“Drew, I want to help you,” Claire said softly, patting his shoulder.
Drew suddenly slapped himself twice across the face. “It’s all my fault, all my fault…”
“Don’t say that, Drew. It’s not your fault.” Claire grabbed his hand.
Camila turned from the passenger seat, sighing. “What’s done is done. Crying won’t bring the money back. Let’s go home. Have a good meal. Get some sleep, and start fresh tomorrow.” Drew nodded, and his shoulders still trembled.
When they arrived at Claire’s doorstep, Grandma came out of the house with an iron basin. Inside it were cedar wood, red beans, and cinnabar.
She lit it with a match, and smoke began to rise from the basin.
“Drew, step over it,” Grandma said softly.
Obediently, Drew lifted one foot and gently stepped over the basin.
Grandma began to mutter, “Step over the fire, ward off the bad luck, start anew, and good fortune will come.”
After Drew entered the house, Grandma gave him a set of new clothes. “Go take a shower,” she instructed. “It dispels bad luck.”
As Drew went to take his bath, Claire gathered the family in the living room, and her expression was grave.
She started to speak, her voice slightly hoarse, “Mom, Riley, as a daughter, as a sister, and as Drew’s aunt…”
She took a deep breath, her eyes rimmed with red, and continued, “I think I’ve done well.”
Her mother, touched, squeezed Claire’s hand and nodded approvingly. “Of course! I know you’re a good daughter.”
Claire gave a bitter smile, and her eyes were brimming with tears. “Mom, but I’m not a good mother.”
Camila’s heart clenched. She knew her mother always blamed herself for not providing a complete home, a carefree childhood, a strong support.
“What do you mean by that!” Grandma suddenly demanded, letting go of Claire’s hand with a displeased look.
Claire felt a pang of pain, smiling weakly. “If it were me in trouble today, would you sell the old house to save me?”
“Why bring this up now? You’re making a mountain out of a molehill!” her mother said impatiently.
Claire looked at her mother, feeling desolate. “You wouldn’t.”
“Claire, talking about this now is pointless! You did come up with $700,000, but remember, Drew borrowed it because of you,” Melinda said disdainfully from the side.
Claire coldly looked at them. “You always push the blame onto others.”
Camila couldn’t listen anymore, she stood up and glared at Melinda. “Aunt Melinda, how could you say that? Didn’t I say Capital Solutions was unreliable? Did you listen? You wouldn’t let Drew quit his job. In the end, he was just a tool to satisfy your own vanity!”
Melinda was enraged by Camila’s words, and her face turned red. “Shut up!” she yelled, slapping Camila harshly across the face. Ads by PubFuture
Claire immediately stood up, checking Camila’s face with concern. She was utterly disappointed in her family.
“From now on, we’ll go our separate ways…”
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