NovelGoldChapter 439 He stood frozen in disbelief, eyes wide with confusion-and an odd flicker of heartbreak. His arms hung stiffly in the air, as if unsure what to do.
"Orion's little sister?" he echoed, incredulous.
Claire lifted her head from his chest. Her eyes and nose were crimson from crying, and her face was streaked with tears. She looked heartbreakingly small and vulnerable.
She gazed up at Sean's young face, almost hungrily, as if she was trying to memorize every detail, to etch his features into her heart forever.
In her past life, it had all been her fault. She'd insisted on going into the mountains to witness Vanessa's tragedy for herself, and because of that, Mr. Foster's legs were crushed by falling rocks. She'd died too soon, never living to see him walk again.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtIf Mr. Foster's legs could never heal because of her, that pain would be worse than death itself.
Mr. Foster had always treated her with such kindness. She couldn't even bear to imagine how devastated he must have been when he'd found her lifeless body.
The thought made Claire sob even harder. Through her tears, she choked out, "Mr. Foster, I missed you so much... I really, really missed you...' Her grief overwhelmed her, and she clung to Sean's waist with desperate strength, as if letting go would make him vanish before her eyes.
Sean, who was always so stoic and reserved, suddenly looked completely lost. "D-Don't... don't cry," he stammered.
He awkwardly reached up with small hands to wipe her tears away.
It was the first tanyone had hugged him so tightly.
The first ta child had ever said they missed him.
She seemed to genuinely like him, but if so, why did seeing him make her cry so hard? For once, Sean-usually so clever-was utterly confused.
He wiped away Claire's tears, but more kept streaming down, no matter how many times he tried. Between sobs, Claire gasped, "Mr. Foster, I won't ever leave you again. I won't let you get hurt ever again..." Sean didn't quite understand what she was saying. All he wanted was for her to stop crying.
Ever since he'd lost his mother, his heart had grown colder year by year. But watching the little girl in front of him sob until she couldn't catch her breath something inside him softened and filled with an ache he couldn't ignore.
He tried to comfort Claire, but just then, Orion's angry shout rang out: "Sean, what are you doing?" Orion rushed over and shoved Sean aside, pulling Claire protectively into his arms.
"Sean, why are you picking on my sister?" As Claire slipped from his grasp, Sean felt oddly empty inside.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmHis gentle expression vanished, replaced by his usual cold mask as he faced Orion. "I wasn't picking on her." Orion bristled. "If you weren't, then why is my sister crying?" Sean said nothing. He honestly had no idea why his presence had made her cry.
"If you won't answer, it must mean you did something!" Orion insisted.
York and Zachary exchanged confused looks with Sean.
Claire quickly struggled out of Orion's embrace. "He didn't do anything to me," she said, her voice urgent.
Orion looked down at her tear-stained face, his brow furrowed with concern. "It's okay, don't be scared," he said solemnly. "Your big brother will protect you. Just tellthe truth-did Sean hurt you?"
Claire's heart warmed at his unwavering protectiveness, but she couldn't let Sean be misunderstood.
She shook her head vigorously. "Really, he didn't." Orion didn't buy it. "Then why are you crying so hard if he didn't do anything?"
She couldn't possibly tell him the truth-about everything that had m happened before. After a quick pause, Claire blurted, "It's because... because I like him. These are happy tears."
Those three words-'I like him'-hit Orion like a bolt of lightning, leaving him utterly stunned.
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