\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 8\u00a0<\/p>\n
I replied coldly, \u201cClaud, I didn\u2019t help you back then for you to become a burden now.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The harsh sunlight from the window blinded me and him for a moment.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I saw his red-rimmed eyes.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Philadelphia\u2019s social circles all said Claud was born with a cold, unfeeling\u00a0<\/p>\n
face.\u00a0<\/p>\n
No one had ever seen him cry.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Claud brushed an index finger beneath his eye, catching a tear.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cSorry. I misread things. I\u2019ll submit my resignation.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He placed a folder gently on my desk.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMs. Sherman, consider this compensation for any trouble I\u2019ve caused you these past years.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Then he turned and left the office without a backward glance.\u00a0<\/p>\n
My hands shook as I opened the folder\u00a0<\/p>\n
Inside, page after page, was evidence-documentation of Nathaniel\u2019s affair with Estelle, and proof he had bribed the private clinic and doctors to force the transplant procedure on Veronica and Patrick.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Every detail was included, things I know, and things I didn\u2019t.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It even included his own notes, suggesting which lawyers could build the strongest case to get Nathaniel and Estelle sentenced to death.\u00a0<\/p>\n
0.00%\u00a0<\/p>\n
10.59\u00a0<\/p>\n
288 Vouchers\u00a0<\/p>\n
The only sound in the room was the rustle of turning pages.\u00a0<\/p>\n
For the first time, I broke down and sobbed openly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m sorry\u2026\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m so sorry\u2026\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
For five years, he stood by me even at my lowest. I was deeply touched.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But I had to avenge Veronica.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Right now, only my hatred was holding me together. I didn\u2019t know how to live without that purpose.\u00a0<\/p>\n
How could I pull Claud into this?\u00a0<\/p>\n
When the tears finally stopped, another assistant entered the office.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMs. Sherman, Nathaniel is downstairs. He\u2019s asking to see you.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I wiped my eyes. \u201cAlright. I\u2019ll be right down.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
As I spoke, I dialed a contact. \u201cCyrus, you can run that story now-the one about the famous painter\u2019s infidelity and his plot with his mistress concerning his wife\u2019s daughter.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m sending you a file with concrete proof.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
***\u00a0<\/p>\n
By the time I walked down to the lobby, I spotted him immediately.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Nathaniel, in a white shirt, hurried over and dropped to one knee before\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cVivi, I found you.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI missed you. These past days, I\u2019ve missed you terribly. I know I messed\u00a0<\/p>\n
32.32%\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cCan we please just stop fighting?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I knew he had no shame, but his words still turned my stomach.\u00a0<\/p>\n
A sneer escaped me. \u201cNathaniel, you killed Nika. Our daughter died because of you.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cStop fighting? You think this is just some fight to me?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Nathaniel\u2019s face paled.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cVivi\u2026\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Veronica was our daughter.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But I had shielded him too well. Her condition was a choice he couldn\u2019t face, so I had always stepped in and carried the load.\u00a0<\/p>\n
As a father, he\u2019d rarely spent time with Veronica, so his connection never deepened\u2026\u00a0<\/p>\n
Nathaniel tried to speak, but I cut him off.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cNathaniel, you\u2019re as selfish as ever. My fault was not seeing it sooner, and it cost Nika her life.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cBut I will spend the rest of my life making up for that. As for you and Estelle, I won\u2019t let either of you walk away from this.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Nathaniel never loved our daughter. He never loved me.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He only ever loved himself.\u00a0<\/p>\n
For a man like that, taking everything he had was a far greater punishment than taking his life.\u00a0<\/p>\n
63.77%\u00a0<\/p>\n
10:59 0\u00a0<\/p>\n
I turned to leave\u00a0<\/p>\n
Nathaniel stayed on his knees before me.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cVivi, it\u2019s not selfishness, I swear. I love you. I really do!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Joseph King is an editor and storyteller who ensures every chapter is clear, polished, and engaging for readers.<\/p>\n
Broken Yet Untouched by Mark Twain 8 \u00a0 Chapter 8\u00a0 I replied coldly, \u201cClaud, I didn\u2019t help you back then […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[43],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-22848","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-bound-to-him-novel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22848","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=22848"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22848\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22848"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=22848"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=22848"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}