Chapter 133

Stephen froze in place, his throat tightening. After a long moment, he finally whispered, “I’m sorry.”

Abigail sneered, “Your apology means nothing to me. It’s cheap and disgusting. I’m only coming back to Gibson Villa because of Grandpa, not because of any of you. Don’t forget. You pulled every trick in the book to keep me from seeing him back then.”

Abigail finished speaking and turned to leave.

Stephen called out again, “I’m sorry.”

Abigail felt exhausted by the whole thing and simply walked around him. She genuinely couldn’t be bothered talking to Stephen about this anymore. She was tired of it all, and it felt like a waste of time.

Stephen stood there for a while before letting out a long sigh. He pulled out his phone and called Ralph.

As soon as Ralph picked up, Stephen’s voice cracked. “She still won’t forgive me. Do I really disgust her that much?”

Ralph’s voice was calm. “What we did back then was already shady enough. Are you free? If so, come over. I’ve found out some things about the car accident and want to discuss them with you.”

“Okay.” Stephen hung up immediately.

They met at a restaurant, and as soon as Stephen sat down, he couldn’t help asking, “Isn’t it kind of cruel to go digging into all this behind Daniella’s back?”

After all, they’d grown up together. Stephen had started having second thoughts during the drive over.

Ralph looked completely unfazed. “You think we’re being cruel to her? What about all those years Abigail suffered? Who’s going to make that right? If I’d known back then that you were making her take Daniella’s place, I never would have agreed to it.”

Stephen slumped back in his chair, clearly frustrated. “But if we’re dredging up old stuff now, doesn’t that mean she went through all that for nothing?”

“So basically, you’re still taking Daniella’s side. In that case, just leave.” Ralph’s expression turned ice-cold.

“Hey, come on. Don’t be like that.” Stephen was torn.

Ralph was genuinely furious about learning the truth behind everything. “Stevie, I had no idea that’s how Abigail ended up in prison. Do you really think I would have gone along with it if I’d known?

“Sure, I didn’t have feelings for my arranged fiancée back then, but that doesn’t mean I’d be okay with something this huge!

“And after she came back from prison, you all treated her like garbage. I honestly don’t understand what’s wrong with you Gibsons.”

Ralph was livid. ‘Why is Stephen still defending Daniella at this point?‘ he thought.

She had made Abigail take her place in prison while she lived it up, enjoying all the perks of being the family’s precious daughter.

Meanwhile, Abigail spent three years behind bars, getting bullied and branded as a murderer. All of that should have been Daniella’s burden to carry.

“So you’re cutting me off over this?” Stephen couldn’t help getting angry.

Ralph sneered, “Shouldn’t I cut you off? You Gibsons need to stop acting like everything you do is justified! Was any of this Abigail’s fault? Why are you still worried about Daniella?

“She broke the law and deserves whatever punishment she gets. Your whole family are still protecting her. Are you all completely clueless about how the law works?”

Ralph stood up, ready to leave. Stephen immediately stepped forward and grabbed his arm. “Back then we just… we didn’t like Abigail, so we acted that way. But I regret it now.”

“What good does regret do? Can you give Abigail those three years back? Time doesn’t work backwards. You’ll never understand what she went through.” Ralph truly regretted mocking Abigail when he’d picked her up from prison that day.

This whole mess wasn’t even her fault.

Ralph walked out of the restaurant with Stephen following close behind. Stephen’s voice carried a hint of apology. “Don’t be mad at me. I’ve lived with Daniella for so many years, so I’m having second thoughts. But if you really want to clear Abigail’s name, I’ll back you up.”

“That’s what you should be doing anyway. And Daniella isn’t some victim here. She’s been living Abigail’s life as the pampered daughter for over 20 years. Even after Abigail came back, she kept making her life miserable, targeting her, and spreading lies about her. What’s there to feel sorry for?”

Ralph shot the question back at Stephen, who stayed quiet and looked increasingly agitated.

“If she’s the victim, then Abigail’s the one who got screwed looking back.

Meeting your Gibson family ruined her entire life!” Ralph said and walked away.

Stephen stood there watching him leave, not moving for a long time.

Ralph was a tough guy to get close to, and people never really knew what was going through his head.

But Stephen understood him well enough. Ralph had strong principles and couldn’t stomach the idea of someone else taking the fall for a crime they didn’t commit.

The Fletcher family even had lawyers in the family, and Ralph himself had deep respect for the law.