Chapter 82: Stop Making Excuses
Deborah became anxious. Could I have misunderstood? No, that’s impossible! Caleb spent five years in prison, and who knows what cunning skills he picked up from those criminals? I have to be vigilant so that I don’t misidentify the culprit.
Deborah paced nervously by the bed. Suddenly, something sparkly caught her attention. She bent down to pick it up but yelped in pain as soon as she touched it. “Ouch!” she exclaimed, pulling her hand back. Blood beaded on her fingertip, and as she tried to press it, the bleeding only worsened. Her vision blurred, and a wave of dizziness caused her to sway on her feet.
Just then, Yelena stepped out of the neighboring room, alarmed by Deborah’s cry. She rushed over, her voice frantic. “Mom, what’s wrong?” Her tone quickly turned sharp as she spotted Caleb. “Caleb, how dare you hurt Mom?”
Caleb stared coldly at the pair. “She chose to pick it up herself. What does that have to do with me?” He had thought he’d cleaned up all the porcelain shards, but apparently, a few had been missed. I shouldn’t have let Raquel in here in the first place. Great, there goes my chance of getting any sleep tonight.
Yelena’s gaze turned icy. “Stop making excuses! If it wasn’t for your carelessness, would Mom have gotten hurt?” Knowing there was no reasoning with her, Caleb chose to stay silent.
Feeling somewhat better, Deborah gently patted Yelena’s hand. “I’m fine, just feeling a little faint from the sight of blood.”
Yelena replied, “I’ll go get someone to bring a bandaid.” She took a few steps before stopping abruptly and turning back. “Caleb, are you seriously staying indifferent while Mom’s hurt? Hurry up and grab a bandaid from your room!”
Caleb responded truthfully, “I don’t have any bandaids in my room.”
Yelena snapped, “You’re so ungrateful! The Quixall family raised you for over twenty years, and you can’t even spare a bandaid for Mom?” She began rummaging through his room, searching under the bed and checking every corner.
After a lengthy search, she was shocked to discover Caleb hadn’t lied. His room was devoid of even the simplest supplies, let alone a bandaid or cleaning cloth. Feeling awkward but unwilling to apologize to Caleb, she huffed and said, “Mom, wait here. I’ll go grab a bandaid.”
She hurried downstairs, brushing past Raquel and Seiren without paying them any mind. She quickly fetched the medical kit from the living room. After finding a bandaid, she returned to the second floor, only to overhear a heated argument.
“I didn’t do it! What am I supposed to admit?”
“If it wasn’t you, then who else could it be? Someone saw Seiren go into your room and run out crying!”
“That was in the afternoon! And didn’t you say she was choked in the evening? What does that have to do with what happened earlier?”
“So, you’re admitting you started picking on Seiren in the afternoon?”
Deborah and Caleb were in a heated argument. Raquel stood silently, as if invisible, refusing to utter a word. Meanwhile, Seiren stayed quiet, unable to find the right moment to interject.
Yelena frowned as she approached. “Mom, Raquel, did Caleb cause trouble again? What are you two arguing about?”
Raquel sighed heavily. “Someone choked Seiren’s neck. Witnesses say Caleb was the one responsible, but he denies it entirely, claiming he’s being framed.”
Yelena paused for a moment, taken aback, before scoffing dismissively. “Do we really need to confirm this? Who else would resort to violence if not Caleb?”
Raquel murmured in agreement, “Who would argue with that?”