Chapter 52
Nathan was shaking with rage at Clair’s words, his face turning from a steely gray to a deep, livid red.X
“Shut up!” he bellowed!
“Did I hit a nerve, Mr. Linwood? Claire shot back. “Five years ago, Vanessa pushed Irene down the stairs and framed me for it. Now, she’s staged her own fall just to blame me again. You know how malicious she is, yet you still accuse me. You’re not blind; you’re just choosing to look the other way.”
“Sometimes I wonder if I’m really your daughter or your enemy. You’d betray your own blood for an adopted child,”
“Unless Vanessa is your child with some mistress? Is that why she means so much to you?”
Nathan flared up as if a hidden secret had been exposed, his anger boiling over.
“You ungrateful girl! If I don’t teach you a lesson today. I’m not your father.”
In his fury, Nathan unbuckled his belt, raising it high before bringing it down on Claire with a forceful swing X
The belt sliced through the air with a menacing hiss, leaving a vivid welt on Claire’s arm. The pain was sharp, like a knife slicing through her skin, penetrating down to her bones.
Claire couldn’t suppress a pained grunt as her body instinctively curled up, trying to shield herself from the relentless blows raining down on her!
But Nathan, blinded by rage, struck with unrestrained force, each lash landing heavily on her back, shoulders, and legs 3
Adah watched from the side, her eyes flickering with a mix of pity and sorrow.
Her hand involuntarily rose, as if to stop Nathan. But when her gaze fell on Vanessa’s pitiful figure in her arms, the fleeting empathy was crushed by cold rationality, her lips pressed into a thin line as she stayed rooted to the spot.
May, frantic with worry, pleaded, “Sir, please stop! Miss Claire is already injured. If you keep going, you’ll seriously harm her!“?
At that moment, Nathan was like a wild beast, his strikes not only unrelenting but growing even more brutal.
The belt whipped through the air with a terrifying sound, mercilessly striking Claire’s already battered frame.
Bloodstains cnsscrossed her skin, new wounds layering over old ones, blood slowly seeping through, staining her thin clothes.
Her face turned ashen, lips drained of color her body trembling uncontrollably from the pain, struggling to evade, but her broken leg made escape impossible.
She wanted to fight back, but against Nathan’s towering male strength, she was utterly powerless.
Forcing herself to endure the agony, Claire finally succumbed, tears of helplessness spilling down her cheeks.
Seeing her cry, May’s eyes welled with compassion.X
She didn’t believe Claire had pushed Vanessa. It was Vanessa, with her deceitful nature, who was more likely to have framed Claire.!!
May clenched her teeth, throwing caution aside as she rushed forward, using her own body to shield Claire.
The belt cracked across May’s back with a resounding smack, but she held Claire tightly, murmuring. “Don’t be afraid, Miss_”
Claire’s eyes widened in shock, crying out, “May-”
May gave her a weak smile, Tm okay, Miss Claire, don’t cry”
How could she not cry?
May was just a housekeeper. She could have turned a blind eye and stayed out of it.X
But May chose to protect her, taking blows from Nathan, which hurt Claire more than any lash on her own skin.
Nathan, infuriated by May’s intervention, glared ferociously, shouting. “Get out of the way! No one will stop me from disciplining this ungrateful girl!”
Claire’s gaze snapped to Nathan, her eyes icy and filled
