Chapter 13
Her steely gaze swept over each member of the family, one by one X
Nathan, Adah, and Vanessa all avoided her eyes, unable to meet her penetrating store.
Even an annoyed Ethan faltered, willing under her sharp, knife–like gaze
“Not talking? Then let me do the talking for you, Claire asserted
way here. Yet,
“When Mr. Ethan received the dress, it was perfectly intact. Surveillance footage can prove I never touched the dress on my w when the dress reached Vanessa, it was damaged. It’s pretty obvious who ruined it.”
“So, you don’t dare to check the surveillance foptage because once it’s seen, you can’t just blame me or make me take the fall for someone else, right?“%
Taking the fall for someone else.X
Those words were like daggers, stabbing into Nathan and Adah’s hearts, dredging up memories of that incident five years ago.!!
Adah was already in tears. “Claire, it’s not like that. Let me explain. You and Vanessa are both my daughters. I love you both equally. How could I ever choose between you?“X
if she had been the Claire from five years ago, desperate for a mother’s love, she might have melted at her mother’s tearful plea.
But after enduring five years of hardship, those words only filled her with disgust.
“Say whatever you want; it doesn’t matter anymore.”
With that, she turned away from the Linwood family, not wanting to spare them another glance, and walked away.”
As Claire reached the corner, she unexpectedly encountered Vincent.
He stood there quietly, having clearly witnessed everything that had just transpired.
Claire’s heart tightened, but she kept walking, pretending not to see him, determined to leave this suffocating place behind.!!
Each step felt like it was crushing her already aching heart. She wanted no connection with him and just longed to escape.X
As she was about to pass him by, Vincent’s familiar yet distant voice gently cut through the air firm yet soft: “Claire, I know it wasn’t you.” His words didn’t comfort her; instead, they filled her with a bitter sense of irony.
The word “trust” coming from him was almost laughable.
She paused for a brief moment, then quickened her pace.
Her unsteady gait made her seem as if she were fleeing, her limping figure a picture of utter disarray.
Vincent felt his heart pierced by countless sharp needles, the pain spreading so deeply that he could hardly breathe
He wanted to call out to her, but something seemed to choke him, preventing any sound from escaping his throat.
Claire dragged herself back to the storage room.
She sank onto the old, rickety folding bed, feeling as if all strength had been drained from her body, exhaustion crashing over her like a tidal wave.E
Her eyes were vacant, and her heart was a bottomless pit of disappointment with this family, devouring the last remnants of her attachment
The three years she had spent here felt like walking on the edge of a knife, every moment marked by neglect, injustice, and pain, a nightmare she never wished to relive.
Taking a deep breath, she forced herself to gather her things.
Looking around, the sparse room offered little that was here, just the clothes she’d changed out of. She stuffed them into a plastic bag with little care.
It was time for her to leave.
Chapter 14
