Chapter 83: Isn’t It Good Enough?

Frederick’s voice wasn’t loud, but every word dripped with disdain and cold malice. It felt as though Claire’s heart had stopped at that moment. She sat limply on the bed, watching his figure leave. Her mind swirled with the events of the night before. He had been so gentle last night, but now…

“Of course, Claire, you’re nothing more than a murderer, an irredeemable criminal.” After all, it was Frederick himself who had sent her to prison four years ago. How could she still expect him to love her? From the beginning, no matter what she did, he never gave her a second glance. Especially not after he became convinced that she killed the woman he loved, Anna.

You should have realized it was all just a dream last night. Frederick is drunk, but are you drunk too?”

“Hahaha…” Claire leaned against the bed and laughed, tears streaming down her face. Her laughter was soon accompanied by the sound of her hospital gown becoming soaked with tears. She sat there, staring blankly into space, feeling nothing. For years, all she had wanted was to be with Frederick. Hum sue had finally become his woman, bringing a bitter closure to years of love and sacrifice.

It was good, right? To achieve her wish of being with Frederick, even amidst such despair, with her life hanging by a thread, wasn’t that… enough?

“Isn’t that good enough?” She let out a smile and wiped her tears away. “Since that’s the case, Claire, why are you still feeling sad?” she whispered to herself. Then, she aggressively wiped the remaining tears from her face and stood up, tidying the bed. Every second was precious now. She was no longer the pampered princess of the Prescott family. She desperately needed to make money, and lying in a hospital bed was a waste of time she couldn’t afford. She didn’t have the luxury to wallow in misery. She needed to get out and work.

After straightening the bed, Claire headed out to start the discharge paperwork. She didn’t notice the man who had been quietly observing her from outside the hospital room. That man was one of Diana’s investigators, sent to keep an eye on Claire.

As soon as she left to finalize her discharge, the man called Diana. “Miss, I’m at the hospital now. I’ve gathered all the information. Claire fainted and was admitted to the hospital yesterday, and Mr. Hawthorne came to visit her…”

As he reported back respectfully, Diana got angry over the phone. “What? You’re saying Frederick went to see her willingly?” The moment Diana heard that Frederick had voluntarily visited Claire, she couldn’t think of anything else. It didn’t matter whether he was drunk or not. All that filled her mind was the fact that Frederick had willingly approached Claire. This had to stop. She couldn’t let Claire continue manipulating her brother. If this continued, Claire would eventually win him over completely.

Diana’s mind raced as she grabbed her phone and called Caroline. “Caroline, do you know what happened? Frederick went to see Claire last night, just as we feared…” Diana wasted no time, spilling all the details to Caroline over the phone. Caroline’s initial worry quickly turned into pure hatred and uncontrollable rage.

“Diana, I knew this would happen. What are we going to do? Claire is too cunning! Think about it. Four years ago, she was able to get my sister killed! So, four years later, is she going to come after both of us too? I really feel like I’m not far from death, ugh… Diana, you have to save me!” Anna cried, exaggerating her fear. Caroline listened, then added fuel to the fire, purposely making things sound worse. After everything Caroline had been through to stand beside Frederick, she wasn’t about to let Claire ruin everything she’d fought for. If her sister, Anna, had been with Frederick four years ago, then she could have been. Caroline had the looks and the figure. She wasn’t lacking in any way. Why shouldn’t Frederick be hers?

“Hah, trying to take us down? Claire doesn’t have that power anymore. Don’t worry, Caroline, she’s not the Prescott princess she used to be. Claire’s nothing but a rat now. No, worse, she’s just an ant I could crush under my foot. Don’t worry, I’ll get rid of her quietly.”