NovelGoldChapter 288 "Impossible!" Brian shot back without a moment's hesitation. "Mom, you watched Vanessa grow up-you know how kind she is. There's no way she could have pushed Irene down the stairs. There has to be smisunderstanding here. Honestly, I think Irene probably just lost her balance and-" "Brian!" Before he could finish, Irene's voice cut through the room, sharp and icy.
Her eyes, glinting with a cold, hard light, landed on Brian-not with the affection of a sibling, but with the hatred reserved for a mortal enemy.
She couldn't believe it. Even now, after everything, Brian was still defending Vanessa, still trying to wipe her slate clean.
It was Brian who once claimed to care for Claire, and Brian who hurt her most deeply.
Years ago, it was Brian who insisted on breaking off his engagement with Vanessa. Now, with the truth laid bare, he was still fighting tooth and nail to protect Vanessa's reputation.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtSuddenly, Irene felt a wave of revulsion toward her brother.
Honestly, what Brian was doing hurt her even more than anything Vanessa had ever done.
"Brian, letmake this perfectly clear," Irene shouted, her voice trembling with anger and pain. "Five years ago, it was Vanessa who pusheddown those stairs. Claire was innocent!" "No, it wasn't me-it really wasn't!" Vanessa shook her head desperately, tears brimming in her eyes. The angry red slap mark on her cheek only made her look more pitiful, as if she'd been wronged beyond all measure.
"Brian, please, you have to believe me," she pleaded, her voice cracking.
Brian could never bear to see Vanessa cry. Shooting Irene a fierce glare, he snapped, "Irene, you can't just throw around accusations like that. This is about Vanessa's reputation-and I know she'd never do something like that." "So Vanessa's reputation matters, but Claire's doesn't?" Irene shot back, furious. If she could stand, she would have stormed over and slapped Brian herself.
Her face was flushed with rage, her eyes burning with resentment. "You want to know why Vanessa pusheddown the stairs?" she spat.
"Because Vanessa and Nathan-those two heartless monsters were plotting to kill Claire. They didn't care if she lived or died; as long as they got her into the hospital, they planned to declare her brain dead and harvest her kidneys for Vanessa. They wanted to donate the rest of her organs too-use her body for medical research, even." "I overheard their plan-that's why they tried to kill me. They framed Claire for attempted murder to cover it up!" The truth from five years ago tumbled out of Irene in a furious rush.
She was nearly breathless with rage by the end, her face red and twisted with emotion.
Brian looked as if he'd been struck by lightning.
The truth was vile-so far beyond anything he'd ever imagined, it shattered everything he thought he knew.
In all his twenty-syears, he'd never encountered cruelty like this.
He shook his head, his face etched with disbelief.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏm"No. No way. You're making this up. Even if Vanessa and Mr. Linwood wanted to hurt Claire, the hospital would never go along with something like that!" He seized on what he thought was a flaw in Irene's story; his eyes lit up with sudden hope.
"Exactly! The hospital wouldn't cooperate. See? This is all just you talking nonsense. Honestly, after five years in a coma, n maybe your mind isn't right. Claire was the one who hurt you, but you've mixed it up and think it was Vanessa." He turned to Jarrod and Karin, his voice urgent. "Mom, Dad, don't let Irene carry on like this. It's clearly all a misunderstanding. Let's just take her home-causing a scene here in someone else's house is " He didn't even get to finish before Karin yanked her hand out of his grasp and slapped him hard across the face.
"I can't believe I raised a son who can't tell right from wrong," she said, her voice choked with heartbreak.
Brian slowly turned his stinging, reddened face back, his eyes shot through with blood-red fury.
"The hospital wouldn't help Vanessa and Mr. Linwood do something sa evil. That's an obvious hole in your story! Why won't any of you see reason?"
His voice rose as he turned to glare at Claire, who'd been sitting quietly on the sofa, watching the chaosm infold with icy detachment. His words dripped with venom: "Is this what you wanted, Claire? To turn my family against me? Are you satisfied now?"
Visit our social media platform to read fascinating stories every day and connect with the community!
