Chapter 84
“Since Mrs. Linwood won’t speak, let me do the honors. Your so–called well–behaved daughter pushed her best friend down the stairs five years ago, leaving her in a coma.}
And it was also your cherished daughter who, on the very day I returned home five years later, falsely accused me of ruining her birthday dress, turning me into a pariah at Cresthaven in front of all the guests.
Not to mention, she used the same trick again, framing me for pushing her down the stairs, which led Nathan to whip me with a belt. I even had to cut off a finger to repay a debt I owe, yet even as I lay in the hospital, she wouldn’t let up, telling Attorney Lewis about everything.
What do you want? Are you just itching for Attorney Lewis to press charges against me?”
Claire’s raw accusation cut through the air, each word landing like a physical blow on Adah’s heart, bringing tears to her eyes.
“Claire…
“Mrs. Linwood!” Claire’s voice was sharp and demanding, “Do you really not know what Vanessa has done, or are you just pretending to be clueless?”
“Are you genuinely unaware of the injustice I’ve suffered, or do you take pleasure in the inhumane torment I’ve endured?”
“No, it’s not like that,” Adah sobbed, her voice breaking.
Her crocodile tears did nothing to soften Claire’s heart; they only deepened her sense of irritation.”
“Your actions speak for themselves. What excuses do you have left? You treat me like a fool, watching me yearn for your maternal love. Do you feel accomplished? Do you laugh about it in the middle of the night?
“No, I don’t. Claire, listen to me, my love for you is the same as it is for Vanessa ”
“Haha, ha–ha–ha!” Claire burst into laughter, tears almost springing from her eyes, though her stomach ached with the effort, and her shoulder wound throbbed fiercely.
The pain brought her clarity.
“You say you love me, yet you drove me in
insane.”
“I was Claire, top of Cresthaven Academy, a student at Prestige University five years ago. Look at me now. I’m a madwoman, a cripple, a convict who will never lift her head again“}
“And why? Because you orchestrated it all. You protected Vanessa under your wing out of love, but your love for me was to thrust me into hell. What gives you the right to say your love for us is the same=”
Adah, overwhelmed by Claire’s words, shook her head desperately, “No, it’s not like that.”
Vanessa, with her innocent façade, looked at Claire with tear–filled eyes, “Sister, I know you hate me. It’s one thing to bully me, but why do you have to torment Mom too?”
Adah clutched Vanessa, weeping, “Vanessa, stop saying that. It’s all my fault.”
And so, mother and daughter wept, locked in an embrace.!!
Claire regarded the duo with cold disdain, their theatrical display doing nothing to move her.8
Just then, Nathan and Ethan emerged from the study and caught sight of the scene.X
Without hesitation, Nathan angrily rebuked Claire, “You ungrateful daughter, causing trouble the moment you return home. Your mother and sister were so worried about you while you were in the hospital that they couldn’t eat or sleep. Do you have no heart at all?*8 Claire raised her gaze, her eyes meeting Nathan’s with icy indifference, devoid of respect and filled with biting sarcasm. Her cracked lips curled slightly. Though she said nothing, her mocking expression spoke volumes.
Nathan, infuriated by her demeanor, his face flushed with rage, veins pulsing on his forehead, stormed down the stairs and raised his hand to strike Claire
