NovelGoldChapter 217 Adah gazed at the shattered pill bottles scattered across the floor, her eyes brimming with unshed tears. Her voice trembled with emotion. "Ethan, how could you say something like that?" "You know Claire's fiery temperament," Ethan retorted, trying to keep his own frustration in check. "In prison, she must have provoked someone for them to lash out. Otherwise, why would those inmates pick on her specifically and leave others alone?" "Her broken leg has nothing to do with us. Why do you insist on blaming her suffering on your father and me? Is Claire the only one you care about? Are we not your real parents anymore?" As Adah spoke, her composure crumbled. She buried her face in her hands, her shoulders shaking with sobs that echoed through the hospital room, tugging painfully at Ethan's heart.
Seeing his mother so distraught, Ethan's resolve wavered. He wanted to offer comfort, but the image of Claire's cold, distant stare flashed in his mind, extinguishing any warmth he felt in an instant.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtHis heart tightened, and his voice turned icy. "Claire wants nothing to do with us anymore. Is this what you wanted?" Nathan, who was leaning back in the hospital bed, struggled to sit up. His face twisted with anger and the searing pain in his leg. "You ungrateful son!" he shouted. "And now you blus? Claire's trouble is her own doing; she's been nothing but a curse to this family!" Ethan's eyes blazed with fury. "Shut up! You forced Claire to take the fall for Vanessa back then. Have you lost all sense of decency?" With those words, he slammed his fist onto the nearby table with a resounding crash. Items scattered to the floor, echoing the chaos in the room.
Nathan flinched at Ethan's sudden display of anger, instinctively retreating, yet he forced himself to stand his ground. "Don't forget, it was you who testified against Claire in court. Now you want to pin it all on us?" Ethan felt the weight of those words hit him like a sledgehammer. The memories haunted him, each moment a relentless nightmare of guilt and regret.
"This is karma," Ethan muttered through clenched teeth, his words deliberate and sharp. "Your broken leg is nothing but retribution." Since Claire had left, Ethan's own health had deteriorated. He understood it as a punishment he had to bear. Nathan couldn't stand Ethan bringing up Claire at every turn. To him, she was just a worthless troublemaker undeserving of Ethan's loyalty.
Fuming, Nathan pointed a trembling finger at Ethan. "Get out." Ethan stood his ground, his gaze icy and unyielding as he locked eyes with Nathan.
Unable to lash out physically, Nathan seethed in frustration, his face flushed with anger and veins bulging, exacerbated by the relentless pain in his leg. Vertigo threatened to overtake him.
Seeing his father in such agony, a part of Ethan felt a twisted sense of satisfaction.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmAdah, desperate to defuse the situation, tried to reason with Ethan despite her own pain. "Ethan, don't let Claire cbetween you and your father." "We were wrong about Claire," she continued. "She's an ungrateful daughter, leaving us all worried while she probably mocks us." "I regret ever wanting another child for the sake of having a son and a daughter. Who knew we'd end up with a burden like her?"
Wiping her tears, Adah tried to steady herself. "Ethan, Vanessa is coming m back from Northcrest City for M ve Aberdeen's birthday. Call her and tell her not to come. If Claire sees Vanessa, you know she'll make trouble for her." Nathan nodded in agreement. "Yes, call Vanessa and tell her to stay away." The thought of Vanessa, still recovering from surgery, enduring Claire's wrath tightened Nathan's brow with concern.
Remembering the sight of Vanessa at the police station, disheveled and distressed filled Ethan with bitterness. Claire had gone too far. He wanted to reveal Vanessa's arrest but held back, not wanting to add to his mother's worries. Instead, he kept his turmoil hidden.
After a moment, Ethan spoke. "I understand. You both focus on recovering. I have sthings to take care of." Adah wanted to say more but seeing Ethan's closed-off demeanor, she swallowed her words and let out a weary sigh.
Ethan walked out of the hospital room, each step heavy with the weight of his burden's. His silhouette stretched long under the corridor lights, casting a shadow of profound loneliness.
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