Chapter 21
The fake Winifred was frightened by Kendall’s hysterics. She didn’t dare say anything else to him and scrambled to her feet before fleeing.
Kendall stood in the rain, the anger and anguish in his eyes refusing to dissipate. He knew he was acting like a madman, but he’d already lost his beloved Isabel. Nothing else mattered anymore.
Half a month later, someone lured John into gambling. His family was already impoverished, and it now teetered on the brink of collapse under the weight of the crushing gambling debts.
The fake Winifred wanted to escape her family, which had now become a bottomless pit, but she didn’t get the chance to do that. She worked hard to make money every day, and her hands that had once been smooth and supple became cracked and bloody from the labor.
However, whatever money she made was only a drop in the ocean compared to John’s gambling debts. Later, when the debt collectors came knocking, he knocked her out and handed her over to them like she was a product for sale.
When she regained consciousness, she found herself gagged and bound on a train to Southeast Elasia. As she watched the scenery outside change and slowly disappear, she shut her eyes, feeling exhausted. Tears of despair streamed down her face.
The fake Winifred knew what awaited her. Regret consumed her, but it was too late for that.
Meanwhile, Linda lay on a hospital bed, her eyes bulging in her pale face. She’d lost so much weight that she was merely skin and bones.
Felix hurried into the hospital ward with a container of food, his shirt wrinkled. He looked haggard, too.
Linda struggled to sit up. She clutched Felix’s hand and asked anxiously, “How did it go? Did you manage to see Kendall? Is he willing to help save your father?”
Felix rubbed his face and shook his head helplessly. His cheekbone was still throbbing painfully–Kendall had punched him.
Gordon had already been locked up for a month, and the prosecution would begin the following month. Felix had asked a lawyer for advice and was told that intentional assault carried a minimum sentence of five years‘ imprisonment.
Felix couldn’t bear to let Gordon suffer behind bars because of his age, so he’d spent a fortune begging everyone he knew for help. However, the friends and family who had once sucked up to him avoided him like the plague. They weren’t just unwilling to help–they didn’t even want to see him.
Felix had been left with no choice but to head to the Johnson residence to beg for help.
Kendall had opened the door, but he’d looked at Felix like he was a stranger. They were good friends who’d grown up together, yet they had turned their backs on each other.
Upon hearing Felix explain why he was there, Kendall had merely said, “You’re reaping what you sowed.”
That had instantly infuriated Felix. He charged forward and grabbed Kendall’s collar, shouting, “My parents watched you grow up, Kendall! How can you say such heartless things?”
Kendall looked him in the eye without the slightest bit of fear. “Did I say anything wrong? You guys have mistreated Izzy since she was a child. You forced her to learn those things she wasn’t interested in. She practiced the piano until her hands seized up, yet you guys never praised her even once.
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“And after she grew up, you obnoxiously took whatever you wanted from her because you thought you gave her everything she had! You abandoned her without even batting an eye!”
Kendall continued, “You guys have never loved or respected her, yet you treated a scheming impostor like she was a precious treasure. You know what? Izzy never hurt that impostor.
“The fake Winifred orchestrated everything, and you walked right into her trap! You tormented Izzy for her! Aren’t you getting what you deserve now after all the evil and heartless things you did to Izzy?”
Felix trembled with rage upon hearing his best friend say the most hurtful things. He roared, “You keep saying it’s our fault, but are you any better than
us?”
Kendall had bottled up his emotions for far too long. He no longer held back and swung a fist at Felix. The two of them got into a brawl, but Felix was no match for Kendall after wearing himself thin trying to save his family. He ended up bruised and battered before being thrown out of the villa. Linda could guess what had happened when she saw the bruises on Felix’s face.
He became choked up as he told her about the truth he’d learned from Kendall. “Mom, Izzy never ever hurt anyone. We all misunderstood her in the past… Linda burst into tears at his words. “We misunderstood her, and we hurt her so badly. It’s all our fault!”
