Clara’s feet felt like they were nailed to the ground. She stood frozen for a moment before finally forcing out a dry response, "Don't worry. The day after tomorrow, I'll be gone."
She had lowered herself as much as possible, yet Rea still refused to let her go.
"Why the day after tomorrow? Can't you leave tomorrow?"
Clara's throat tightened. She didn’t know how to explain to her that the day after tomorrow wasn’t just the day she planned to move out of the Cumberland Family home, it was also the day she intended to leave this world entirely.
She remained silent, but Rea's expression turned even more displeased.
Just then, an unexpected accident occurred. On the second floor, a maid was cleaning the chandelier. No one knew what she had touched, but suddenly, the heavy fixture swayed dangerously before plummeting straight down and heading directly for Rea.
Clara stood frozen in shock and unable to react but a force from behind shoved her aside with incredible strength. It was Ian.
He rushed forward and caught Rea in his arms, his face tense with lingering fear.
"What happened?!"
Before Ian could even gather herself to speak, she saw Rea trembling in Ian’s embrace with tears welling up in her eyes.
"Don't blame Clara. It's my fault for upsetting her. Thankfully, I'm okay. She's still young, don’t be too harsh on her ..."
Her voice trembled as if she had been truly frightened, tears falling pitifully down her delicate face.
The surrounding guests looked at Clara with subtle glances. Especially Ian. His brows were furrowed and his eyes were filled with anger.
"I would never try to harm her! Even if I wanted to, how could I possibly make a chandelier fall …." Clara tried to explain, but then she caught sight of the slight smirk playing on Rea's lips. She understood instantly. This was a trap.
"Clara! There are witnesses and evidence. What more do you have to say for yourself?" Ian shouted at her.
"I used to think you were just childish and spoiled. However, now, you’re willing to drop a chandelier on someone? This is beyond immature … it's despicable!"
The words sliced into her like a knife.
Clara stared at him, unblinking. She was unable to believe what she was hearing. He knew that having no real family was her deepest wound. Yet now, for Rea’s sake, he had chosen to plunge the knife himself.
She just stood there, mumbling and trembling uncontrollably. However, Ian had no time to spare her another glance. He turned back to Rea, lifted her into his arms and carried her away to the hospital without hesitation.
The main characters had left so the engagement party could no longer continue. The guests quickly dispersed, leaving Clara sitting alone on the couch with hollow eyes.
She tried to call Ian to explain but each of her calls got declined.
It wasn’t until the first rays of dawn broke through the sky that Ian finally returned, looking tired as he walked in with Rea.
Clara hurried forward and greeted him, "Brother, I swear I didn’t do it."
However, Ian didn’t even lift his eyes. He simply pulled Rea along and kept walking. He did not even bother to acknowledge her.
Desperate, Clara ran to block their way. Her eyes were already wet with tears as she spoke. Her voice choked with emotion. “Can you believe me this one time? You used to say that you would always believe in me."
She spoke through quiet sobs, tears falling like scattered pearls.
From childhood until now, no matter what happened, Ian had always trusted her without question. She had once asked him why.
Back then, he had simply smiled, ruffling her hair with a look of effortless warmth in his eyes and said, "Since I'm your brother, it's natural to trust you."
However now, Ian only stared at her coldly and said coldly, “Doing something wrong and still not admitting it is a disgrace. Now, kneel down and apologize to Rea right away,”
Clara's eyes widened. With bloodshot and swollen eyes, she looked up at him in despair.
This was Rea's plan all along.
