Chapter 176: Make Her Pay
But as he recalled the unwavering affection his daughter had shown for Caleb, his resistance slowly crumbled. “Let them come,” he finally said, voice low.
Soon after, Chelsea and Caleb arrived outside the ICU. Phillip stood with a grim expression, refusing to spare Caleb even a glance. Caleb stepped forward and asked calmly, “Mr. Langford, how is Ms. Sherman doing?”
Norman let out a weary sigh, shaking his head. “Not good.” Among the eight injured passengers, Gianna’s condition was the most critical. When Phillip went to see her, she was drenched in blood, her eyes tightly shut, motionless. Even her breathing was faint. The doctor hadn’t sugarcoated the situation. He urged them to prepare for the worst. Her injuries were extensive, and the chances of survival were slim.
Caleb stood there in stunned silence. It felt like an eternity since he’d last seen Gianna. He never imagined their next meeting would be like this—with one of them lying unconscious, straddling the line between life and death.
Phillip suddenly let out a cold, bitter huff. “If it weren’t for you, she never would’ve gone abroad.” Caleb’s brows furrowed. “Because of me?” He couldn’t make sense of it. He hadn’t done anything that would make Gianna leave… or hate him enough to go so far. Why was he blaming him?
Phillip snapped, his voice laced with fury, “If she hadn’t been so obsessed with following around a powerless nobody like you… if she hadn’t gone so far as to beg that venomous woman from the Levinson family on your behalf, do you think I would’ve sent her abroad?”
Caleb felt a sharp jolt in his chest. She begged Raquel… for him? What did that even mean?
Seeing the confusion in his eyes, Norman explained gently, “Mr. Jenkins, your blood type is RH-negative. It’s extremely rare. Only a small fraction of the population shares it. Mr. Sherman learned that Raquel Levinson was a match… So…”
He trailed off, but Caleb understood. Gianna had swallowed her pride to beg Raquel for a blood transfusion. For him. But no one could have anticipated Raquel’s cruelty. She severed her friendship with Gianna, discarding years of bonds like worthless scrap. Not only did she publicly humiliate her, she even drove an awl into the back of Gianna’s hand, injuring it. The Sherman family would never forget that.
Caleb’s voice quivered. “So… her hand… it was because of that?” Norman remained silent. Phillip, clearly agitated, turned his face away, unwilling to say more.
Caleb’s thoughts spun. He suddenly remembered what Chelsea had once told him, that she wasn’t the one who saved him. He turned to her and asked quietly, “Ms. Yardley… you knew all along, didn’t you?”
Chelsea didn’t reply. But the sorrow in her eyes told him everything he needed to know. A wave of cold helplessness washed over Caleb. Everyone had known the truth, but he’d been kept in the dark like a fool. That day, when he noticed the injury on Gianna’s hand and asked her about it, she had simply smiled and brushed it off, saying it was just an accident. Only now did he realize it wasn’t an accident at all. It had been deliberately and cruelly inflicted by someone else.
In an instant, a storm of rage and grief surged through Caleb. Without another word, he spun on his heel, ready to leave. Phillip, startled, called out, “Where are you going?”
Caleb’s fists clenched at his sides. “I’m going to make her pay.”
“Come back!” Phillip barked. “There’s no need for that!”
Norman quickly chimed in, “Mr. Jenkins, Mr. Sherman already dealt with it. He personally crushed Raquel’s hands and cut all ties with the Levinson family. She’s paid for what she did.”
But Caleb shook his head. “That’s not enough.” Phillip’s expression faltered. “Not enough? What more do you want?”
Have I misjudged this boy? Is he even more ruthless than I thought?