Return of the Crowned Heiress novel Chapter 513

To be honest, Felicia regretted it the moment she said those words.

She didn't know what happened in Maurice's past to make him the way he was. She didn't know what kind of harm his father, stepmother, or siblings had inflicted on him. As an outsider, she had no right to judge him.

What drove her to lash out like that was her anger over Carmen's death. Whether directly or indirectly, her death was tied to Maurice. Felicia had let her emotions take the wheel, and the words came slipping out.

But words were like spilled milk—there was no taking back.

Maurice's expression darkened in an instant. His brown eyes glimmered with an unnatural light, the red mole by his eye standing out like a drop of blood on snow. His handsome face was stone-cold as he gave off an air of hostility around him.

At the same time, all of his men turned their furious glares on Felicia. Even the four who had once been assigned to protect her looked ready to draw blood.

The air around them went still, making the atmosphere feel all the more oppressive.

Felicia didn't move, but internally, she sighed. For a fleeting moment, she had seen something in Maurice's eyes—an ache that mirrored her own.

Yet no matter how brief it was and how well he had kept it hidden, in that brief instance, Felicia realized they shared a similar kind of pain.

She opened her mouth to say something, but before she could, Maurice burst into laughter. It was loud, unrestrained, and jarring like he was trying to drown out the echoes of his own bitterness.

Despite the laugh sounding wild and unrestrained, to Felicia's ears, it carried an undertone of emptiness. It was as if he was mocking not just her but himself too.

She felt a headache coming on. She wasn't the type to be confrontational. If anyone knew how much words could wound, it was her. Sometimes, a few careless sentences cut deeper than any knife.

She wanted to make things right but didn't know how.

While she was still mulling it over, Maurice seemed to have returned to his usual self. The mask was back in place, smooth and unshakeable, leaving no trace of the vulnerability she glimpsed earlier.