The Wife You Buried Is Back from Hell novel Chapter 167

Vivian paused for a moment, surprised to see Danielle approaching. "What are you—"

"If I hadn't come, were you planning to keep this from me forever?"

"You already have more than enough to deal with." Vivian took a slow, steadying breath. "As your mother, the last thing I want is to burden you. Besides, I can handle this myself."

"Hand me your phone," Danielle said, her eyes rimmed with red. "I'll reply to their messages for you."

"Focus on getting better, Mom. Let me deal with everything else."

"Why did you have to drink yourself into this state?"

Vivian's eyes stung with tears. She sniffed, turning her face to the window.

"Your uncle's been ill, and since he's the pillar of the company, I had to step up. His treatment costs money. And now with your divorce, you need money too. Raising Niki isn't cheap either. If I collapse now, what will you do?" Her voice broke as she covered her face and sobbed. "I'm your mother. Of course I want you to have a good life. I never wanted to be a burden."

"If this latest project fails, the company will owe millions. I really don't want to drag you down with me."

Danielle listened, her heart knotted tight with guilt and worry.

In her previous life, when the family business was struggling, they never told her. They just bore it all in silence, enduring until her uncle's health completely failed.

She hadn't known any of it.

If she hadn't run into her mother at the hospital, she might still be in the dark about her uncle's cancer.

Now, every breath felt heavy, pressing on her chest.

Back then, she'd devoted herself entirely to the Davidson family, body and soul, and overlooked so much happening right beside her.

She'd always assumed her own family was doing just fine.

"Mom…"

Danielle drew a deep breath. "We're family. We'll get through this together. I'll take care of it."

But words felt so empty—she knew she'd have to prove it with actions.

"That's why we're throwing a little celebration at lunch today. If I hadn't called to invite you, I wouldn't have even known you were here."

"Alex didn't want you stressing about him, either," Millie said with a smile. "Come on, let's head upstairs."

Danielle listened from a distance, her grip tightening around the plastic bags in her hand.

So this was it. All the company's business deals had been snatched away, and Alexander knew—and took part in—every bit of it.

How cruel. Was erasing her from his life not enough?

She steadied herself with a shaky breath and turned toward the stairwell.

"Hey, Miss Crawford?"

Millie spotted her and hurried over.

Seeing the bags in Danielle's hands, Millie gave her a polite smile. "Are you here to visit Alex? Really, you don't have to. I'm here to take care of him."