Charlotte's expression changed.
For a moment, she didn't fully understand what Clara had said. But when she saw the tears in her eyes, her heart tightened instantly.
Taking a step closer, she reached out and gently lifted Clara's face.
"Clara, what are you even thinking?"
When Clara looked at her, Charlotte softened her voice, trying to explain more clearly, more firmly.
"You didn't take anything from Adelyn. What's yours is yours —and it will always remain that way. You don't need to return anything to anyone."
But Clara shook her head, refusing to accept her words.
"No, Mom. It doesn't belong to me. It never did." Her voice trembled, yet carried a strange certainty. "Nothing ever belonged to me. You, Liam, Bryer, the Scott family … Xavier —none of you were ever mine. You all were always Adelyn's."
Charlotte shook her head again, panic creeping into her chest as she tried to deny it.
But Clara didn't give her the chance.
Sobbing, she pressed on, refusing to listen.
