NovelGoldChapter 282 She scrubbed furiously at the tears streaming down her face and pushed herself to her feet, wanting to help the Coles.
But the moment she stood, a searing pain ripped through her chest. Her vision blurred, the room spun, and before she could steady herself, her knees buckled and she collapsed toward the floor.
"Claire !" Aberdeen, Grace, and May cried out in alarm.
The three elderly women, already trembling with rage and red-eyed after hearing Irene's account, rushed forward to catch her. But Sean reached her first, gathering Claire's limp body into his arms.
She looked up at him, but her vision was so clouded with tears, the harder she tried to focus, the more her tears fell.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtEven her voice sounded foreign and hoarse as she choked out, "Mr. Foster..." "I'm here," he replied, steady and close.
"My heart... it hurts so much." Just five words-but each one landed like a hammer blow right on Sean's chest.
This was the first tClaire had ever told him she was hurting.
Not when she drank herself into the hospital. Not when Jeffry uncovered all those painful secrets. Never before had she confessed, with such agony, how much her heart ached.
Sean gently brushed away her tears, meeting her eyes with unwavering seriousness. "Don't be afraid. Whatever you want to do, I'll stand by you-no questions asked. You don't need to worry about a thing." Claire understood what he meant, and the dam broke again; new tears spilled down her cheeks.
For the first time, she didn't want to suppress her feelings anymore.
She flung her arms around his waist, burying her face in the warmth and safety of his chest, whispering over and over, "Thank you. Thank you..." If it weren't for Mr. Foster, she honestly didn't know how she would have gone on. Maybe, before the truth ever cto light, the Linwoods would have crushed her, again and again, until there was nothing left.
Her sobs filled the living room, echoing off the walls.
Everyone present was swept up in her grief; tears welled in their eyes and quietly slipped down their faces. Jarrod and Karin were overwhelmed by a storm of emotions. Their daughter had suffered in Claire's stead-had ended up in a coma because of it. By all rights, they should have hated Claire. They'd already tried to take their revenge. But looking at her now, so broken and vulnerable, they found their anger slipping away. Claire's life had already been too cruel; any resentment they felt just faded into sorrow.
It was a long tbefore Claire's sobs finally subsided.
Just then, a voice sounded from outside the house-Nathan's voice.
"Mr. Cole? I'm Nathan, Vanessa's father. I've cto compensate you for your embroidery." Nathan was now paralyzed from the waist down and confined to a wheelchair, pushed forward by Garnett Brown.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmThe money in his hand had cfrom selling off the last of his property.
He shouldn't have had to sell everything he owned. All his assets had been transferted to Sophia, his wife, who could have easily paid to smooth things over for Vanessa.
But Sophia was shrewd to the core. Once money landed in her account, she wouldn't part with a cent. Knowing Nathan still had property in his name, she said sweetly, "Nathan, when Vanessa gets out, let's go abroad to find our son. There's no point keeping your property here-it's the perfect tto sell. We'll rescue Vanessa, and when she's free, we'll fly out of Cresthaven that very day. Sound good?" Nathan agreed without a second thought.
When Sophia heard the news, she was so pleased she had a quick tryst with Garnett Brown right there in the car. She wrung Nathan dry-his last bit of value.
Now he was broke, homeless, and when they left the country, he'd be out on the street, left to fend for himself. What a fool.
And so, this thoroughly duped man was delivered by Garnett Brown to the Foster family home.
Nathan cto offer full compensation for thetwo-million-dollar "Radiant Beauty" embroidery that Vanessa had destroyed-and to beg Sean to let his daughter go.
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