She longed for her parents' love, and for that, she paid the price of five years in prison, a broken leg, deafness, and the loss of a kidney.
Her body was already battered, unable to bear more burdens.
And now, they wanted her to pay for Ethan's impulsive mistakes.
For the sake of The Linwood Group, Claire was certain the Linwood family would come for her again.
She resented the Linwood family, and she feared Brian the most.
She had experienced Brian's torment in prison, the darkest chapter of her life, a nightmare she never wished to relive. Her body could no longer withstand such torture.
Therefore, she had to leave Cresthaven as soon as possible, to disappear to a place they could never find her, and live out the rest of her days in peace.
She counted the money in her hand, a total of two thousand dollars, all given to her by May.
Thinking of May brought tears to Claire’s eyes.
She wondered if she would ever have the chance to repay her.
She stood by the roadside and finally managed to flag down a taxi after a long wait.
“Where to?” the driver asked, rolling down the window.
“Sir, how much to Southtown Station?”
“You’re leaving Cresthaven? If it were daytime, three hundred would cover it, but it’s so late now. It’ll be a bit more expensive, five hundred and fifty. Is that okay?”
Without hesitation, Claire got into the car.
She had made up her mind to leave Cresthaven as soon as possible. Once she reached Southtown Station, she planned to take a train to Hillspire City in the northeast of Vesperia. She had heard that housing there was the cheapest in the country, with a place costing only a few thousand, perfect for someone like her.
As long as she avoided developed cities and crowded places, and stayed hidden in a remote, cold, and resource-depleted city like Hillspire City, she believed the Linwood family would never find her.
Imagining a life of solitude in Hillspire City, a glimmer of hope warmed her cold heart.
Leaning against the window, she gazed at the beautiful nightscape of Cresthaven's city center.
“Attention, passengers! The train from Southtown to Hillspire City is now boarding. Passengers for this train, please gather your belongings and proceed to the specified boarding gate.”
Claire jolted awake, her eyes snapping open.
She looked anxiously towards the boarding gate, where passengers were already lining up.
Claire couldn’t suppress her excitement.
Once her ticket was checked and she boarded the train, the Linwood family would never be able to track her down.
Wasting no time, she hurried to join the line at the boarding gate.
She followed the passengers ahead, step by step, and when it was her turn, she quickly handed her ticket to the conductor.
Just as the conductor reached to take it, a large hand suddenly appeared, enveloping Claire’s slender hand and the ticket she held.
Claire turned to see who it was, and her eyes widened in shock.
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