Chapter 41
Vincent noticed the wound on her forehead, his eyes filled with concern. “You’re hurt,” he said gently.
Claire simply stared at the ground, her silence speaking volumes.
“Who did this to you? Tell me, and III make sure they pay.” Vincent’s eyes narrowed, a dangerous glint flashing across them
Yet his concern sounded almost laughable to Claire.
He was the one who once promised to protect her.
But he was also the one who sent her to prison.
Five years ago, she had desperately hoped he would stand by her as her defense lawyer
Instead, he sat across from her in court, representing Vanessa, listing every piece of damning evidence against her with a cold, detached demeanor. Each word was like a dagger pinning her to the pillar of shame, robbing her of her freedom, her dignity, her education, and/ her future I
She had trusted him once, only to be betrayed in the worst way possible.”
That single betrayal had nearly cost her her life, how could she ever trust him again?
If Brian was the person she feared most, then Vincent was the one she most despised
After all, they had shared more than a decade together, a bond formed over countless years. How could he so easily sever it?!
She envied Vanessa Despite having known the Linwood family for a similar length of time, they were willing to sacrifice their own blood to protect Vanessa, sparing her from even the slightest harm.§
Seeing her icy silence. Vincent’s face twisted with pain and guilt.
“Claire, are you still blaming me?”%
“About what happened back then, I had my reasons. Please forgive me, okay? I promise I’ll never let you suffer again.”
Claire had no interest in his excuses.
What she shouldn’t have bome, she had bome entirely.
No amount of explanation could undo the damage she had endured.
Her leg would never fully heal; she was permanently deaf in her left ear; the kidney she lost would never return.
These brutal, irrefutable facts lay bare before her–how could she forgive the executioner?
Claire tried to pull her hand away, but Vincent gripped it too tightly for her to break free.!!
Claire finally lifted her eyes to meet his, her gaze as cold as ice, filled with utter loathing.
Such a look nearly took Vincent’s breath away, as if an invisible hand had seized his chest, suffocating him. In that moment, he was almost overwhelmed by the disdain and indifference in Claire’s eyes.
Her voice was cold and unyielding. “Let go.”
Vincent’s fingers instinctively tightened, his gaze locked on Claire. “Claire, let me take you to get that wound dressed, please?”
His voice was soft, almost cautious.
But to Claire, it was nothing more than hypocrisy, further fueling her disgust.
“I
d let go, don’t you understand? Claire’s contempt was unmistakable.
Vincent’s heart felt as though a thousand steel needles had pierced it, the pain spreading through his entire body. He looked at Claire’s resolute and icy face, his lips trembling as he managed to utter her name with difficulty: “Claire…“X
That single word was laden with his endless regret, as if pleading for Claire to change her mind, but it only deepened her imitation.
Claire’s patience had reached its limit: a flicker of madness appeared in her eyes.
Suddenly, she slammed her head into the wall with force.
The wound that had just begun to heal burst open again, blood gushing out and streaming down her face, painting her features in a grotesque mask.5
She looked at Vincent, her blood–streaked face devoid of pain, but full of a desperate resolve. “Will you let go now?”
