Chapter 120

• Vanessa's voice trembled with a raw, festering fury as she unleashed years of buried pain, her words slicing through the sterile hush of the hospital corridor like shards of broken glass. "Why did my life turn into this living hell? I was pregnant when you left me, Howard—pregnant with your child—and you never looked back. You chose to believe the lies, not me. You never trusted my love, but some venomous rumor? That you swallowed whole."
• Her chest heaved, eyes blazing with accusation as she paced closer, fists clenched at her sides. "They framed me as a cheater, but I never betrayed you—not once. Everything that happened back then was a stupid misunderstanding, but you wouldn't hear it. You never gave me a chance to explain the truth. That woman poisoned your mind with her lies, and you let her. You abandoned me without a second thought."
• Tears welled in her eyes, spilling over as her voice cracked, the weight of lost years pressing down. "After you walked away, I couldn't finish my studies. They kicked me out of my house—my own family turned their backs. I spiraled into alcohol, drugs... everything crumbled. And Ruby? Her condition is like this because of me, but it wasn't my fault alone. You share the guilt, Howard. Because of us—our mess—she's not here anymore. And now, the one person with no blood tie to her, Charlotte, that angel, she's the one fighting to keep her alive, spending every penny. I can't even repay her kindness."