Clara’s fingers curled tightly into fists.

When Liam stopped her and said there was no need, she almost thought he was doing it out of concern for her.

But with just one glance back at him, she realized —it wasn’t for her.

It was for Adelyn.

The way his gaze had lowered... she could tell he was feeling guilty.

Not toward her ... but toward Adelyn.

"Liam, I know Adelyn has every reason to be upset, but—"

She forced herself not to grit her teeth. "—but we can’t let her stay like that forever. We’ve missed her, you’ve missed her... for years. Now that she’s finally back, we need to make things up to her. Let me go and apologize to her and —"

Liam’s brows furrowed. He was about to refuse her again.

However—

Before he could speak, Charlotte’s voice cut in.

"You don’t need to apologize to her, Clara."

Clara’s head snapped toward the staircase. "Even you’re stopping me, Mom?" she asked, confusion filling her voice. "Did she say she doesn’t want to see me?"

Charlotte didn’t respond.

And that silence made Clara’s heart clench.

Her nails dug deeper into her skin, drawing faint streaks of blood.

"She ... must be blaming me for everything. I can understand," she said with a weak, trembling smile.

She glanced at Liam, then turned back to Charlotte. Her expression softened into something vulnerable —as though she was barely holding herself together. 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

"Don’t worry, I won’t make things difficult for you all. Since she doesn’t want to see me, I’ll leave. This way ... you won’t have to choose between the two of us again."

With that, she turned, ready to walk away.

But just as she was about to rush out —

Liam grabbed her arm, his expression tightening with concern. "Clara, what are you even saying?" he asked, his tone more worried than stern.

Clara looked at him —and for the first time since entering, her heart eased slightly.

Not because he stopped her ...

But because she could still see concern for her in his eyes —the same concern he had shown when Adelyn wasn’t here.

It meant he still cared.

Maybe ... even more than he cared for Adelyn.

Her eyes turned glassy as she looked at him.

"Liam, Adelyn doesn’t want to see me. It’s only right that I leave," she said softly. "After all, she is also a sister you all cherish. And she suffered because of me. Let me go. I won’t blame anyone. I’ll understand and —"

Before she could continue, Charlotte stepped forward, grabbing her arm and turning her toward her.

"You’re leaving us?"

Clara shook her head immediately. "M-Mom, I’m not. I just ... I can’t bear to see you and everyone else put in a difficult position because of me."

Tears streamed down her cheeks as she tried to suppress her sobs.

"Adelyn has every reason to be upset with us. We can’t blame her. But at the same time, we can’t hurt her further. It would only be right if I leave this house. This way, you can dote on her properly and make up for all the time you lost with her."

The way she spoke —so selfless, so fragile —made her sound unbearably pitiful.

How could Charlotte not feel it?

Her heart ached, and she shook her head immediately. "Silly child, you don’t have to be so accommodating."

Reaching out, she gently cupped Clara’s face. "If we love Adelyn, we love you too. How could we ever be at peace keeping one daughter while sending the other away?"

"But Mom, Adelyn —she might not —"

"Adelyn hasn’t come back with us," Liam said, his voice heavy with guilt. "You don’t have to go anywhere, Clara."

Clara froze.

Her brows furrowed as she turned to him. "She didn’t come back with you? Why?"

All this while, she had believed Adelyn had returned with them.

Now, hearing that she hadn’t —

A strange sense of relief washed over her.

But it was quickly replaced with confusion.

Shouldn’t Adelyn have returned when Mom, Liam, and Bryer personally went to bring her back?

Why didn’t she?

"She doesn’t consider the Scott family as her own anymore," Liam said quietly, closing his eyes. "She’s too hurt to let go of the past. We couldn’t persuade her to come back."

Clara frowned. She turned to Charlotte, only to notice the tears brimming in her eyes.

"But Mom went to bring her back too," Clara said, her voice tightening evidently. "Why didn’t she consider Mom’s feelings? Being upset is one thing, but hurting others like this is another. Her rejection must have hurt Mom so much ... How could Adelyn be so heartless?"

The moment Charlotte heard Clara speak up for her, she could no longer hold back.

Her tears fell freely as she sobbed terribly, "She isn’t heartless. She ... she just doesn’t care about me anymore."

"Mom ..." Clara gently wiped her tears. "Adelyn must not have meant it. After so many years, she must have missed you. She’ll come back soon."

But Charlotte shook her head weakly. "No ... she didn’t miss me."

Her voice trembled as she continued, "She didn’t miss any of us. Instead ... she said she doesn’t regret what happened that day seven years ago. She said it gave her an escape ... an escape from us."

Clara’s brows knit together.

Before she could respond —

A voice came from the entrance.

"Did she say that?"

Everyone turned —only to see Xavier standing at the door, supporting Bryer, who seemed completely unconscious.

Liam’s expression darkened.

Without wasting a second, he rushed forward and took Bryer from the other side, helping Xavier bring him inside.

"How did he end up like this?" Liam asked after laying Bryer down on the sofa.

Xavier’s brows remained tightly drawn. "He went out to drink ... and had more than he could handle."

He didn’t need to say more.

They all understood why.

At first, Xavier had assumed Bryer was simply upset about Adelyn’s return.

But now —after hearing Charlotte’s words —he realized the truth was far worse.

Adelyn hadn’t just refused to return.

She had severed all ties with the Scott family.

But why?

Why would she do something like that ... when the only family she had in this world was them?

"Did Adelyn really say that?" Xavier asked again, his voice low, almost disbelieving.