Broken Yet Untouched by Mark Twain 8
Chapter 8
I replied coldly, “Claud, I didn’t help you back then for you to become a burden now.”
The harsh sunlight from the window blinded me and him for a moment.
I saw his red-rimmed eyes.
Philadelphia’s social circles all said Claud was born with a cold, unfeeling
face.
No one had ever seen him cry.
Claud brushed an index finger beneath his eye, catching a tear.
“Sorry. I misread things. I’ll submit my resignation.”
He placed a folder gently on my desk.
“Ms. Sherman, consider this compensation for any trouble I’ve caused you these past years.”
Then he turned and left the office without a backward glance.
My hands shook as I opened the folder
Inside, page after page, was evidence-documentation of Nathaniel’s affair with Estelle, and proof he had bribed the private clinic and doctors to force the transplant procedure on Veronica and Patrick.
Every detail was included, things I know, and things I didn’t.
It even included his own notes, suggesting which lawyers could build the strongest case to get Nathaniel and Estelle sentenced to death.
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The only sound in the room was the rustle of turning pages.
For the first time, I broke down and sobbed openly.
“I’m sorry…
“I’m so sorry…”
For five years, he stood by me even at my lowest. I was deeply touched.
But I had to avenge Veronica.
Right now, only my hatred was holding me together. I didn’t know how to live without that purpose.
How could I pull Claud into this?
When the tears finally stopped, another assistant entered the office.
“Ms. Sherman, Nathaniel is downstairs. He’s asking to see you.”
I wiped my eyes. “Alright. I’ll be right down.”
As I spoke, I dialed a contact. “Cyrus, you can run that story now-the one about the famous painter’s infidelity and his plot with his mistress concerning his wife’s daughter.
“I’m sending you a file with concrete proof.”
***
By the time I walked down to the lobby, I spotted him immediately.
Nathaniel, in a white shirt, hurried over and dropped to one knee before
“Vivi, I found you.
“I missed you. These past days, I’ve missed you terribly. I know I messed
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“Can we please just stop fighting?”
I knew he had no shame, but his words still turned my stomach.
A sneer escaped me. “Nathaniel, you killed Nika. Our daughter died because of you.
“Stop fighting? You think this is just some fight to me?”
Nathaniel’s face paled.
“Vivi…”
Veronica was our daughter.
But I had shielded him too well. Her condition was a choice he couldn’t face, so I had always stepped in and carried the load.
As a father, he’d rarely spent time with Veronica, so his connection never deepened…
Nathaniel tried to speak, but I cut him off.
“Nathaniel, you’re as selfish as ever. My fault was not seeing it sooner, and it cost Nika her life.
“But I will spend the rest of my life making up for that. As for you and Estelle, I won’t let either of you walk away from this.”
Nathaniel never loved our daughter. He never loved me.
He only ever loved himself.
For a man like that, taking everything he had was a far greater punishment than taking his life.
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I turned to leave
Nathaniel stayed on his knees before me.
“Vivi, it’s not selfishness, I swear. I love you. I really do!”
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