RedNovelRegret 135 After Charlotte finished the paperwork for Xavier's passing, she got ready to take Rachel home. As they stepped out of the hospital, they ran into Jonathan.
He climbed out of his car and walked toward them, his expression somber. "I heard about what happened in your family," he said quietly.
Charlotte froze, unable to find any words.
Jonathan gave Rachel a respectful nod. "I'm so sorry for your loss, Mrs. Sterling." Rachel simply nodded, her face vacant and hollow, as if she were just a shell.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇt"Jonathan," Charlotte rasped, "I need to take my mom hfirst." "I'm not comfortable letting you drive in your state. Letget you both home.” Jonathan's voice was gentle but firm.
Charlotte looked at him, then nodded. "Thank you." Jonathan drove them to the Sterling house. As they pulled up, a neighbor across the street spotted them. Unaware of the tragedy that had struck the Sterlings, she called out, "Oh, Rachel, is that your son-in-law coming to see you?" Jonathan paused, mid-motion as he helped Rachel out of the car, the word "son-in-law" catching him off guard. But Rachel was lost in her own world, unable to process anything around her, and didn't respond. Charlotte, focused on getting her mother inside, barely registered the comment.
Watching the two women pass by without so much as a wave, the neighbor muttered under her breath, "Such long faces, you'd think someone had died!" Inside, Charlotte guided Rachel into the house, with Jonathan lending a hand. Once Rachel was back in her bedroom, she finally spoke, her voice barely a whisper. "I'd like to be alone for a while." Charlotte hesitated, worried, but she knew her mother needed space after everything that had happened. "Mom, I'll be right outside. Callif you need anything." She closed the bedroom door quietly.
In the living room, Jonathan watched her anxiously. "How's your mom doing?" 1/3 13.03 Chapter 135 Charlotte shook her head. "She'll be alright." Jonathan stepped closer. "Charlotte, if you need anything-anything at all-just ask. And don't try to shoulder this alone." He rested a comforting hand on her shoulder.
His kindness almost broke her resolve.
"Let yourself cry if you need to," he whispered.
At his words, Charlotte couldn't hold back any longer. She pressed her hand to her mouth, doing her best to stifle her sobs.
Jonathan drew her into his arms, holding her as she wept, gently rubbing her back in comfort.
Three days later.
Xavier's funeral was simple and unadorned. Aside from Darleen, who cout of genuine grief, most of the Sterling family seemed more interested in what they could inherit than in saying goodbye.
Abigail and Uncle Alistair had already begun plotting, and, right in front of the casket, Abigail lashed out at Rachel. "If it weren't for my son marrying you, would he have died so young? You're nothing but bad luck! And now you think you can take over the Sterling family's property?" Rachel stood quietly through the tirade, silent and unmoving.
Charlotte stepped into the hall. "That's enough!" Everyone turned to look at her.
"When my father was alive, did any of you ever lend him a hand? Now that O he's gone, you think the house and the business are suddenly yours? He hasn't even been gone a week-do you even hear yourselves?"
No one answered. Alistair's wife, Adelaide, gave a tight little smile. "Didn't Xavier split off from the m family? He was still a Sterling, wasn't he? Besides, I'm only thinking of your best interests. With Xavier gone, it's just the two of you now. You ought to move back in with the family, don't you think?" Charlotte gave a cold laugh. "Move back in? So my mother can wait on you hand and foot? You all know perfectly well why my father left in the first place." Xavier had separated from the family to escape their constant exploitation.
9/2 13:03 Chapter 135 He wanted nothing more than to see the Sterling nrestored, for his son to succeed, to finally break free from the unfairness his own family had inflicted on him.
Charlotte fixed Abigail with a scathing look. "You always favored my uncle just because he married someone with a bit of status, so you could use her as the family's trophy daughter-in-law. If it weren't for my father giving you your only grandson, you'd have cut us off years ago. If he hadn't been your last hope for the Sterling name, you wouldn't even be here today, would you?" 12.02
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