Chapter 22

Clara's heart ached. Was the woman yelling at her, spitting with every word, really her biological mother? Her lips trembled—she wanted to speak up, but not a single word would come out. In the end, she just muttered weakly, "Mom, haven't I done enough all these years?" Mrs. Bennett rolled her eyes with a cold snort. "You're the older sister. What do you mean 'enough'? You're absolutely not getting a divorce! Even if you die, you'll still hold the title of Mrs. Collins.!" "Mom!" Clara raised her voice, cutting her off. "Eugene and I have already signed the divorce papers. What more do you want from me?" "What more?" Mrs. Bennett was fuming at Clara's resigned expression. She pointed at her and snapped, "Clara, I'm telling you—go beg Eugene to come back right now. Crawl if you have to! If you don't, don't ever come back to this house. You're dead to me!" Those words cut into Clara's heart like a knife. Beg him? Get on her knees? Her throat seized up. She couldn't breathe. Tears burned a