"Get out! I don't need you! Just go away! All of you, out!" Nicholas shouted, his voice hoarse with rage.
Clara could kind of get it. The guy had lost the use of his legs—he was bound to be angry and frustrated.
"You're too loud. Can you chill for a second? Acting tough isn't helping your situation," she said, arms crossed.
Nicholas fell silent.
Another one trying to humiliate him? Great.
"Ugh, it stinks in here. I need to clean up a bit," Nancy muttered, already rolling up her sleeves.
"Mom, don't bother," Clara stopped her.
"Don't?"
"I'm taking him back with us. He can't stay here. It's awful."
Her calm words shocked both Nancy and Nicholas.
Earlier, when Clara pulled back the blanket, the mess underneath nearly made her gag. The sheets were filthy and, worse, there were actual maggots wriggling around. No one had cleaned him. Not once.
That so-called caretaker? Just a lazy abuser.
No wonder the guy lost his mind and didn't trust anyone.
"Clara, you're not serious, are you?" Nancy finally asked.
They weren't exactly rolling in cash. Adding a paralyzed man to the mix?
"I'm serious, Mom. Can you get me a basin of hot water? I'll clean him up."
Nicholas shot her a cold glare. "I don't need your pity. You're not taking me anywhere."
"So what, you planning to rot here alone?"
He let out a bitter laugh. "Maybe I am. Not like I care if I live or die."
"Too bad. From now on, I'll be calling the shots."
Clara said it so casually, but Nicholas froze. She wasn't kidding.
A while later, Nancy brought the water in. "Clara, let me do it. I'm an old woman, it's less awkward. You're a young girl, this isn't proper..."
She was honestly just worried for her daughter. That man was filthy—especially his legs.
"It's okay. I'll do it. I need to check what's going on with his legs anyway," Clara responded, wringing out a towel.
Without hesitation, she got to work.
"Don't touch me!" Nicholas snapped again.
Clara didn't even blink. She just pulled his pants down and kept going.
"Oh, come on!" Nancy shook her head. "My daughter has a good heart and here you are, treating her like this?"
Clara barely flinched. She did everything calmly, no trace of disgust.
She was studying medicine, after all. She'd seen all kinds of things. Heck, Male anatomy? She'd handled models for fun—this was nothing.
Years of no hygiene had left Nicholas in a miserable state. Layers of grime clung to his skin, and the sheets smelled awful.
If the cripple was gone, she'd lose her job!
That month's pay? It was as much as a year's worth of income!
Sure, he was filthy and smelly, but she had her life comfortable enough!
"And why not? It's not like you've been taking care of him properly," Clara said bluntly.
"I have! Who says I haven't?" the woman said unconvincingly.
"Have you even seen the maggots in his bed? His sheets are soaked with urine and all kinds of filth. Cleaned any of that up lately?"
The woman looked even more embarrassed but still refused to let Clara take him. Losing this gig meant no more cash under the table.
"You still can't take him! Whether I treat him badly or not, at least he's alive. The Evans family hasn't said a word. What gives you the right to meddle?"
"He's my fiancé. If I don't care, who will?"
"So what? He's still from the Evans family. You wanna take him? Get their permission first—"
Bang!
Before she could finish, Clara decked her with a punch.
The woman hit the ground face-first like a cartoon character.
"Holy crap! My daughter's a beast!" Nancy stared in awe.
And just like that, Clara carried Nicholas all the way from one end of the village to the other.
Naturally, villagers began to gather and gossip.
"Uh... Clara," Nancy whispered, "maybe we should try to be a little less... attention-grabbing? Everyone's staring."
"It's fine, Mom. The whole village was gonna find out sooner or later. Village gossip spreads faster than the internet."
Nancy sighed, saying no more.
But deep down, she worried—two disabled folks in one house now. That was gonna be rough.
And of course, the story didn't stay quiet.
Villager 1: "Did you hear? Clara just carried a crippled dude home!"
Villager 2: "Yeah, she's lost her mind or something. Who the hell carries a cripple home like that? What a psycho."
...
"Clara, I've got the room all ready. Thankfully we live out in the countryside—with all these extra rooms, anyone can fit. In the city, we'd be screwed," Nancy said.
"Thanks, Mom."
Clara gently laid Nicholas down on the bed.
"You're just too kind-hearted for your own good. Said you'd just check on him—instead, you bring him home. Great. Now we've got two disabled people in the house. Life just got a whole lot harder," Nancy muttered.