Chapter 28 She Just Wanted a Compliment
Finished
The whole house was thick with smoke, only he and Chloe were left inside. After a long moment of hesitation, he made his way to Chloe’s room
Chloe was sleeping restlessly. The moment she heard the door creak open, she bolted upright, wide–eyed with fear, shrinking beneath the
Hayden frowned, stubbed out his cigarette, and spoke impatiently. “Don’t be scared. I’m not going to hurt you. I was just mad earlier: it wasn’t even at you.”
Chloe stared at him, stunned, but she slowly began to calm down, her clear, dark eyes never left his face.
Hayden grew irritated under her gaze. He didn’t know what else to say, so he turned to leave.
Suddenly, Chloe asked, “Uncle… are you my mom’s fourth older brother?”
Hayden paused mid–step and fooked back at her, surprised
Chlor clutched the teddy bear Marvin had given her, her voice soft and sweet. “Mom said her fourth brother had a really bad temper, but she also said that even though he was hot–tempered, he was a good person
Hayden tilted his head lightly, unable to tell whether she was being sincere or not. “Your mom said something nice about
Alice had always seemed to hate them most of all.
Chloe nodded. “When Mom got drunk, she would talk about you guys. She said you were all really sinart; that she was the only stupid one. She said you always made fun of how dumb she was, but sometimes… you’d help her too. So I knew who you
Hayden let out a dry laugh. “When did ever make fun of her for being dumb? I never-
Then, suddenly, a memory of Alice flashed in his mind-
Alice had stood in front of him, proudly waving a test paper. “Hayden, look! I finally passed Algebra 2! It was so hard!”
He had snerred. “Algebra 2 is hard? You do know Natalia got a perfect score on the SAT at your age, right?”
Alice’s face had fallen; her smile disappeared. “What’s that supposed to meant I studied really hard for this! I’m not like you guys! Do you have to talk like that?”
He had laughed loudly. “Sure, you worked real hard. But what can I say? You’ve always been the dumbest one in the family. You’re not like us. I can’t imagine how hard it must be for someone like you to pass a test.”
Back then, her face had turned as red as a tomato. But she hadn’t fought with him; she’d just turned and walked away, quietly.
He hadn’t thought she’d stayed mad about a stupid joke like that all this time
Hayden muttered awkwardly, “Your mom was really petty”
Chloe raised her bows and tried to explain. “I don’t know what happened between you two, but every time she drank, she cried. She said you all were never satisfied with her.”
She still remembered the first night her mom picked her up—how excited she’d been. But that night, her mom had gotten drunk and started hitting her.
When she got tired of hitting, she hugged her and cried, “Why? Why is nothing I ever do enough for them? Is it just because I’m the dumbest one in the family? Just because I was born a mistake? Then tell me, Chloe–what’s right? People like us why
do we even cuu?
That sentence… she remembered it to this day.
The thing het mom had said to her the most was that her birth was a mistake.
And every time, the added that Chloe was a mistake too. A mistake born from a mistake.
Chapter 28 She Just Wanted a Compliment
Finished
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Chloe slowly sat up “I know my mom did something terrible. She’s a murderer, she committed a lot of crimes. But Uncle, all she really wanted was to hear a single word of praise from you. Even if she did wrong–m not asking you to forgive her–1 just hope you won’t think she was truly evil. Is that okay?”
She had always thought her mom was pitiful.
She had always felt that she and her mom shared the same sorrow.
Hayden felt a tightness in his chest: hearing that, he couldn’t explain what he felt inside.
Alice was dead now, forgiveness or not—it didn’t really matter anymore.
He turned and waved his hand, frustrated. “I got it. Go to sleep. I’m not leaving. I’m staying here until we find a nanny. And just call me ‘Uncle, alright?”
Chloe blinked, then suddenly lit up. She nodded hard. “Okay! Uncle!”
Hayden gave her an awkward glance and grunted. “Calm down. You’ve got an interview tomorrow morning. You better do a good job and earn your rent. I didn’t get along with your mom: I’ve got no reason to raise you”
She nodded with all her might. “I will!”
Meanwhile, at the Tate family villa, a woman suddenly woke with a start; she sat up in bed, gasping for air.
Andres walked straight over and sat down beside her with concern. “Natalia, another nightmare?”
Natalia’s eyes were dark and unfocused. It took her a while to steady her breathing before she looked at Andres, drenched in sweat. “Andres, I dreamed of Alice! I saw her trapped in a swamp: no matter how hard I pulled. I couldn’t get her out. I watched her get buried alive! Is she in trouble?”
