Abandoned by All I Took It All Back novel Chapter 71

Easton set down the carrying pole.

He bent over, carefully picking up the vegetable seeds Brooke had scattered in the furrow. They were mixed in with the dirt, making them difficult to retrieve.

He was the eldest, and it was his duty to shoulder the family's responsibilities, to look after his younger siblings.

Brooke's words had stung, but he couldn't bring himself to blame her.

"Well, then… you should go back and rest," Easton said, looking up at Brooke.

He felt a heavy weight in his own chest.

He understood Brooke's bitterness. She was supposed to be a wealthy heiress, but instead, she'd ended up suffering with them.

It was the kind of high drama you only saw on TV, yet here it was, happening in their own family.

Brooke dusted her hands together, kicked the woven basket beside her in disgust, and sashayed away.

Following the GPS, the Gables finally found the Holt residence.

When they saw the surroundings, they couldn't believe it. They hadn't known a place this poor existed in Clayborne City.

"What is this dump? And a dirt road? Oh, my god, my twenty-thousand-dollar shoes! Is there a sedan chair or something around here?"

"A sedan chair? In your dreams. Just shut up and bear with it for a little longer."

Cedric was already in a foul mood, his expensive leather shoes caked in mud.

This godforsaken place had roads too narrow for a car, so they'd been forced to park at the village entrance and walk. A recent rain had turned the path into a slick, muddy mess.

"My new sneakers! Ugh! Is this place even fit for humans? It's the middle of nowhere!" Marcus and Victor were equally appalled.

Janina remained silent the whole way. She'd walked roads like this before in the countryside. She trailed at the very back of the group.

After about a five-minute walk, they finally arrived at the Holt house.

It was a two-story structure with a coat of white paint that showed its age.

Genevieve's eyes immediately landed on the girl in a coarse linen dress and a ponytail standing by the gate. A pang of emotion hit her, and her eyes welled up.

Tears immediately streamed down Brooke Holt's face.

"Mom, Dad, brothers… I've missed you so much! Waaaah…" Brooke Holt cried.

No, that wasn't right.

She was Brooke Gable now.

Seeing his daughter cry, Cedric, a grown man, felt his own eyes grow hot.

The thought of his daughter living in this hellhole for twenty-six years made his heart ache.

"Brooke, you've been through too much. From now on, you're my precious daughter. I won't let anyone treat you unfairly ever again."

The two older brothers also stepped forward to comfort their sister.

"Little sister, your name is Brooke Gable now. When we get back, your second brother and I will protect you."

Enveloped in the warmth of her parents and brothers, Brooke felt as though all her past hardships were nothing. She was finally leaving this wretched place and returning to where she truly belonged.