Chapter 46
Claire stared steadily at the Linwood family for what felt like an eternity, her gaze piercing enough to make them all shift uncomfortably. Finally, she turned away and continued down the hallway.
Vanessa clung to Adah’s arm, her voice trembling, “Mom, the way Claire looked at us was terrifying.
Adah patted her daughter’s arm reassuringly, though she herself couldn’t shake the chilling feeling. There was a resolute intensity in Claire’s eyes, as if she was ready to burn every bridge between them.
“Claire has changed so much in the past five years.“}
“She’s so uncouth” Nathan scoffed. “Nothing like Vanessa. If we had known she’d turn out this way, we might have reconsidered having
her.”
Adah sighed. “Nathan, please, that’s enough. She’s still a young woman, and words like that can hurt.”
Nathan’s anger flared, his voice booming loud enough for Claire to hear clearly even from the storeroom she had retreated into.”
Tm her father! Do I have to coddle her too? We’ve been too lenient, and that’s why she’s so out of hand. She should have been taught proper manners from the start.”
Adah tried to calm him, “Just let it go.”
The argument in the dining room continued for quite some time before silence finally descended.
Claire leaned against the door, slowly sliding down to sit on the floor. The room was enveloped in darkness as she hugged her arms tightly around herself, her head buried in her knees. Tears spilled over, flowing unchecked as the dam of long–repressed pain and resentment broke within her &
She wept silently, her tears soaking her clothes but doing nothing to cleanse the hurt in her heart.
When she had first joined this family, she had hoped it would be a warm haven, only to find it a cold cage where she felt battered and alone.
Everything she endured was thanks to these so–called “relatives.”
Time passed, and her sobs gradually quieted.
She groped her way to the bed, lying down and staring blankly at the shadowy ceiling, tears still slipping from her eyes.
Exhaustion and despair mingled, and she eventually drifted into a fitful sleep.
Yet even in slumber, Claire found no peace.!
Nightmarish visions of being beaten in prison haunted her, making her face twist with fear as her body thrashed and writhed. She cried out, “Help! Mom! Mom, save me…”
Her cries were filled with terror and hopelessness, as if she had returned to that hellish time.
In the depths of her nightmare, a warm hand rested gently on her back, patting her rhythmically, accompanied by a soothing, elderly voice, “Don’t be afraid, don’t be afraid, I’m here… Mama’s here…”
The voice, though aged, was full of concern, like a beacon of light piercing through the darkness, trying to chase away her fears.S
In her sleep, Claire instinctively leaned toward the warmth, her furrowed brow relaxing slightly, the cries fading into silence.
The storeroom door was ajar, allowing light from the hallway to spill in, revealing that it was not Adah comforting Claire, but May. May sighed silently, her face etched with compassion, yet powerless to change anything
As merely a housekeeper, she had no say, but she could offer Claire whatever kindness she had.
The next morning.
Claire lay in bed for a while, lost in thought.
Last night, she had drearned that Adah held her and comforted her.
Claire chuckled bitterly. She must really be losing it, to indulge in such impossible fantasies.
**The
Dining Room**
