Harry shouted angrily, “You’re talking nonsense! The court already sentenced Camila to five years. She’s long paid back everything she owed your sister.”
William’s expression was cold as ice. “Paid back? She spent five years in prison and walked out still alive and well, while my sister has to live her life as a vegetable in a hospital bed. Tell me, is this what you call paying back?”
“As long as my sister remains unconscious, Camila will never be able to repay the debt,” he said, his voice shaking with
emotion
“Shut up!” Harry’s anger grew more intense. His eyes reddened, his voice growing hoarse from fury. “Camila was beaten, cursed, pricked with needles, forced to beg, and had her leg broken in prison.
“She used to laugh all the time, but now she’s cold, distant, and completely changed. She’s been through so much suffering- how is that not repayment?
He staggered back a few steps, knocking over a chair without noticing. His eyes locked onto William as his chest heaved. “My sister’s a cripple!” he yelled. “Are you satisfied now?”
William’s heart clenched suddenly, as though an invisible hand had gripped it painfully. Camila had turned Emily into a vegetable, and yet, he still found himself instinctively feeling sorry for her. He felt guilty about Emily–he wasn’t a good brother.
Suppressing the unwarranted sympathy, William bit out, “She got what she deserved. The suffering she endured in prison doesn’t even come close to what Emily’s been through. My sister had a bright future, and Camila ruined it.”
With a mocking sneer, he added, “Harry, don’t forget, it was Camila who tried to frame Agnes. You were the one who testified and sent her to prison. Now, you’re worried about her? Who knows how much she might hate you for it?”
Harry’s chest tightened at William’s words. All he had hoped was that Camila would change in prison, become a better person. He never imagined she would be treated like that. His anger clouded his judgment, and he threw a punch at William again.
William quickly dodged to the side, effortlessly avoiding the blow.
Harry stumbled forward and slammed into the bar counter, bracing himself on it, breathing heavily.
“Give me a drink–he slurred, shouting at the bartender.
The bartender didn’t say a word, silently preparing the drink.
Harry grabbed the glass and downed it in one go, the liquor spilling from his mouth and soaking his collar.
Williamn sat nearby, gripping his own glass so tightly his knuckles turned white.
He appeared calm as he drank, but inside, his emotions were in turmoil. He thought, ‘Camila, you were so talented, you had such a bright future. But you chose to hurt Emily. How could you… be so heartless?
The bar was alive with flashing lights, people dancing and enjoying the electronic music, completely oblivious to the chaos unfolding within the Jackson family.
Agnes, crying uncontrollably, was held tightly in Belinda’s arms. Her sobs echoed in the otherwise quiet living room, each one seeming to accuse Camila of her crimes
Belinda said nothing, but her eyes were filled with reproach and disappointment toward Camila
Arthur, his face livid with anger, pointed at Camila and shouted, “Did you push Agnes down the stairs too, hoping she’d end up a vegetable like Emily? Five years ago, you were vicious enough to hurt Emily.
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Chapter 26
“After five years in prison, you still haven’t learned your lesson. Now you want to try it again? You’re completely heartless. Beg and apologize to Agnes!”
Camila coldly met Arthur’s gaze, a wave of indescribable sorrow welling up inside her. She couldn’t understand why Arthur, her own father, was being so cruel to her.
Her heart had already been shattered, but facing Arthur and Belinda’s accusations, she could no longer suppress that burned within her.
the fury
“If others don’t know, Mr. Jackson, surely you do. When Agnes pushed Emily down the stairs, you were standing right there, watching it happen. What’s the matter?
“Have you lied so many times that even you’re starting to believe your own lies? Camila sneered, her voice dripping with contempt.
Arthur trembled with rage, his face turning from ashen to a deep purple. “Shut up!”
“Did I hit a nerve, Mr. Jackson? Five years ago. Agnes pushed Emily down the stairs and framed me for it. Five years later, she staged her own fall and tried to frame me again.
“You know exactly how malicious she is, yet you still accuse me. You’re not blind, you’re just choosing to ignore it.
“Sometimes I wonder, am I your real daughter, or just your enemy? For the sake of an adopted daughter, you’ve ignored the truth and persecuted me.
“Could Agnes be your daughter with that mistress of yours? How else could you dote on her so much?”
At these words, Arthur’s face flushed with anger, as if a secret had been exposed. His rage flared instantly. “You ungrateful daughter, if I don’t teach you a lesson today, then I’m not your father!”
Furious, Arthur yanked off his belt, raising it high before bringing it down on Camila with full force.
The belt whipped through the air with a sharp whoosh, striking Camila’s arm and leaving a deep, red mark. The pain was like a sharp blade cutting through her skin and digging into her bones.
Camila couldn’t hold back a pained gasp, her body instinctively curling up as she tried to shield herself from the relentless blows.
But Arthur, consumed by rage, didn’t hold back. Each strike landed with brutal force, hitting her back, shoulders, and legs. Belinda stood off to the side, her eyes filled with reluctance and sorrow. Her hand instinctively reached up, as if to stop Arthur.
But when her gaze fell on Agnes, who was nestled in her arms, looking so delicate and innocent, her sympathy was quickly smothered by reason. Her lips pressed into a thin line, and she stood motionless, unable to step in
Hazel, frantic with worry, pleaded, “Sir, please stop! Miss Jackson is already hurt. If you keep hitting her like this, you’ll really break her!
But Arthur, now like a wild beast, didn’t seem to care. His fury only fueled his strikes, and the belt whistled through the air with an even sharper sound, landing on Camila’s already battered body.
Her skin was crisscrossed with blood, new wounds stacking on top of old ones. Blood slowly seeped from her cuts, staining her clothes.
Her face was as pale as paper, her lips colorless, and her body trembled from the pain. She tried to move, but her broken leg made it impossible to escape.
She wanted to fight back, but in front of Arthur, a grown man, she felt powerless. Camila, who had been gritting her teeth
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and enduring the pain, finally couldn’t hold back anymore. Tears fell as she wept, overwhelmed by her own helplessness, Hazel’s heart ached seeing her cry, and her own eyes began to redden. She didn’t believe Camila had pushed Agnes down the stairs, but she had no doubt that Agnes, with her malicious intentions, had framed Camila.
Ignoring everything. Hazel rushed forward, using her body to shield Camila..
The belt landed with a sharp “crack on Hazel’s back, but she clung to Camila tightly, murmuring, “Miss Jackson, don’t be afraid ”
Camila’s eyes widened, and she cried out, “Hazel-
Hazel gave her a weak smile. “Miss Jackson. I’m fine. Don’t cry.”
How could Camila not cry? Hazel was just a maid. If she had pretended not to see, it wouldn’t have been her problem. But Hazel had put herself in harm’s way to protect her, and that hurt more than anything Arthur had done.
Arthur, enraged by Hazel’s actions, glared at her and shouted, “Move out of the way! No one is going to stop me from teaching this ungrateful daughter a lesson!”
Camila suddenly lifted her head, her eyes icy cold as she glared at Arthur, a deadly intent flashing in her gaze.
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