Phyllis was already sitting up in bed. The moment she heard Caleb’s words, she kicked him hard in the chest and yelled, “You bastard! How the hell did I endap raising someone so dumb? Are you really this thick?
“Jeanette was here with me! When you left with Brianna, and when she said no one else was around, Jeanette was the one who gave me that last bit of water That’s the only reason I’m still breathing!”
Caleb’s eyes went wide in shock. He dropped to the floor, stunned for a long while.
When Phyllis looked up, she spotted me in the doorway and waved me over.
A flood of emotions hit me all at once, and I barely managed to choke out, “P–Phyllis…”
Tears ran down her face, and as if something snapped inside her, she jumped up and began kicking and hitting Caleb again.
“What’s wrong with you? Didn’t I tell you something was off with Brianna? Why the hell do you keep getting wrapped up in her mess and ignoring Jeanette?”
Suddenly, Brianna appeared in the middle of the chaos, calling out sweetly, “Cay.”
Caleb turned to her, his eyes red and puffy. “Brianna Jones… how can you be this wicked?”
Brianna staggered back, her lips quivering. It didn’t take long for her to come up with an excuse. “Don’t listen to them, Cay. Jeanette’s the one who started the fire! I saw it with my own eyes!”
Her words were met with a hard slap from Caleb. “My mom said you set the fire! People might lie to me, but not her!”
Brianna recoiled from his roar, tears instantly streaming down her face. “What if your mom’s lying on purpose-”
Before she could finish, Caleb slapped her again, sending her crashing to the floor.
She stared at him in shock and bit her lip hard. “Cay! If my parents were still around, they’d be heartbroken to see how you’re treating me.”
Caleb stood there, fists clenched, but in the end, he didn’t hit her again. He let out a heavy sigh. It seemed like he only remembered I was there and reached for my hand.
“Jeanette, p–please… Don’t blame Bri, okay?”
I forced a smile, feeling defeated. As I’d expected, Brianna’s parents‘ past kindness toward him was his weak spot. Even after learning the truth, his first reaction when he saw me was still to beg for her.
