Chapter 280 Reaping the Whirlwind
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“You really think your luck will last forever? Everything you have is built on the work you stole from others. Strip that away, and you’re nothing but a pathetic fraud. What is there to be so proud of?”
Chase raised his hand to strike, but Yvonne caught his wrist mid-air. Before he could react, she delivered a stinging slap across his face.
Her lips curled into a cold, sharp sneer. “What I do is none of your business. You don’t get to tell me anything.”
She stepped closer, her voice dropping to a venomous whisper. “Don’t forget, you’re nothing but a stray dog Jared just kicked to the curb. You have no right to lecture me. And don’t worry, I’ll make sure you never find your way back to the Xander family again.”
Yvonne turned and walked away, leaving Chase fuming. He gritted his teeth in a silent rage, feeling utterly powerless.
Now, he finally understood how Tracy felt. He knew the agony of being framed and having the people closest to him refuse to believe a single word he said. It felt like being slowly flayed alive. Yet Tracy had endured this constant injustice for years.
Whenever Yvonne and her mother had set her up, he, Jared, and their father had always stood by the deceivers. How desperate must Tracy have been back then?
Experiencing this just once was almost more than he could bear. The fact that Tracy lived through it daily was a level of suffering he couldn’t even fathom. This was his karma. And Jared, with his blind, unconditional trust in those two would eventually have to face his own conscience, too.
Chase went to his room and packed a few things, sending them ahead to an apartment he had bought years ago. Then, he hailed a cab and headed straight for Tracy’s place. He knew it might be pointless, but he had to apologize. He had to beg for her forgiveness.
Exhausted and heartsick, Tracy had fallen asleep early. Sean had stayed by her side until he was sure she was resting peacefully before heading back to the office to finish some work.
When the doorbell rang, Tracy was still lost in a heavy sleep. She squinted through the haze of exhaustion and stumbled toward the door. Rubbing her eyes, her voice was thick and raspy. “Why are you back so soon? Did you forget something?”
“Tracy, it’s me,” Chase said tentatively. “Can I come in? I just want to talk.”
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080 Reaping the Whitwind
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Hearing his voice felt like a bucket of ice water. The sleep vanished instantly, and Tracy’s heart sank. She instinctively tried to slam the door. “We have nothing to talk about. Go home.”
She had no energy left for another fight. All she wanted was to rest so she could face the battle waiting for her tomorrow.
Chase jammed his foot in the door, his expression defeated. “I’m getting what I deserve, Tracy. Jared kicked me out tonight. I finally understand what you went through in that house. I saw Yvonne with Grandma’s will. I heard her admit to hiring someone to kill you. I finally see that the kindness we believed in was just a mask. I’m so sorry. I was wrong. Can you ever forgive
me?”
He was genuinely broken. Now that the scales had fallen from his eyes, the guilt was eating him alive. He realized how much he and Jared had lost by choosing Yvonne over their own sister.
Looking back, he realized that every year on their mother’s death anniversary, those two would find some excuse to keep the brothers away. They had quietly, methodically poisoned their family until the bond was broken beyond repair.
Tracy tilted her head, her gaze icy. “Oh, so now that you’ve been thrown out like trash, you remember you have a sister? Look at all that blood on your head. Are you here to frame me for that, too? Just so you know, I have security cameras everywhere. Don’t even try it.”
She was done with the Xanders and their endless drama. In her experience, people like them didn’t come around unless they wanted something or had a plan to hurt her.
and Pain flashed in Chase’s eyes. “I’m sorry. I was a bastard. I did so many terrible things to you Mom. I regret it all. I shouldn’t have believed them. I shouldn’t have helped them target you. I was blind, Tracy. I’m so incredibly sorry.”
To prove his sincerity, he began slapping himself, each strike harder and louder than the last until his face began to swell.
Tracy stepped back, watching him with a look of pure exhaustion. “Late-night sentiment is cheaper than dirt, Chase. Your apology is just a way to make yourself feel better, and I don’t accept it. I told you before, the moment you skipped the third anniversary of Mom’s death, we were finished. There’s no coming back from that.”
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