Chapter 66
Nate wore a look of smug satisfaction. “Dealing with a woman like Sharon, someone with no income or support? There are plenty of ways to make her cave.”
He turned to Carter. “Just give her a few days of cold treatment. After that, I’ll come up with a couple of tricks. I guarantee she’ll come crawling back.”
Carter didn’t respond. Instead, he shifted his gaze to Kelly.
“Kelly, you fell down the stairs on your own. Why didn’t you tell us what really happened?”
A flicker of panic passed through Kelly’s eyes-brief, almost imperceptible, but not enough to escape Carter’s notice. He wasn’t like Nate or Theo. He wasn’t that easy to fool.
The things she’d said earlier… There had definitely been a hint of manipulation.
Tears shimmered in her eyes as she looked at him. “I thought Sharon went to Theo’s kindergarten to apologize to Theo and you. I just wanted to take her to you… Maybe I got too anxious. I reached out to grab her, and I honestly can’t say whether she shook me off or if I just slipped.”
Nate chimed in, “Carter, Kelly meant well. That video from earlier clearly shows she was taking Sharon to find you. And Kelly never said it was Sharon who pushed her, not once.”
He paused for a moment, then muttered under his breath, “Even Theo said it was her… If your own son says so, who’d doubt it? Besides, Sharon’s always picking fights with Kelly. If people misunderstand her, that’s on her, isn’t it?”
Theo lowered his head. “Dad, I’m sorry. I made a mistake.”
Kelly quickly said, “Carter, Theo’s still young. It’s normal for him to misread things. If you need to blame someone, blame me. I shouldn’t have tried to talk to Sharon in the first place…”
She looked at Carter with pleading eyes. “Please, Carter… I’ve already learned my lesson. Just don’t be angry with Theo, okay?”
Watching her take the blame so willingly, Theo felt a rush of mixed emotions-grateful and wronged all at once.
Kelly was always kind. Unlike his mom, who seemed to enjoy upsetting him on purpose.
What he didn’t realize was that Kelly, though she appeared to shoulder the blame, had carefully shifted the responsibility onto him, distancing herself completely from the incident.
Carter’s expression finally eased a little. “Kelly, this has nothing to do with you. If you hadn’t tried to chase after Sharon, you wouldn’t have fallen. Just rest for now.”
The words had barely left his mouth when his phone rang.
He answered, and his sister Denise’s panicked voice came through on the other end.
“Carter! Mom’s out of meds again. Sharon didn’t deliver them on time, and now her headaches are back. She hasn’t come downstairs all day-it’s worse this time. You need to tell Sharon to send the medicine right away!”
Carter frowned. “What does Mom’s medication have to do with Sharon?”
Sharon brought
“You know Mom’s had those headaches for years. None of the doctors could help. Then, a couple of years ago, her some herbal medicine from an alternative medicine specialist. She said it could ease the pain. And it actually worked. Ever since then, Sharon’s been bringing her that regularly. This time, it’s been more than three days!”
She paused, then added angrily, “Do you think she’s doing it on purpose? Trying to control Mom with the medicine? Even if she’s mad, this is our mother’s health we’re talking about. How can she use it as leverage?”
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Carter was silent for a long time before he finally spoke.
“She’s been sending the medicine for years?”
“At least two,” Denise replied. “You brought in so many specialists for Mom, and none of them helped. But whatever Sharon gave her-it worked.”
“What kind of medicine was it?”
“I’m not really sure. She said it came from an alternative medicine specialist. Mom had it checked by another physician. There was nothing harmful in it. But the headaches have been going on for decades… It’s probably going to take years of treatment to fully cure them.”
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