Chapter 385 A Slap From Lincoln
The car door slammed shut. The loud bang was like a blow to my heart.
“I’m sorry, Michael. I’m really sorry.”
My fingers were digging into my head. I hated myself for giving in to them and doing what they told me all the time.
I sobbed as I sat alone in the car. That was the day I had cried the most in my entire life.
Suddenly, my phone rang. I felt the irony as I stared at the word “Mom” on the screen.
No mother in the world would force their children to take the blame. I wanted to know how heartless they were.
“Hello.”
I sucked in a deep breath, trying to sound as cold as possible.
“Anna, I’m just calling to ask if you have told Michael. You didn’t sell your brother out, right?” An urgent voice came from the other end.
She didn’t even ask about me. Steven is all she cares about.
“You don’t have to call me to remind me. I’ll do as I promised. But don’t call me again after today. You’re no longer my family. All of you.”
I hung up, not giving her the chance to say anything else.
This is the last time. I will ignore whatever happens to them after today. I’ll consider this as a parting gift to them.
I don’t have parents or a brother after this. I want to live my life. I want to be selfish and live the way I want.
Wiping away the tears on my face, I entered the mansion and saw Michael sitting in the living room with a cold expression on his handsome face. I knew he was still mad about earlier.
“It’s late. Go up and rest,” I softly reminded as I walked up to him.
“You don’t plan to tell me the truth?”
He didn’t answer me. Instead, he looked up at me with cold eyes simmering with anger.
My body stiffened. I knew what he was asking. Does he still not believe? What do I have to say to make him believe me?
“I’ve told you the truth. Why don’t you believe me? Do you think I’ll lie to you about something like this?” I asked somberly, looking into his eyes.
His face darkened, and rage burned in his eyes. I could see that he was about to explode.
Fear gripped me whenever he was angry, but this time, it was within my expectations.
“I will make that person who hurt my mother pay, Anna. Don’t you know that I will hate you if you insist on admitting to it?”
He shot to his feet and strode to me, looking down at me with a mix of anxiety, anger, and panic in his eyes.
Something flashed across my eyes. I averted my gaze hurriedly. “I know. My answer is still the same. I was the one who hurt Mom. And I know you’ll hate me for it.”
I shut my eyes to stop the tears. With his character, I knew he wouldn’t let the person who hurt his mother off.
“Fine. If you insist, I’ll accept it as you want me to. Anna, you better not regret the choice you make today.”
He shot me one last glance before turning around and climbing up the stairs.
I was confused by his words. Did he finally believe me? Did he believe that I was the one who had hurt Josephine?
I sat on the couch the entire night, and not once did he come down to look for me. Perhaps he was really furious this time.
I woke up the next morning, unsure when I had fallen asleep. I climbed to the second floor to check on Michael, but he wasn’t in the bedroom or study.
Soon I received a text asking me to head over to the Shaw residence to explain myself to Lincoln and Andy.
I can’t run from this.
I took a cab to the Shaw residence. When I reached the living room, I saw that Andy and Lincoln were already sitting on the couch. There was a scowl on their faces and they didn’t say anything when they saw me. The affection they had had for me was gone from their eyes.
I stood in front of them and greeted, “Grandpa, Dad.”
Michael was there too. His gaze was fixed on me, but I couldn’t find any gentleness there.
“Anna, Michael said that Josephine’s injury has something to do with you. Is that true?” Lincoln piped up. The usual amiable look on his face had long since been replaced by a layer of frost.
I had seen that coming. Even though I had prepared myself, I still felt uneasy. I raised my head and looked into Lincoln’s eyes.
“Dad, I’m sorry. It was an accident. I accidentally pushed her and caused her to hit the coffee table.”
I lowered my head. I wasn’t sad about taking the blame; I was sad knowing that I couldn’t take my words back after admitting it in front of the Shaw family.
Michael had called me here today to test me. He wanted to force me to tell the truth. However, I couldn’t change my mind, not when I had made the decision to take the blame. If I told him the truth, Steven would be going to prison.
“Anna!” Michael shouted.
He wasn’t happy with my answer.
I knew what he was doing, and I knew he refused to believe that I was the one who did it. However, all I could do at that moment was to feign a calm look and not let my heart waver at his words.
“So it’s really you!”
Lincoln pounded the table and shot to his feet. His voice rose an octave from the anger.
“Dad, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean for it to happen. I didn’t expect that she would suffer such a serious injury either.”
Josephine was important to Lincoln. I could feel it from the day when she had surgery. She was still in a critical condition at that moment, so it was only natural for him to be furious.
Hearing my confession, Lincoln was completely convinced that I was the one who had hurt his beloved wife. He stomped toward me and slapped me across my cheek. My face turned to the side from the impact, and I could feel a burning sensation on my cheek.
