Chapter 119
Claire was taken aback by the seething accusation, her tear–streaked face glaringly visible in the sunlight. She looked at the furious man before her and realized he’d misunderstood everything.
“No, Brian, let me explain,” she pleaded, her voice trembling with fear embedded deep in her bones. “It’s not what it looks like, it’s Vanessa…”
But Brian wasn’t listening. He stormed into the hospital room and roughly pulled Claire away from Irene’s side. Her frail body stumbled backward, crashing into a solid chest!
In that instant, Claire felt as if her entire skeleton might shatter. Before she could react, large hands gripped her slender shoulders, spinning her around
She found herself staring into a pair of deep eyes.
For the first fourteen years of her life, those eyes had gazed upon her with endless tenderness. Now, all she saw was disappointment and reproach.
Vincent’s brow furrowed, his gaze tumultuous with a brewing storm, “Claire, what’s happened to you? Are you still that kind, innocent girl i once knew? Give me back the person you used to be, please.”
As she faced this familiar yet distant Vincent, tears spilled uncontrollably from Claire’s eyes, filled with despair. She had never changed; it was he who had.
Yet, he never admitted to his own change of heart!!
Her shoulders shook slightly, her arms hanging helplessly at her sides as if every ounce of strength had been drained from her.? “Vincent…” Her voice was hoarse, laden with endless sorrow and grievance. But before she could finish, her emotions erupted, and she screamed at Vincent. “It’s not me-“8
But Vincent didn’t believe her. Worse, he looked at her as if she were a lunatic trying to cover up her crimes. With something akin to disgust, he released her shoulders.
In the next moment, she was met with even harsher treatment. A large hand suddenly clamped down on her head, forcing her to look at the lifeless form of Irene on the hospital bed.
Ethan’s face was twisted with anger as he loudly demanded, “We all saw it, and you dare deny it? If it wasn’t you, where did the marks on Irene’s neck come from? Claire, how could you become so cruel?“!
“Irene just regained consciousness, and you couldn’t wait to silence her, could you?” Ethan’s heart ached with every word.
How could his sister have turned into this kind of person? He had once been indignant over the mistreatment she suffered in prison. But now, it seemed he had been too naive. No amount of beating or bullying could change Claire’s malevolence.
Perhaps someone like her belonged in a place as ruthless as prison.
Every word Ethan spoke was like a sharp knife stabbing into Claire’s heart. Her body shook violently as she desperately shook her head. “It’s not me, it really isn’t! It was Vanessa who hurt Irene…
Her voice grew increasingly desperate, nearly turning into a scream by the end. Yet Brian, Vincent, and Ethan continued to gaze at her with unyielding anger
“You’re still the same as you were five years ago, never changing your ways.”
“Five years ago, you pushed Irene down the stairs and framed Vanessa, now, you’re trying to strangle Irene and blame Vanessa again. Do you think we’re fools to fall for the same trick twice?”
“Claire, people as vicious as you deserve to die.
The three of them, one after another, condemned Claire to guilt. Just like five years ago, no matter how much she explained or cried, no one believed in her innocence.
