Lahat ng Kabanata ng Side Chick Era… Over: Kabanata 91 - Kabanata 100

Sensing the shift in Sharon's tone, Wendy lowered her voice."Sharon, no matter how you look at it, Kelly tried to take her own life because of what I said. Even if I'm your friend, it's not unreasonable for him to come looking for an explanation."Wendy was usually the one to flare up at the smallest spark. But today, she was surprisingly calm."She gambled with her life and ended up in the emergency room, going through all that pain. And me? All I had to do was offer a half-hearted apology. Honestly, I got off easy—if anything, I came out ahead."She paused before adding, "Don't blame Carter. If it weren't for your sake, there's no way this would've ended so cleanly."Sharon knew Wendy was right. But still, there was a heaviness lodged in her chest that wouldn't budge.She glanced at the bruises on Wendy's face. "But… your injuries—""They weren't from Carter. Every debt has its debtor. This one's not his to carry."Wendy looked at her, gaze steady and serious."Sharon, mayb

It was useless to reason with a lunatic. The police knew that. They didn't waste time arguing with someone clearly unwell."Mr. Biggs, we'll be leaving now," one of the officers said. "Please come by when you have time to give a statement."Not bothering to linger a second longer, the officers made their way out of the hospital room.Sharon didn't spare the couple another glance. She followed the officers, ready to leave as well.But just as she passed Carter, his hand suddenly reached out and caught her wrist."Where are you going?"She looked at him, her expression colder than he had ever seen."I called the police," she said quietly. "As someone directly involved, I should cooperate with the investigation."A shadow passed through Carter's dark eyes. He looked like he wanted to say something, but with others still in the room, he stayed silent.Then he turned to Simon. "What are you standing around for? Take her."Simon didn't dare hesitate again. He stepped forward and, i

These people had bullied her enough already. Now, to set their sights on her friend too—that was crossing a line.Nate acted so brazenly because he thought that even if he hurt Wendy, Carter wouldn't do anything about it.Sharon could take a lot of things—put up with unfairness herself—but she would never let her friends suffer that way for her.Besides, how could this possibly have nothing to do with Kelly?Carter looked at her steadily. "But Kelly can't be left without care right now."At once, Sharon's eyes turned cold.On the surface, this was a conflict only between Wendy and Nate. But behind it, what it really represented was the divide between Sharon and Kelly.And clearly, Carter had chosen Kelly over her.Sharon opened her mouth to say something, but Carter beat her to it, taking her hand gently. "Sharon, let's step outside and talk."After they left, the anger on Nate's face faded, replaced by doubt and uncertainty. "Kelly, Carter won't really send me to prison, will

"You have your position, and I understand that. I'm not blaming you," Sharon said quietly, her expression calm. "Julliard, I have something else to do. Goodbye.""Sharon—"Julliard tried to speak, but she didn't give him the chance. Without a word, she turned and walked away, pulling Wendy along with her.Wendy glanced at Sharon, then back at Julliard, left behind in silence."Sharon, did he come here just for you?" she asked, unable to hide the curiosity. "When did you and Julliard get that close?"Sharon said, "When I found out you were taken by Carter, I went to the hospital to confront Carter. I ran into Julliard there. After I told him why I came, he said he could help track you down."She paused, something cold and fluid flashing through her eyes."Turns out… he was waiting for me on purpose."Wendy frowned. "On purpose?"Sharon went on to explain everything that had happened—how the meeting had played out, what was said, and what wasn't. "It was probably Carter's idea."

Instead of blaming Theo for his outburst, everyone turned sympathetic eyes toward him.Their gazes shifted to Sharon—cooler now, more complicated.Even your own son won't choose you. That kind of rejection didn't need to be spoken aloud—it was written in every look.Clearly, this mother must've failed in more ways than one. Clearly, she hadn't been good to the boy at all.The teacher assigned specifically to Theo let out a quiet sigh."When Theo transferred to our class this semester, I thought…"She glanced at Sharon, her voice faltering.Though Theo had listed his mother's contact number on his file, the woman herself had never once shown up.The teacher's eyes shifted to Kelly.It had been Kelly who handled the enrollment paperwork. She'd attended the parent-child activity days. She'd even come to pick Theo up several times.The teacher had assumed, naturally, that this was the boy's mother.Now, thinking back on Sharon's indifference, her absence—she seemed exactly like