Free Web NovelChapter 236: Why should she be her equal?
When Clara entered Charlotte’s room, it was pitch dark.
The curtains, which should have been drawn open to let the morning light stream in, were tightly shut —sealing the room in an unnatural gloom. The air itself felt heavy... almost suffocating, as if it had been left undisturbed for far too long.
"Mom ..." Clara called out softly, her gaze sweeping across the room. "Are you here??"
At first ... there was no response.
Only plain silence.
Then ... as her eyes slowly adjusted to the darkness —she noticed a faint silhouette lying on the bed.
"Mom ..."
She called again, a little louder this time.
Still, nothing.
Clara’s brows furrowed slightly. A faint unease crept into her chest.
Without waiting any longer, she walked over to the window and pulled the curtains apart.
The moment she did, sunlight flooded into the room —harsh and sudden —chasing away the darkness in an instant.
She turned toward the bed—
And finally saw her mother clearly.
Charlotte was lying there, one arm draped over her eyes, as if trying to block out even the slightest bit of light.
Clara frowned, the unease within her growing heavier.
"Mom ... are you alright?" she asked, stepping closer.
When there was still no reply, Clara slowly reached out. Her fingers hesitated for a brief moment before she gently lifted Charlotte’s arm away from her face.
And that was when she saw it.
Her eyes.
Red.
Swollen.
The skin around them puffy —as if she had cried for hours without stopping.
Clara froze, her breath catching slightly.
"Mom ... what’s wrong?" she asked, her voice lowering unconsciously.
The moment Charlotte’s face was fully exposed, whatever fragile composure she had been holding onto shattered completely.
Tears welled up again, spilling down the sides of her face and soaking into the pillow beneath her.
And then—
She broke.
Soft sobs escaped her lips at first, uneven and restrained —before quickly turning into uncontrollable crying.
Clara’s confusion deepened, unease tightening within her.
Wasn’t her mother the one who had gone to meet Adelyn?
She was supposed to make her give up the role.
So why was she crying like this?
Did something go wrong?
Or—
Did Adelyn refuse?
The thought struck Clara sharply, her fingers curling tightly into a fist at her side.
Her expression darkened for a fleeting second.
If that was true ...
Then how was she going to get that role?
No.
Adelyn had to give it up.
Only then would it belong to her.
"Mom ..." Clara called again, forcing her voice to remain steady. "Don’t be like this. You’re scaring me."
Gently, she supported Charlotte and helped her sit up on the bed.
Then, holding her hands carefully within her own, she asked, "You went to meet Adelyn yesterday ... did she do something? Did she say something that upset you like this?"
Charlotte didn’t respond.
The silence stretched.
And the longer it stretched, the more uncomfortable Clara became.
Unable to tolerate it any longer, she asked directly,
"Did she refuse to give up the role?"
"Even if she did, it’s fine, Mom," she quickly added, her tone softening as she forced herself to appear understanding. "I already told you —I don’t want this role. You don’t have to upset her over it for me. I—"
"Adelyn ..." Charlotte finally spoke, her voice breaking under the weight of her tears. "She ... she accepted to sever her ties completely with us."
Clara paused.
Accepted to sever the ties ...?
Did her mother go to bargain with Adelyn using the Scott family’s name as leverage?
Suddenly, Charlotte’s confidence at the hospital made sense. ƒrēewebnoѵёl.cσm
She must have believed Adelyn wouldn’t dare give up the family over something as trivial as a role.
But—
Wait.
She said Adelyn accepted?
Then doesn’t that mean she refused to give her the role?
Clara’s jaw tightened, and for a brief second, even the carefully maintained expression on her face cracked.
But Charlotte didn’t notice.
She was far too consumed by her own turmoil.
"Clara ... what should I do now?" Charlotte cried, gripping her daughter’s hand desperately. "Adelyn is my daughter too. I loved her equally. I cared for her the same. How am I supposed to bear losing her? No ... I can’t. I just can’t ..."
Clara listened.
And with every word, something inside her twisted —sharp and unpleasant.
Adelyn was loved equally ...
Cared for equally ...
But why?
Why should she be her equal?
Adelyn wasn’t even a Scott.
She was just an orphan.
So how dare she be compared to her —the real daughter?
What had she ever done to deserve that place?
No ...
Adelyn was not her equal.
And she would never allow her to become one.
A faint glint of malice flickered through Clara’s eyes —dark, cold, and fleeting.
Since Adelyn had willingly given her an opportunity to sever all ties with the family...
Then she wouldn’t let it go to waste.
She would make sure that this time —once and for all —everything between them was completely destroyed.
So that in the future ...
Adelyn’s name would never remain a threat to her again.
"Mom ..." she called softly, her expression shifting instantly as she mirrored Charlotte’s pain.
"Don’t cry like this."
She reached out, gently wiping Charlotte’s tears —while letting her own gather and fall just as naturally.
"It’s all because of me," she said, her voice trembling. "If you hadn’t gone there for me ... this wouldn’t have happened. She wouldn’t have threatened you like this. She wouldn’t have humiliated you like this..."
Charlotte suddenly stilled.
And that subtle shift didn’t escape Clara.
A quiet satisfaction rose within her.
But none of it showed on her face.
Instead, she lowered her head, her shoulders trembling as if barely holding herself together.
"And that too ... over a role?" she continued, her voice breaking at the right moments. "I feared it, but I never thought she would go this far. Did she really not care about you at all?"
She looked up, her eyes glistening with tears.
"How could she not?" she pressed softly. "You raised her all these years ... when she was supposed to remain an orphan in this world."
Her words fell gently—
But each one carried just enough weight to settle deep within Charlotte’s already shaken heart.
