Chapter 18 I Hate Her
“No matter what, I am determined to seek justice for Lyla.”
Finished
Clara’s voice was firm and unwavering. She turned to Ms. Cindy and said, “Ms. Cindy, please bring Wesley here. I expect him to apologize to Lyla. If not, I won’t hesitate to send a legal notice to his guardian and pursue this matter further.”
Francis’s face darkened. He was growing increasingly frustrated. “Clara, that’s enough. Just because she calls you ‘Aunt,’ you think you’re really her relative? Have you forgotten that you’re an orphan? The only family you have is me and Wesley. Yet you insist on making trouble for him over an outsider?”
Outsider?
Clara clenched her fists. If she hadn’t been keeping her true identity from him, she would have laughed in his face at the irony of his words. But even now, she had no intention of backing down.
“Whether she is an outsider or not, I am her guardian, and I have a responsibility toward her. Even if Wesley were my own child, if he did something wrong, I would still make him apologize.”
Francis fell silent.
Before coming here, the teacher had already briefed him on the situation. Though he did not understand why Wesley had suddenly lashed out, the fact remained that his son had hurt
someone.
“What? Do you think it’s right for Wesley to bully others?” Clara’s voice sharpened as she stood and challenged him.
up
Francis hesitated, unable to respond.
Seeing his silence, Clara let out a derisive laugh. Her eyes glowed with cold disdain. “If you truly think that, then I must have been blind to have ever fallen for someone as heartless and foolish as
you.”
Francis‘ face paled, his lips parted as if to retort, but no words came out.
Clara had spent the past few days with Lyla and knew well that she was not the type to provoke others. On the other hand, she was more than familiar with Wesley’s temperament. When she had been the one raising him, at least she could curb some of his unruly behavior. Now, with Natalie whispering poison into his ear, he had become even worse.
Just like last time, at the fireworks event, Wesley had nearly pushed Zoe off the viewing platform. Even if it had been unintentional, the consequences could have been dire.
Ms. Cindy, seeing the argument escalating, quickly interjected, “Mr. Pierce, Ms. Clara, please, let’s not argue further. Let’s bring Wesley here and ask him about what happened first.”
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get the better of her and do something irreversible–like finalize their divorce.
He nodded. “Fine. Let’s ask him.”
Finished
Clara had no objections either. She had already asked the teacher to bring Wesley over so they could hear his side of the story. After all, he was still her child, and she didn’t want things to get uglier than they already were.
Shortly after, Wesley was brought into the office.
The moment he spotted Clara and Lyla standing together, his eyes filled with fury. With a sharp huff, he stomped past them and ran straight into Francis’s arms. “Daddy.”
Francis knelt down and pulled him into an embrace, his expression serious. “Wesley, tell me. Why did you hurt this little girl?”
Wesley lowered his head, avoiding his father’s gaze. He was afraid of him.
Seeing his hesitation, Francis’s voice grew colder. “If you don’t answer me, I will assume you did it on purpose, and I’ll punish you.”
At the mention of punishment, Wesley grew anxious. His gaze darted from his father to Clara before finally landing on Lyla. His face twisted in resentment as he gritted his teeth. “Mommy doesn’t care about me anymore because of her! I hate her, so I pushed her! I told the other kids to bully her too!”
Lyla flinched and instinctively moved closer to Clara, seeking comfort.
Clara’s heart ached as she tightened her arms around Lyla, soothingly patting her back. But her eyes remained locked onto Francis, burning with silent fury. “What do you have to say now, Francis?”
Francis had not expected this answer. Despite knowing that Wesley was at fault, he could not help but think, would this have happened if Clara had not abandoned Wesley?
“Yes, Wesley was wrong,” he admitted, meeting Clara’s eyes. “But don’t you have some responsibility in this too?”
Clara almost laughed at the absurdity of his words.
Was he seriously blaming me? Did he expect me to take responsibility for not raising Wesley properly?
Back when she was the one raising him, there were no such incidents. Now, under Natalie’s. influence, things had clearly deteriorated. And yet, Francis still had the gall to blame her?
Just as she was about to retort, he continued, “If you hadn’t insisted on divorcing me, if you hadn’t ignored Wesley and gone to care for someone else’s child, he wouldn’t have acted out like this.”
Clara was stunned for a moment, then let out a bitter laugh.
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to Francis. “I pity him for having a father like you.”
Finished
Francis’s face turned an ugly shade of green. He was not trying to shirk responsibility. He was just trying to explain Wesley’s perspective. Was it really wrong for his son to crave his mother’s attention?
“You’re a terrible mother! You can’t talk to Daddy like that!” Wesley suddenly yelled, stepping protectively in front of his father.
“If you hadn’t spent all night watching fireworks with her, if you hadn’t ignored me this morning when I called you, I wouldn’t have done it!” He turned on Lyla, his voice filled with anger. “It’s your fault! You must have said bad things about me to Mommy! That’s why she won’t talk to me anymore!”
Clara looked at him, her gaze icy and devoid of warmth. “Wesley, I am no longer your mother. Natalie is. Isn’t that what you wanted? So what exactly are you complaining about now?”
For the first time, Wesley felt a pang of fear. The coldness in Clara’s voice was unlike anything he had ever known. He stood frozen, unable to respond.
Clara turned back to Francis. “Now that we know the full story, you have two choices. An apology, or a legal battle. Your call.”
Francis stared at her. Did she really have to push things this far?
He knew there was no room for negotiation when he met her unwavering gaze. Letting out a deep sigh, he turned to his son. “Wesley, apologize.”
Wesley’s eyes widened in shock. “Daddy, why should I apologize? I did nothing wrong!”
Clara felt nothing but disappointment when she saw Wesley refused to admit his mistake, even
now.
A mocking smirk curled on her lips.
Francis felt a sharp sting in his chest. Her mocking smile was like a cruel reminder of his failure.
“Wesley, do you really think there’s nothing wrong with bullying another child?” His voice grew heavier, laced with an unmistakable sternness.
Wesley shrank back with a flicker of fear in his eyes, but he refused to waver, stubbornly. He shouted with his fists clenched, “No! I won’t apologize! If it weren’t for her, Mommy..
