Chapter 20 - The Breakdown
Mark dropped the telephone receiver, leaning his forehead against the glass partition as violent, uncontrollable sobs racked his chest.
The illusion of his perfect family, his noble mother, and his aristocratic legacy crumbled into absolute ash before his eyes.
"She... she told me my real mother abandoned me in a trash can..." Mark wept, his voice muffled against the glass.
"She told me I owed her my life... that I had to obey her or I was a monster..."
Claire watched him without anger, feeling only a profound, heavy pity for the broken man sitting across from her.
"You had a choice to protect your daughter, Mark," Claire said gently into the microphone.
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"You chose her lies over your child’s life. And for that, I can never forgive you."
Claire stood up, picked up her leather briefcase, and walked out of the visitation room without looking back once.
