Shattered Rose He Held On Tight novel Chapter 42

Chapter 42 Alone in the Rain

The little girl who once hid in the shadows, watching other people’s happiness, was no longer the one abandoned.

Mom, you’d be proud of me now.

She smiled quietly to herself.

At the cemetery, Wilson and Lottie saw their sons carrying Lydia. They rushed to open the car

door for them.

“Where’s Claudia?” Lottie asked.

Clarence’s face was cold. “Don’t worry about her. Let her stay there and think about what she’s done.”

Lottie hesitated, but Lydia let out a cry of pain. Lottie hardened her heart. “Let’s go. We need to take Lydia to the hospital.”

Wilson glanced back at the faint figure standing in the rain near the grave. He sighed, frowning.

“Let’s go.”

The two cars sped off into the storm.

The cemetery was remote, and today’s heavy rain kept everyone else away. No one came to pay respects except the Lancasters.

The whole place was silent, except for the rain and Claudia’s breathing.

She stood before the headstone, staring at the smiling woman in the photo. She let the rain soak her face and sank into her chest.

“Is this my punishment?

“But wasn’t Grandma your family too? Why?

“Take my life instead; would that make it right?”

She was shivering from the cold, yet her body burned. Her words grew jumbled, almost like delirium.

Claudia felt like a lonely boat floating alone on the endless sea, waiting to rot and sink,

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forgotten.

When Claudia finally collapsed, a black umbrella opened above her. Strong arms caught her before she hit the ground.

That boat was lifted out of the water.

“Claudia, let’s go home.”

The man’s sharp features were softened by the rain. He spoke in a low, gentle tone.

She let herself sink into his arms.

Jasper had been restless since morning.

He paced the living room a dozen times before finally grabbing his car keys.

Even though Claudia had deliberately provoked him last time, leading her neighbor to almost hand him over to the cops, today was too important. He couldn’t let her face it alone.

As he was leaving, he suddenly stopped, remembered something important, and returned to his room.

He opened a small box–the gift he had carefully chosen for her.

All these years, ever since Zoey’s death, the family has avoided Claudia’s birthday. Only Jasper would sneak her out on this day, take her somewhere fun, and celebrate in secret.

But for the past two years, he had missed it—because this day was also Lydia’s day of grief.

This year, he didn’t want to miss it again.

Just as he reached the door, his mother, Sylvia Fenton, stopped him. Without listening to his urgency, she pulled him into the study. “Your grandfather’s birthday is coming. I picked some gifts. Help me decide.”

“Mom, I have something to do. I’ll look later.”

Her face darkened. “What’s more urgent than your grandfather’s birthday gift?”

She

grew angry at his impatience. “They’re at the cemetery. What does that have to do with you? You’re just an outsider. And if you celebrate Claudia’s birthday, how do you think Lydia will feel?”

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