Chapter 16
She clutched her injured leg tightly with both hands, curling up into a ball. Her face was as pale as a sheet, and beads of cold sweat continuously trickled down her forehead. Tears streamed down her cleaks like a river bursting its banks, and all she could manage were whimpers of pain, too agonized to form a single word.
Seeing her in such torment, a dull ache spread through Ethor’s heart. In a panic, he blurted out, “I only gave you a gentle kick. Stop pretending to be hurt.“i
Yet, there was no unmistakable tremor and quili
May, utterly shocked, quickly knelt beside her. “Miss Claire, Miss Claire, what’s happening?”
The searing pain in her leg dragged Claire back to three years ago, to her second year in prison. She couldn’t recall why she was beaten, but she vividly remembered the brutal scene of homy wooden batons swinging down on her shin, the attackers‘ faces twisted with
vicious intent.
She had cried and begged for mercy, but they mercilessly continued until they broke six batons, as thick as an arm, before finally shattering her leg and stopping. The lender of the group had grabbed her by the hair, waming her, “Don’t even think about complaining to the guards. You crossed someone you shouldn’t have, and we were specifically told to look after you.“X
Claire’s eyes grew unfocused, and her body shook violently. She kept muttering, “I’m sorry, please forgive me; I’m sorry, please forgive
Her voice was filled with terror and despair, like a wounded animal crying out in helplessness. May’s face was wet with tears as she desperately asked, “Miss Claire, what’s wrong with you?”
“It hurts, it hurts so much.”
That brief sentence pierced Ethan’s heart like a dagger, “I didn’t kick Inard; why does it hurt?” Ignoring Ethan, May gently rolled up Claire’s pant leg. The sight that met her eyes was horrifying.
Claire’s shin was severely deformed, the once–etmight bone now twisted at a grotesque angle. Her skin was a tapestry of crisscrossing scar, some still red and swollen, others healed into ugly marks. The constant pain had atrophied the muscles, leaving her leg thin and fragile, resembling a brittle twig compared to a normal leg.
Ethan’s gaze was fixed on Claire’s gruesorne leg. He stood frozen, as if under a spell, his mind reeling from a heavy blow, plunging him into dizziness.⠀
“How did it come to the? She was fine when she went to prison, and now, just five years later…” he murmured to himself, suddenly struck speechless.l
That was a prison, a place for criminals. How could an eighteen–year–old Claire have had an easy time there?%
His heart broke into places, his eyes quickly reddening. I to gritted his teath, suppressing his inner torment, and with a sudden burst of energy, he scooped Claire up in his arms and dashed towards the villa
eps were hurried and chaotic, but orice Inside the living room, he realized he didn’t even know which room was Claire’s.!!
All these years, he had flown such little care for his sistor
Ethan closed his eyes briefly. “May, where is Claire’s room?”
“This way, no” May quickly led the way.!!
Ethan followed closely behind, is frown deepening with each step.
He never knew there was such a secluded part of the house.
When May opened the door to the storage room, Ethan was confronted with a cramped, dark, damp space piled with clutter, lacking even
a window.B
His eyes widened in shock, his voice incredulous, “Claire, lives here?”
