“You must be the one who made this happen, right? Cody asked.
Clara smiled, “Yes, I am. I don’t care if it’s Cristelle or Lana, any bitches who stand in my way must pay!”
“And you did all this only for a man you can never get?” Cody asked sarcastically.
“What do you know, little bastard,” Clara smiled, but her eyes were filled with tears, “I’ve known Linford for so long. You will never understand the connection between us.”
“Why did you marry his brother if you loved him so much? It didn’t make any sense.” Cody asked again.
“Are you trying to dig out my secrets?” Clara arched an eyebrow.
Cody shrugged as if he didn’t care, “We’re gonna die anyway. Why didn’t you let us know so we won’t feel stupid after getting slaughtered like two animals? Or you’re just scared, to tell the truth.”
“Why should I be scared?” Clara laughed. She put one plate of food before Cody, “Eat it, and I’ll tell you!”
“Cody, don’t,” Alfred tried to stop the boy.
“Shut your mouth, or I will make you bleed again!” Clara hissed at Alfred.
Cody kept asking. “You’ve never loved Uncle Clyde, but you married him anyway. Why? Was it because of Lana White?”
Clara’s face went sad for a short second, but she put on a vicious look on her face again, “I wouldn’t have needed to be a widow if it were not for Lana and her family!”
Cody frowned, “But you shouldn’t have hated them this much if it was the only thing that happened between you and the White family. Did they do something even nastier to you? Why are you trying to plant the murder on them?”
What Clara was doing right now was complete madness. There must be a lot of things he didn’t know yet.
“You’re as smart as your father, boy,” Clara said darkly, “It’s a pity that you’re Cristelle Friesley’s son.
“What did the White family have done to make you act like this today?” Cody was more persistent.
Clara rolled her eyes, “Fine. If you really want to know my secret, I’ll tell you. Palton is among the rich families in this city, but our family is still too low for me to marry a Bradley. Bradley’s first choice was actually Lana White. That woman also happened to be your Uncle Clyde’s, true love. It was only natural if Lana ended up marrying Clyde. But Lana White had never loved Clyde before. Between the twins, she only loved the wilder and more reckless one, which was your father. Clyde’s quiet nature just didn’t catch Lana’s attention. Lana repulsed the agreements between the elders of the two families. She thus played a trick and made everyone think that I was the one who seduced Clyde and got him in my bed. So she could get rid of Clyde and run away. And I had to marry Clyde in the end.”
Lana used Clara and Clyde. No wonder Clara hated that woman that much.
“Everyone, including my parents, thought it was a fucking third wheel. They thought I seduced Clyde and slept with him. Lana was that fragile princess who got her heart broken into pieces because her fiancé and her best friend betrayed her.” The more Clara thought about it, the more hateful she became, “I had been bearing this for years because of that. I didn’t care what other people thought about me, but Linford also misunderstood me. I would never forgive Lana for running my life!”
Cody went quiet for a pause, “I heard you got pregnant when you first married into the Bradley House. Was that true?”
“Clyde and I did nothing… That baby was not even his.” Clara looked devastated as she mentioned the past.
“Who was the father then?” Cody looked into her eyes, throwing another question.
Clara went mad, “I don’t know! I DON’T FUCKING KNOW UNTIL NOW! THAT’S WHY THE BABY HAD TO DIE!”
Alfred and Cody instantly understood what had happened. She must have found a way to kill her own baby.
No wonder Pop would never see her after that. Linford also seemed to be hating her for killing the son he thought his brother left for the family.
“Linford thought I was the one who used dirty tricks to marry Clyde. And he thought I needed to be responsible for Clyde’s sad marriage. But I’ve never done anything they accused me of.” Clara was in tears, “My parents were eager to make me marry Clyde after what happened between us. Granny thought I was the one who destroyed Lana’s perfect marriage. She didn’t even want to speak to me anymore. They knew Bradley treated me coldly, but none of them wanted to help me. I was so lonely and devastated. I cried myself to sleep every night.”
Cody couldn’t understand why Clyde hadn’t taken any action, “And Uncle Clyde just sat back and let that happen?”
Clara sniffed, “Clyde was a tender man. At first, he also tried to protest. But he still yielded under the pressure of his family. He married me and became a good husband. I appreciated his effort, but I was also afraid that he would know the baby in my belly was not his. Luckily, he had never asked anything about it.”
“He had never asked?” Cody frowned.
He didn’t believe Clyde, a tough soldier, would be pushed around like a puppet when it came to issues like his marriage.
“Did he already know something?” Cody whispered to himself.
“You’re quite smart, boy,” Clara laughed sarcastically. “But I was a fool back then. I thought he was acting like that because he was a sweet person. I was even so grateful in our first couple of months. I only noticed what was wrong later. Clyde already knew the truth. He knew Lana had framed me. He also knew that the baby was not his. He was also aware that nothing had ever happened between us. But he didn’t do anything. He just stood there when those people threw those dirty accusations toward me.”
Alfred was stunned by the information, “Why-Why didn’t he…”
“Because he loved Lana,” Clara clenched her teeth, “He loved Lana so much that he was determined to protect her at any cost, even if he had to sacrifice his own happiness. Noble, isn’t it?” Clara laughed, “So, he chose to hurt me and ruin my life because I was irrelevant in their beautiful love story!”