Shattered Rose He Held On Tight novel Chapter 254

Chapter 254 The Undeniable Truth

Finished

Preston fixed his eyes on Claudia. “She said, ‘Mom, you told me that a trick doesn’t have to be new as long as it works. If one life can bind a person forever, then maybe another life can tear them apart. Do you think I’ll succeed?“”

That was all Preston could tell her.

But for anyone who knew the Lancasters’s past, that one sentence was more than enough to stir up countless dark possibilities.

After all, everything had started with Zoey’s death.

Preston had once thought about digging deeper, but it had been too long. He lacked the power, and Lydia was far too cautious. He was afraid that learning too much would only get him killed.

So he buried those words in his heart, never daring to investigate further.

Still, he knew–if Lydia really had a guilty conscience, that one line alone would be enough to shake her.

He looked at Claudia with desperate hope. “If her mother’s death really was planned, then this clue could free you from the guilt of that life on your hands. I’m not asking you to spare me— just tell them to stop.”

Claudia’s delicate face tensed, her jaw tightening as her hands curled into fists.

She stood in silence for a long time before saying coldly, “Don’t kill him.” Then she turned and walked out.

Behind her, Preston’s furious, disbelieving roar echoed through the hall. Standing in the doorway, Claudia felt as though she were floating in endless darkness, her thoughts scattered and weightless.

In her memory, Zoey had always been kind to her–kinder, even, than she was to her own daughter, Lydia.

That day, Zoey had spoken to her softly, coaxing her gently.

Children’s memories are blurry, and the storm that took Zoey’s life had also left six–year–old Claudia bedridden with a high fever. When she finally woke, she could no longer tell what was real and what her mind had invented.

All that remained were the adults‘ unwavering accusations—their certainty of her guilt, their

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Chapter 254 The Undeniable Truth

verdict without question.

And one undeniable truth: Zoey was dead.

Not missing. Not unconscious. Dead.

:

She could still remember it–the sticky warmth of blood splattering across her face.

Finished

A woman who had loved her like family. A mother herself. Would someone like that really use her own life to trap a child’s future?

No one in their right mind would believe it.

The car crash had long been ruled an accident–eyewitnesses, physical evidence, even the driver’s confession. Everything fit too neatly. No loose ends. No reason to doubt.

If Preston hadn’t overheard Lydia’s words, no one would’ve ever questioned it.

She’d carried the weight of that guilt for more than ten years, only to find out in the end that the person she mourned had planned it all—for her. What a cruel joke.

Claudia didn’t feel joy from the truth or relief from her past. She just felt empty—numb—like the world had gone silent around her.

Then, a warm hand took hers.

She looked up.

Whitney’s eyes were full of worry as she looked at her friend, whose face could no longer cry or smile.

This world was insane. How could anyone be that ruthless?

If Claudia hadn’t been strong enough to keep fighting all these years, her life would’ve unfolded exactly as Zoey had scripted it—a stepping stone for her own daughter’s success.

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