Chapter 477

“Whatever, it’s not like I matter anyway! I don’t have any ties with the Jewell family anymore, and I definitely don’t deserve a room allocation!”

Calliope sighed dramatically, using her words as a tactical retreat, and shook her head as she returned to the couch.

“I’m not part of the Jewell family. Even if I was, no one would listen to me!”

As she spoke, her gaze drifted up to the family portrait hanging on the wall.

“Sure enough, there’s no place for me in the family photo.” Calliope chuckled softly, “You all look so blissfully happy. Guess I’m just the outsider.”

Monty and the others exchanged uneasy glances.

The family portrait had always been there, and no one paid much attention to it. But now that they looked, Calliope’s absence was glaringly obvious. They had talked about taking another photo over the years, but somehow it never happened. She was never in any of them.

The photo frames on the table showed Lisette and the rest of the family, but there was never one with Calliope. The father and sons all felt a pang of guilt.

When Lisette was around, all their attention was on her. Thoughts of Calliope often got sidelined. But now, without Lisette, they felt a strange clarity.

“Callie, don’t be upset. We’re listening to you!” Monty said quickly. “Your brother definitely deserves the big room. Let’s have him take Lisette’s room! Lisette can stay in the small one.”

“And we should really retake that family photo next time!”

“Yeah, let’s get a new family photo taken! One with all of us in it!”

Calliope nodded, “If you’re willing, I don’t mind either. If we’re talking about moving rooms, why not do it now? That room’s bigger, sunnier, perfect for Horatio to recover in after his surgery. The balcony is spacious too, perfect for him to get some sun!”

“Don’t you think? Lisette won’t mind giving up that room for him, right? After all, Horatio’s always been so good to her. She wouldn’t flip out over something so trivial, would she?”

Calliope was echoing things Lisette had said before, though no one realized it at the time.

They just thought Lisette was easygoing and wouldn't be upset. And indeed, the room seemed perfect for Horatio. It seemed like Calliope was only thinking of Horatio’s well-being.

When Zelda came into the room, she overheard the conversation. She hesitated but didn’t object. After all, Horatio had given up his room to Calliope, so it seemed only fair. Though she liked Lisette, Zelda’s heart was with her eldest son. It seemed natural for Lisette to make this small sacrifice for him.

With Calliope’s gentle nudging, the group started moving items from Lisette’s room, setting up Horatio in the bigger space.

Once everything was settled, they finally sat down to eat.

“We should change that family photo too!” Calliope said, eyeing the portrait behind the sofa.

“Great idea! Once Lisette is back, we’ll get a new one taken with everyone,” Monty said with a smile. “Callie, make sure you eat up. We’ll have a full family photo, with no one missing.”

“Why wait for her to come back?” Calliope asked, a hint of mischief in her voice.