Chapter 24
“Ethan, if you’re having stomach pains, you should call a doctor, not me.”
Ethan felt his heart shatter into a thousand pieces. All his hopes seemed laughably naive in the face of her calm indifference.
The pain overwhelmed him, and he dropped to his knees, clutching the railing with white knuckled desperation, his eyes fixed on Claire through the bars.
Claire simply turned away, showing no intention of helping.X
Her coldness ignited Nathan’s fury. He shouted at her retreating figure, “Claire, get back here and fetch your brother’s medication. immediately!”
Adah, tears streaming down her face, pleaded, “Claire, you always took care of him when he had stomach issues. How can you just stand by and do nothing? We’re family, how did it come to this?71
Even Vanessa joined in, her voice filled with righteous indignation, “Sister, I know you hold resentment from your five years in prison, but you can’t gamble with Ethan’s life. You know better than anyone which medicine helps him the most!”
Claire paused in her tracks once more.
The Linwoods thought they had swayed her. But when she turned, they saw a smile–one that cut like a blade. “So, you did notice my efforts all along. You just didn’t care. Since that’s the case, I take them back. From now on, whatever happens to the Linwood family, good or bad, it’s none of my concem.“8
“After all, you’ve shown no affection towards me, and now, I’ve nothing left for you.”
Her words struck Nathan, Adah, and Ethan like a sledgehammer.
Adah wept harder, her tearful eyes fixed on Claire. “Claire, it’s not like that. You’re the daughter I carried for nine months with all my heart. How could I not care about you?”
Nathan’s face flushed with anger, “How did we raise such an ungrateful child? If we’d known you’d grow up so rebellious and spiteful. always targeting Vanessa, we’d never have brought you back. You wouldn’t have had the chance to disrupt our home.”
Adahs sobs quieted as she tugged at Nathan’s sleeve. “Don’t speak about our daughter like that.
With a dismissive snort, Nathan shot Claire a fierce glare.
Vanessa chimed in, “Dad, it’s understandable if my sister resents me. I did take the place of a Linwood daughter and received love that should have been hers. If it makes her happy, I’m willing to endure whatever she asks ”
She began to sob softly “Sister, I can leave. Just don’t upset our parents again, and please, don’t let Ethan suffer
Claire watched them perform their charade in silence. Only when they finished speaking did she respond, unhurriedly, “All done? Then I’m going to bed.”2
Her indifference infuriated Nathan.2
Pointing a finger at Claire, his eyes were filled with disappointment.
“You claim you have no feelings for this family, so why did you come back? You’re a convict who spent five years in jail, a stain on the Linwood name. Who allowed you to return?”
“You’re free to leave now–no one will stop you. We were perfectly happy during the years you were gone. Your return only brought us scom, as if we owed you something.”
“Just remember, we brought you into this world, and that’s all we’ll ever owe you.“l
