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Chapter 232
Kelly was good at sowing discord–she’d never denied that. But this time, she hadn’t said a word. And yet somehow, the blame still landed squarely on her. She wasn’t about to accept that quietly.
The atmosphere froze in an instant.
Even Kelly, who was usually quick to smooth things over for Carter, suddenly turned her back on him.
The tension in the room thickened, edging into discomfort.
It was Matty’s young, clear voice that finally broke the silence.
“Mr. Biggs, you wrongly accused Sharon. Don’t you think you owe her an apology?”
Sharon lowered her gaze to the boy.
He gave her a mischievous wink.
Clever little boy. Words like that, spoken by him, carried a different weight.
If they had come from Uriah, it would’ve sounded like favoritism.
But Matty was just a child. No matter how fond he might be of Sharon, he couldn’t have come up with all those details if he hadn’t actually heard or seen them.
It landed like a slap across Carter’s face.
His dark eyes dimmed. His Adam’s apple shifted slightly as he gulped.
A few seconds passed before he finally spoke, “…I’m sorry. I misunderstood you.”
Sharon gave him a sidelong glance. “If Kelly’s condition is so delicate, you’d better take her with you. Wouldn’t want to delay
treatment.”
Kelly didn’t want to stay any longer anyway. She held out her pale hand with a pitiful expression.
“Carter, those herbs left so many cuts on my fingers. If it keeps going like this, I might never be able to play the violin again…”
Her fingers did have scattered red scratches. They weren’t deep, but for someone who meticulously cared for her hands, they
were noticeable.
Uriah’s voice came in, cool and unhurried. “Don’t worry, that won’t happen. Back when Sharon was helping me for months, I didn’t see her lose the ability to play. All I asked you to do was sort herbs, not hack your hands off.”
Carter’s gaze shifted toward Uriah. “You knew Sharon played violin?”
The old man frowned. “What, you were married to her for five years and didn’t even know what she used to do?”
Carter parted his lips slightly but said nothing.
Uriah let out a cold snort. “You want to take Kelly with you, fine. But you heard the terms. She has to work here for a week if she wants me to treat her. If she leaves early today, she adds a day.”
Kelly’s expression froze. “Add another day?”
Uriah gave her a sharp look. “What, you think this place is some influencer check-in spot? Somewhere you can just drop by for a selfie and call it effort? If you don’t want to help out here, then stay home. I don’t like forcing people. And I especially don’t like
those whose hearts aren’t in it.”
He gave a short laugh, then turned to Carter with a meaningful glance.
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“Sharon stayed here for months, begging for medicine for her mother-in-law. Some people can’t even last half a day. What can you even expect from that?”
Kelly’s smile faltered. “Uriah, you misunderstood. It’s not that I don’t want to stay. I’m just worried I’ll get in the way I don’t know anything and might mess things up…”
But the old man didn’t buy it.
“Matty is five. He hasn’t once complained about the work. What’s your excuse? You can’t even match a five-year-old? If your so- called terminal illness has gotten to the point where you can’t take care of yourself, then forgive me I can’t treat you”
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