Chapter 75
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Yvonne drew a shuddering breath, her knuckles whitening around the edge of the table as she fought to quell the storm inside. But when her gaze landed on the girl before her–shoulders hunched, fingers twisting the fabric of her skirt like a guilty child–something fractured.
“Lydia, I remember you used to be different. I always saw you as such a sweet, nice girl. Her jaw tightened. “But after what happened today, I have to reconsider everything I thought I knew about you. Please take the next few days to pack your things.
“Mom!” Lydia cried out, her voice trembling with desperation.
Never in her wildest dreams did she imagine that Yvonne would outright kick her out
Yvonne closed her eyes and slowly shook her head. “Lydia, I gave you a chance. But what you did this time has crossed the line–both the Lambert family’s and mine. There’s no longer a place for you in this family.”
“Mom,” Lydia pleaded, her voice trembling, “I really know I was wrong–please, just forgive me this once! I promise it will never happen again. I’ll go apologize to Zina, beg her to forgive me. I’ll do anything! Please, Mom, please don’t kick me out! I don’t want to leave, I don’t want to be homeless, I don’t want to be out on the streets. I really, really don’t want to.”
Tears streamed down her cheeks. In the end, she collapsed to the floor and sobbed uncontrollably, her whole body wracked with despair.
This time, however, unlike her usual self, Yvonne offered Lydia no response. She merely held her silence for a moment before finally speaking in a measured tone.
“I’ll have the butler pack your belongings. If you wish to say your goodbyes, you may speak with the family one last time.”
With those words, she left.
The raw, wet gasps of Lydia’s crying clawed at her back. Yvonne’s hand jerked upward to clutch at her own sternum, as if her heart might tear free.
Her other hand curled into a fist, nails biting crescent moons into her flesh. The pain was clean, sharp, and easier to focus on than the sound behind her.
There was no turning back for her now.
She couldn’t bear to let Zina–the daughter she had fought so hard to bring back–lose faith in her.
Before she knew it, Yvonne found herself outside Zina’s bedroom door. There, she spotted Adrian sitting still by the
entrance.
“What’s wrong? Why are you just sitting here?”
She stared at him with confusion.
When Adrian raised his head, revealing his heavily bloodshot eyes, she was a bit taken aback.
“What’s going on?” Yvonne’s brows furrowed in concern. But Adrian just shook his head, staring blankly at the tightly closed. door. He blurted out, “Mom, have I done too many things to let Zina down? I’m not a good brother at all. Why do I always
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end up making her sad? I tried so hard to do what you told me, to be the brother I’m supposed to be. I don’t know why it turned out like this.
He stubbornly held Yvonne’s gaze, revealing the unshed tears in his eyes.
Beholding that. Yvonne clutched her chest again, the pain almost unbearable.
“I’ll go check on Zina first. You should get some rest.”
Adrian stood up and stumbled back to his own room. Watching him leave, she couldn’t help but add. “Adrian, it’s time you matured. You can’t keep looking at things through a child’s eyes. Lydia isn’t your only sister–Zina is your sister too. And Zina is the one who needs the most reassurance.”
These words stopped Adrian in his tracks. He turned around in shock.
Then everything clicked for him–but then, Zina’s disappointed eyes flashed before him.
He frantically shook his head, nearly bolting in panic.
Yvonne sighed heavily, then knocked on Zina’s door.
“Zina, is it okay if I come in for a moment?” she asked gently.
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