He Lost Me to His Best Friend novel Chapter 1008

Hearing this, Corinne went deathly pale. Panic set in, and she guiltily averted her gaze, staring at the floor.

Her eyes darted nervously.

"I... what kind of relationship would I have with her? She's just your aunt's adopted daughter, so I naturally..."

Clarissa had no patience for her lies.

"Mom, stop playing dumb. I know exactly what kind of person you are."

"If you hadn't orchestrated that whole mess, he wouldn't have been so entangled with Sylvia in the first place, and his marriage wouldn't have fallen apart."

"As far as I'm concerned, you are the root of all this dysfunction. A rotting tree bears rotting fruit."

"You've been locked up multiple times now. At your age, if you have even a shred of self-awareness left, you'll stop causing problems for him."

"That's all I have to say. Good luck to both of you... I don't want to say anything else."

"Honestly, I've completely given up hope that this family will ever get its act together."

With those final, cutting words, she shook her head, turned on her heel, and walked out without looking back.

Yardley and Corinne stared at her retreating figure, an incredibly complex mix of emotions swirling in the silence.

His older sister, the one person who had actually been able to help him navigate the business world, was dropping everything and walking away.

He felt as though every useful, rational person in his life was abandoning him, leaving him surrounded by nothing but monsters and liabilities.

He let out a heavy sigh, his brow furrowed so deeply he looked as though he had aged a decade in minutes.

-

After packing her bags, Clarissa thought about it for a long time before finally dialing Scarlett's number.

Time had flown by, and Dawn was already nearing her second birthday.

As her aunt, Clarissa had never done a single meaningful thing for the little girl. Now, as she prepared to leave her earthly life behind, she wanted to give Dawn a gift.

Since she was joining the convent, she would have absolutely no use for her massive collection of brooches and earrings.

She used to be obsessed with them, spending years tracking down classic, timeless pieces. She had an entire display cabinet full of them.

Was she asking for Yardley?

But before the thought could even fully form, Dawn giggled, sprinting right into Julian's open arms.

In that instant, a complicated knot of emotions twisted in Clarissa's chest. But as she watched Julian hold the little girl with such utter devotion and tenderness, the feeling evaporated.

Kids were simple. They loved whoever loved them back.

Julian was clearly an incredible father. In that regard, her brother truly didn't measure up.

Seeing the family laughing together, a picture of perfect harmony, Clarissa suddenly felt like an intruder.

She was just about to turn around and quietly leave when Scarlett spotted her.

"Clarissa, are you looking for me?"

Scarlett called out across the yard.

Clarissa stopped in her tracks and slowly turned back around.