t I seemed better than usual since I walked in? I’m not even having an episode.”

Illina’s frantic gaze swept over him.

No. Don’t tell me… she stabilized his rampage? That was impossible. Impossible. She had never heard of such an ability. Wasn’t that the kind of power that only existed in fairy tales?

Lane raised an eyebrow, inviting her to deduce the rest. Illina, staring at him as if mesmerized, slowly parted her lips.

“Don’t tell me…”

“Yes. Sister is quite capable. She calmed the signs of my rampage.”

Illina clapped a hand over her mouth. Impossible.

Lane, sensing victory, narrowed his eyes, slowly closing the net.

“Mother, we have to get Sister divorced. It’s either that, or you let both me and Lizzy die.”

Lane’s words piled fresh chaos onto Illina’s confusion. How could they possibly arrange a divorce? Especially from an opponent who was in the process of crushing their family for his wife.

“We can’t even contact them! How are we supposed to arrange a divorce? More importantly, how did you know? How did you… even think to go to her? No, where did you meet her? Are you certain about this?”

Lane hummed, delaying his answer to his mother’s jumbled questions.

How did I know? Well. Explaining that would require bringing up all sorts of tedious details, and the conversation would drag. That wasn’t important right now. There was no need to change the subject when he was so close to his goal. Such explanations could come later. The important thing now was to make his mother move.

“Those other questions don’t seem important right now. What I say is always certain. When have I ever been wrong? Besides, my life is on the line here.”

At Lane’s firm tone, Illina’s sharp demeanor softened.

“All you need to do right now, Mother, is get her divorced. I’ll find another way to contact her. So, you just need to lure her in with sweet words. Ailee has always been weak to affection. Use that. I’m sorry. I’ll do better from now on. I love you, my daughter. Wouldn’t she cave if you just said one of those things?”