Chapter 177

Claire zipped her lips shut. Looking back now, she figured Nelson agreeing to come to the hospital was already more than she could ask. Considering how strained things were between him and Ms. Grant, it was understandable—his childhood had been suffocating, full of constant demands and brutal standards. He had to master everything, and always be the best. If he slipped, there were serious consequences. Claire didn't know exactly how Grandpa Cooper and Beatrice raised him, but she remembered vividly that whenever Nelson messed up or didn't meet expectations, she'd get sent back to the Thompson house. Days would pass without seeing him. From the Coopers' point of view, she could sort of get it—Old Mr. Cooper lost his son early, and with the family business sliding downhill, he had no one else but Nelson to pin all his hopes on. He was tough on him to make sure Nelson wouldn't be the one to let the family fade out of Jadewick's elite circles. But from a kid's perspective? Claire always th