Chapter 69: Boys Over Girls

Waverly's scathing rebuke struck Raylee as laughable. However, for someone like Harriet, a woman of privilege who rarely lifted a finger, cooking was a rare luxury.

"Waverly, you've misunderstood," Harriet hurriedly clarified. "It wasn't Raylee who knocked it over; it was me. I was careless."

"Mommy, you don't have to defend her anymore," she sobbed. "First, she called the police on my brother, getting him sent to jail. Now she's bullying you. How can she be so cruel?"

Gripping Harriet's scalded hand, Waverly's heart ached. Gently blowing on the burn, she chastised, her eyes teary, "Shut up!"

Raylee abruptly sat up, fists clenched, the bedsheet crumpled in her grip. The fury in her eyes blazed. "Who bullied whom? Samuel got what he deserved! And of all people, you have the least right to criticize me. If you're so concerned about your mother, then take her and leave!"

Two sentences reduced Waverly to tears. Deeply wronged, she covered her mouth, sobbing, struggling for breath. "I know you despise me. I don't know how to appease your anger. Perhaps you should call the police. I'm ready to go to jail to make amends!"

Harriet, deeply affected by Waverly's tears, was instantly heartbroken by her offer to go to jail. "Raylee, Waverly was just caught up in the moment; you shouldn't hold it against her..."

Raylee couldn't stand Harriet's overprotective demeanor toward her daughter. It reminded her of Samuel's attitude toward his sister. Both were infuriatingly obtuse.

She got up, picked up a photograph, and tore it to shreds before tossing the pieces into the air. Countless fragments fluttered to the ground like snowflakes.

Harriet stood frozen, speechless, as if her soul had departed. Raylee glared, teeth clenched, her voice a low growl. "I'm telling you—I wish I had died in that forest when I was ten! Don't think a single photo can guilt-trip me. I have no morality!"

Panic flashed in Harriet's eyes. Looking at the scattered fragments, she realized she had truly lost her daughter forever. Her heart clenched. Tears fell like rain. She murmured, "I know you'll never forgive me, not in this lifetime."

"That's all you need to know! Stop wasting your efforts and time!" Raylee was agitated. She stomped on the fragments, venting her anger. Harriet trembled, eyes brimming with unshed tears, refusing to let them fall.

"Raylee, you want to erase the past... to erase the gratitude you owe me for saving your life," Harriet sniffled. "Even if you don't acknowledge me as your mother, that's fine. But if you refuse to forgive Samuel and insist on pursuing this, then once your grandmother wakes up, I'll have her talk some sense into you."

"How dare you!" Raylee shouted, her face etched with hatred. "You know Grandma would fall ill, yet you let Waverly babble in front of her. Are you really going to repeat the same mistake?"

Harriet's gaze deepened. "For Samuel's sake, I have no choice. The mistake is made. I can only contain the damage before it hurts more people!"

"So, your idea of cutting losses is to have me suffer in silence? And preventing more hurt is letting the culprit roam free?" Raylee laughed. "I understand. I get it now."

"But how do you know Grandma will protect your precious son? Grandma may have wanted peace, but this is life or death. Considering how much she valued me, if I chose to use my position, there's no guarantee she'd side with you!"

"Because Samuel is the only son of the Goodridge family!" Harriet averted her gaze, her thoughts drifting to the past. "Do you really think you know your grandmother better than I do? Twenty years ago, she favored sons over daughters. When your uncle had two girls, she practically pushed him out! She hounded me for years because I only had one son. Don't be fooled by her seeming indifference toward Samuel—she cherishes him deeply. She doted on you only because neglecting your cousin led to a tragedy. You were merely a way of easing her guilt!"