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Chapter 332 Moving On
Chapter 332 Moving On
It was reason that pushed him to act that way, not his nature.
Lydia’s arrival let the rot in him breathe.
When you hate someone, it means anyone else can be happy–so long as it isn’t you.
Claudia, once the pampered little sister, became the sinner with a ledger full of sins.
He even had ready–made excuses.
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A little older, he probably realized the quiet favoritism his parents hid for him within the family’s power grid.
So, he’d be magnanimous and treat Claudia a little better.
He would sneak over to check on her at night, slip her medicine when she had a fever, and persuade their parents to let her go when their grandmother took her away.
But it was never enough for him to reclaim the role of brother.
Because once he touched more of the real world, he understood: Claudia wouldn’t take a thing from him–but Zane would.
What if Zane turned out charming and accomplished enough?
Lydia–who could read a room–was the first to spot Clarence’s twisted mix of feelings.
They formed a silent pact.
Compared to Claudia, who genuinely cared for Zane, Clarence let Lydia play “big sister” at home and watched her ruin Zane by inches.
With Clarence’s tacit help, Lydia grew bolder.
Clarence kept quiet, busier by the day, speaking up only when she went too far.
“I’ve wondered about that night you came to my apartment because Sterling had hired those burners to hound me. I tossed out our old stories to stir your guilt and buy myself a little peace. And it worked. But did you leave because you truly felt sorry for me … or because you didn’t want to face the fact you’re not as flawless as you pretend?”
Back then, she’d still been naive–actually believing that ragged scrap of family love had
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Chapter 332 Moving On
moved him.
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Looking at Clarence now–face drained, pupils shaking, no answer in sight–Claudia rose to her feet.
Standing while he sat let her see him whole–this brother she’d once had to look up to.
“I did nothing wrong. Not every parent loves their children. Not every older sibling loves the younger ones. Family comes in a thousand shapes, good and bad, and all of them exist. But not being loved is not my fault.”
She let out a calm, almost bittersweet laugh. “Maybe in this lifetime, we’re just two people tied together by the wrong string of fate.
“Still, I forgive it,” she added, tipping her head with a playful grin. “God’s busy, after all.”
She left him there with his pain and, smiling, turned toward the bright, sea–facing doors of the dining room.
“Looking for Claudia?”
Kamila stood in front of Sterling, who’d just come out of their room with a jacket for Claudia.
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