Sydney led the two police officers into the surveillance room. Marcus was already waiting.
Once they finished watching the footage, the officers‘ expressions changed.
“Mrs. Hampton, please wait a moment,” the female officer said.
“Alright,” Sydney replied calmly.
The male officer stepped outside to make a phone call. He returned a few minutes later, met Sydney’s eyes, and said, “Mrs. Hampton, the case has been dropped. We won’t need to copy the surveillance footage after
all.”
There was no doubt whose orders they were following.
Marcus hadn’t expected Caleb to sink this low. Their mentor had been right all along. Caleb, inside and out, had never been worthy of Sydney.
Sydney didn’t seem surprised. “Got it. By the way, can I sue Penelope for defamation?”
The male officer looked uneasy but offered a warning. “That might be hard to prosecute.”
Whatever the reason, Sydney didn’t care to ask. She smiled faintly. “Alright. Thank you for coming all this way.”
After Marcus walked the officers out, Sydney lingered in the surveillance room, composing herself before heading back to her office to change. She still needed to get to Sterling Corp.
What she didn’t realize was that word had already spread through the clinic. Everyone knew now that Penelope was the mistress.
A crowd had gathered outside Sydney’s consultation room.
At the front stood the nurse she’d reassigned that morning. The nurse looked deeply ashamed. When she saw Sydney, she mustered her courage. “Dr. Wilson, I’m sorry. I really didn’t know Penelope had been lying to us, making us believe you were the ”
Her voice cracked. Anger overtook her face, and the rest of the staff looked just as furious.
Penelope happened to walk by at that moment, her face sullen.
Someone muttered with biting sarcasm, “These days, if your skin’s thick enough, even a mistress can strut around like she’s the legal wife.”
“Dr. Wilson, we really misunderstood you.”
Sydney finally understood what had happened. The police visit hadn’t just cleared her name but had also exposed Penelope.
Jasmine, one of the few staff who had never believed the rumors, stepped forward. “Next time, don’t let yourselves be used like pawns. Dr. Wilson’s already done more than enough to look out for us.”
Sydney smiled and patted her shoulder. “It’s two o’clock Let’s all get back to work.”
She returned to her office, changed out of her white coat grabbed her bag, and headed for the parking lot.
1/2
Chapter 95
+15 BONUS
Sydney was just about to get in her car when Penelope stormed over, seething. “Sydney, are you satisfied now?”
Sydney raised an eyebrow. “Satisfied with what?”
She wouldn’t be satisfied until the divorce papers were in her hands.
Her calm demeanor only enraged Penelope further. “How can you always act like you don’t care about anything? Everything that’s happened, wasn’t it all your plan?”
Sydney frowned. “Am I the one scheming? Or is it you?”
The words hit Penelope like a slap. She inhaled sharply, her voice trembling with rage. “Don’t think you’ve won. No matter what, Caleb will always take my side. You may be Mrs. Hampton, but so what?”
She had clearly made peace with that. Her expression was smug.
“Oh. Then congratulations,” Sydney said, still cool. “You’re officially the most publicly recognized homewrecker in town.”
She had no interest in arguing further. She shut the car door with finality.
To be fair, Penelope wasn’t wrong. Even knowing Penelope had hurt his own son, Caleb still chose to clean up after her. The man was hopeless.
By the time Sydney reached the lab, Charlotte had already arrived–arms full of snacks for everyone.
