Chapter 284
Anna’s POV:
I couldn’t sleep at all last night. My mind kept racing with everything Daniel had discovered. Money talks, especially in desperate times.
Daniel pulled some strings, used methods I wouldn’t normally approve of, but desperate times call for desperate measures. People who can be bought once can always be bought again.
With Michael’s list, I worked through each name methodically, collecting every piece of information I needed. What I discovered was worse than I imagined.
Claire had disconnected William’s heart monitor during his cardiac episode. She deliberately prevented him from getting timely medical attention. So calculated. So cruel.
Now I sat actoss from Blake in the conference room, two files in my hands, torn about what to do next.
Blake smiled grimly. “What else is there to prepare for? Just say it,‘ he urged.
Should Claire stay by Blake’s side? Would she ever give up on him, even if he fell ill and couldn’t protect her anymore? These weren’t questions I could
answer.
“Blake, answer me honestly. Are you doing okay now? With Claire by your side, does life feel easier?”
I wanted to hear it directly from him. I meant what I said if he wanted to live, the choice would be his.
.
Blake’s POV:
I was shocked by Anna’s question. My chest tightened like someone had punched me. What was she playing at? It had to be deliberate. She hated Claire, had set up Caroline, and now what? Was she planning to drive everyone away from me? How cruel could she be?
Rage flared in my eyes. My father was gone, my mother charged with crimes, my wife divorced me, and now my sister had been in handcuffs. Anna was systematically destroying everything.
“You really are the wolf I raised,” I spat.
The wolf I raised now wanted to kill me, to devour me whole.
“What does it matter if life is easier or not?” I snapped.
“It matters. Your answer determines what I say next,” she replied, avoiding my desperate gaze by closing her eyes.
“Does it really matter?” I challenged.
“Yes, it does.”
My chest heaved violently. “I know you hate Claire. I know you have the power to do things now. You think I’ll stop you with just a few words? Anna, I’m not
a child. I know you didn’t call me here to comfort me. Just say whatever you need to say. No matter what, I’ll find a way to handle it.
My body trembled uncontrollably as I shouted, “Just get on with it!”
I wanted to leave, to hide my vulnerability.
Anna’s POV:
His sudden outburst startled me. I felt disconnected as I instinctively covered my stomach with my hand.
How absurd this all was. I almost wanted to laugh. Clearly, Claire was still his trigger point.
So be it.
1/3
Chapter 284
I slid a document across to him and stood up. “William’s death wasn’t an accident. This is Caroline’s confession
I leaned back in my chair, resting my cheek on my hand, watching Blake read. His expression wasn’t angry or resentful anymore just confused. Hod tried so hard to keep his family together, and yet everything had fallen apart anyway.
We stared at each other expressionlessly for several minutes. Blake, always so decisive, now
hesitated.
Finally, his hands shaking, he pushed himself up from the table and headed for the door, Withoof turning back, he said, ‘I won’t interfere with Caroline’s case anymore.”
What he really meant was: She’s no longer my mother.
He was fleeing. I understood his pain. I remained silent, not telling him how Caroline had drugged me. If he knew that was why I couldn’t keep our baby, it would destroy him even more.
At the doorway, Blake gripped the handle so tightly his fingertips turned white. “Do whatever you want with Caroline, but leave Claire alone!
His eyes were bloodshot when he turned to me, his voice much louder than usual despite his obvious effort to control it.
‘I’ll keep her in line. She won’t bother you,” he promised. He thought I hated him, that I wanted to eliminate everyone around him. “She’s my only sister, my only family. If you want revenge, come after me instead!”
His voice dropped to almost a whisper. “Take my life if you have to!”
A massive wall seemed to crush my chest, making it hard to breathe. His not–even–blood–related sister was worth dying for, but our own flesh and blood wasn’t worth acknowledging?
I stood and grabbed his tie. “She’s your only family?”
He grunted in surprise, then yanked his tie free, furious. He closed his eyes, straightening his collar. “Yes. We’re divorced, aren’t we? What else did I have besides my sister?”
I felt the wall inside me collapse, crushing me, but I remained standing. I wouldn’t let him see inside me. Turning away, I laughed bitterly. “Blake, how the tables have turned!”
I swore to myself: I would never let my child call this man father.
Blake’s POV:
My face burned hot. My pride lay shattered on the floor. I silently vowed to survive, to beat this disease. I would make Anna regret those words. Someday, I would punish her my way.
She waved dismissively and left, the door creaking behind me.
Outside, Claire rushed to me. “Blakey, are you okay? Did Anna hurt you?”
“What more could she do to me…” My voice trailed off.
Suddenly, I understood what Anna meant about the tables turning. I remembered when she was the one begging me not to hurt the people around her. The wheel of fate had come full circle.
I dug my nails into my arm until I drew blood. The pain cleared my mind. Now I understood how I’d driven Anna to desperation. Wh. her?
ad I done to
I finally realized: truly loving someone means you can’t bear to hurt them. I would rather sacrifice myself than force her into submission again.
The truth hit me like a thunderbolt: I didn’t love her then, and she doesn’t love me now.