章 144: There's nothing to settle

As we drove to the hospital, a maelstrom of thoughts churned in my mind. Clara's sudden appearance, her dramatic revelation, and the hastily arranged trip to see my supposedly dying mother felt suspicious.

Could this be another one of Clara's elaborate schemes to hurt me? Or maybe it was something worse, a plan concocted by her and Daniel to pull me back into their toxic web.

My heart pounded in my chest as I stared out of the car window, the city lights blurring into streaks of color. Clara's tears seemed genuine, but she'd proven time and again that she was an expert manipulator. If there was even a sliver of truth in her words, my mother might really be on her deathbed.

Despite everything, despite the years of neglect and coldness, she was still my mother. There was a part of me that longed for her approval, her love—something I'd never received.