Chapter 22 No More Illusions
“Olive, have you always given us garbage like this? You couldn’t even buy one real thing?”
Colton’s face had gone pale. While the others were arguing, he pulled out the watch Olive had given him not long ago claimed it was some foreign luxury brand.
she
He wiped the face clean and looked again. Fake.
His expression shifted. He wrapped an arm around Betty, who was still quietly crying. “Olive, don’t you think you owe us an explanation?”
Olive clenched her fists. Her mind was racing, trying to come up with an excuse.
She rushed forward and dropped to her knees in front of Betty, sobbing. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you. I didn’t know what else to do.”
Betty stared at her, speechless. All she could see was a much younger Olive – the same little girl who comforted her after Quinn went missing all those years ago. But now, it felt like she was looking at a stranger.
“Olive, what happened to you? We gave you everything. We never once shortchanged you on birthdays. And this is how you
treat us?”
She hurled the fake pearl necklace at Olive. The string snapped, and the beads scattered across the floor.
One hit Olive in the face, leaving a red mark.
Olive cried harder, crawling toward Betty for forgiveness
Betty didn’t move. Her eyes shifted to Quinn, and something in her cracked. She’d spent all these years doting on a girl who couldn’t care less, and pushed away her own daughter in the process.
Colton caught the shift in her expression.
What Olive did was wrong, but they’d raised her. He couldn’t bear to see her totally cast out.
“Mom, don’t be so quick to judge. Maybe Olive got scammed. It’s not like she made this stuff herself.”
That lit a bulb in Olive’s head. She latched onto the idea immediately. “Yes, exactly! I spent all my savings on those gifts. I had no idea they were fake. I’d never hurt you two on purpose!”
Benty’s expression softened. It was a plausible excuse.
were fal
But Quinn laughed coldly. “Really? You, of all people, couldn’t tell they were fake?”
She picked up a bangle with elaborate carvings and turned it in her hands.
“This one looks real. It even has the right weight. But compare it to the necklace you’re wearing and you’re telling me you didn’t notice the difference?”
Olive froze. Her carefully crafted lie unraveled before her eyes.
Then something snapped. She shrieked and lunged at Quinn, furious. “It’s all your fault! Everything was fine until you came back! You’re just here to ruin everything!”
Quinn dodged her easily and turned to Eugene and Betty. “Take a good look. This is the sweet, obedient daughter you raised.”
Both parents stood stunned. This version of Olive the one throwing punches and screaming was completely unfamiliar.
–
It was obvious to them now that none of this had anything to do with Quinn. Olive had just lost control.
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12:11 AM ₫ &
Chapter 22 No More Illusions
Finished
Then she turned on Colton. “And you! What kind of brother are you? Is this how you raise a sibling? Are you all trying to kill me with stress?”
She walked over to Quinn and took her hand gently. Her voice softened.
“My dear… come home. You shouldn’t be out there struggling on your own.”
Quinn pulled her hand back and tucked the pocket watch into her coat.
“Sorry. I can’t afford the cost.
Then she turned and walked out without another word.
What, they expected her to come running back after all this? Please. This was only the beginning
Betty watched her leave, covering her mouth with her hand as tears spilled down her face.
“Ugh…” Eugene let out a long sigh and followed her out.
Colton’s brows farrowed. He pulled Olive up off the floor. She was still crying.
Her sobs grated on his nerves. He finally snapped. “Enough! Crying isn’t going to fix this.”
Olive gasped, instantly silencing herself. She looked up at Colton, desperate.
Send Gifts
I
“Please, help me. Talk to them for me. I didn’t mean to do any of this, Okay, maybe I spent too much, maybe I made some mistakes, but Quinn’s gifts weren’t any better! They were just cheap junk too!”
仙
The Drowned Hement Fire and Ashes
