The Second Life of a Discarded Heiress novel Chapter 260

But now, every word Clifford had once thrown at Citrine echoed in his mind with painful clarity.

He remembered snarling at her, “Citrine, why do you have to lie all the time? That was a gift from Jeanette, not you. If you keep insisting, I swear I’ll hit you.”

He remembered another time, his voice sharp, “Citrine, if it weren’t for Jeanette, I’d be done for. If you try to take credit for what she did again, I’ll beat you senseless.”

Clifford remembered how angry he’d been, how he’d lashed out and kicked the little girl hard in the stomach.

Her face had gone pale with pain, but he’d just sneered and accused her of faking it.

He’d been so cruel to Citrine.

No wonder she wanted nothing to do with him. In this moment, everything became clear to Clifford.

Without thinking, he swung his hand and slapped Jeanette hard across the face.

Through gritted teeth, he spat, “You’re vile. If it weren’t for you, Citrine wouldn’t have been blamed and she wouldn’t have been cut off from the Iversons. This is all your fault.”

Jeanette covered her cheek, but then smiled coldly at him. “Clifford, it wasn’t me who didn’t trust her—it was your family. You all accused her, and you even hit her yourself. What, did I force you to do that too?”

She paused, her voice almost mocking. “But if blaming me makes you feel better, go ahead.” With that, she turned and quickly left the rooftop, not wanting to be seen alone with Clifford any longer.

Clifford wandered back to the classroom in a daze, feeling as if all the strength had drained from his body.