My Husband Wants Me Dead novel (Esther and Bradley)

“Hello, is Liliane doing okay?” Leah asked.
Mandy couldn’t hold back her tears any longer. Leah, compared to Liora, embodied the ideal mother. Mandy struggled to restrain
herself from uttering a simple “Mom”.
“She passed.”
Leah’s eyes widened in shock, and she stared at Mandy as if unable to grasp the reality. She whispered, “Impossible!”
Her Liliane must still be alive.
“Ms. Walpole, given the circumstances back then, if Liliane didn’t die, she might have ended up in prison. You know her
situation...”
Leah pleaded through the glass wall, “Good girl, tell me about my Liliane...”
“Ms. Walpole, calm down and listen to me!”
Taking a deep breath, Leah forced herself to calm down. “Go on.”
“I brought you some shredded squid. Isn’t that your favorite?”
When Leah heard this, she scrutinized Mandy.
Leah didn’t eat shredded squid.
When Liliane was still young, they had devised a code that only belonged to them—a signal for Liliane’s safety was the mention
of “dried squid”. If it were “shredded squid,” it would mean Liliane was in danger.
Now, a young woman completely dissimilar to Liliane mentioned “shredded squid”. Was it a coincidence, or had Liliane told her
about their exclusive code? If so, why would she say such a thing? Did she need Leah’s help?
“Ms. Walpole, take care of yourself. I’ll come to see you another day.”
Mandy knew that Leah wouldn’t understand everything immediately, especially with surveillance and other people around. She
couldn’t risk revealing her true identity either. What if there were people from X among them?
“Alright,” Leah mechanically replied. “Be careful.”

Watching Mandy leave, Leah saw a back that resembled Liliane...
After a few steps, Mandy playfully turned around and made a gesture. In an instant, a ludicrous thought popped into Leah’s
mind.
Could this girl named Mandy be her daughter? No, she was Mandy! How could she be Liliane? Did Liliane tell her about the
exclusive code between them?
–
Mandy sat in the car after meeting Leah and hadn’t yet calmed her emotions when she received a call from X.
“Mandy, how does it feel to meet your biological mother?” X asked.
X’s voice was as emotionless as always, yet the words sent a chill through Mandy’s veins. She glanced at the rearview mirror,
feeling like countless eyes were constantly watching her.
Just as she came out from visiting Leah, she received a call from X. This indicated that X had been tracking her all along, yet she
hadn’t noticed a thing.
“Am I not allowed to see my mom?” she asked.