2025-11-20 14:01:30Mrs Harrison had been doing fine for some weeks, but one cold morning, things changed. Clara noticed it first. Their mother tried to stand up from the bed but almost collapsed. Her breathing was weak, her face looked pale, and she pressed her hand on her chest like something was squeezing her from the inside.
Ava rushed to her side.
“Mom, what’s wrong? Are you okay? Talk to us,” she said, already shaking.
Mrs Harrison tried to smile, but her lips trembled.
“I’m… I’m fine. Maybe it’s just stress. I didn’t sleep well.”
But Clara wasn’t convinced. She placed her hand on her mother’s forehead and felt the burning heat.
“Mom, you’re running a fever. This is not normal. We need to go to the hospital.”
Mrs Harrison shook her head weakly.
“Hospital again? Clara, we don’t have—”
She didn’t finish. A heavy cough cut her words short.
Ava looked like she would burst into tears.
“Clara, please… do something.”
Clara swallowed hard. Her hands were shaking, but she forced herself to stay steady.
“Okay. Let me call Eric.”
She picked up her phone and dialed Eric’s number. It rang for a long time before he finally answered lazily.
“What is it again?” he asked.
Clara tried to keep her voice calm.
“Eric, Mom is sick again. She can’t breathe well. Please, we need help to take her to the hospital.”
There was silence at first, then Eric sighed loudly.
“Clara, I’m tired. Every time it’s one problem or the other. You people should stop relying on me. I have my own life. Take her by yourself.”
Clara froze.
“Eric… please. This is serious.”
“I said no,” he snapped. “Don’t drag me into your mother’s problems. She’s not even my responsibility. And don’t think I’m your emergency wallet.”
Then he cut the call.
Ava gasped.
“What did he say?”
Clara forced a smile, but tears gathered in her eyes.
“He can’t come.”
Ava covered her mouth, shook her head, and started crying.
“What are we going to do? Clara, we don’t have money for anything. What if— what if something happens to Mom?”
Clara’s heart ached, but she wiped her sister’s tears.
“We’ll figure it out. I promise.”
But deep inside, she didn’t know what to do. They didn’t have savings. They didn’t have anyone else to call. Their mother’s health was getting worse by the minute.
Across town, Ryan sat quietly in a small rented room. It wasn’t his real house, just another temporary place he used whenever he didn’t want people to track him. One of his men had just returned from checking on the Harrison family.
The man stood in front of Ryan.
“Sir… Mrs Harrison is sick again. It looks serious.”
Ryan’s eyes widened slightly.
“When did this happen?”
“This morning, sir. Clara called Eric for help but he refused.”
Ryan looked away, his jaw tightening. For a moment, he didn’t say anything. His chest felt heavy. Memories of Mrs Harrison being kind to him, even when others mocked him, flashed through his mind.
“She’s sick again…” he whispered, almost to himself.
The man nodded.
“Yes, sir. Clara and Ava look very scared.”
Ryan closed his eyes. He was supposed to be hiding from the people who wanted him dead. He wasn’t supposed to get involved physically. But hearing that Mrs Harrison was suffering made something twist inside him.
He stood up slowly.
“Keep watching them closely. Don’t let anything bad happen.”
“Yes, sir.”
But even after the man left, Ryan couldn’t sit down. He paced the room, his mind running wild.
“What if it gets worse?”
“What if something happens before I can help?”
“What if Eric’s useless behaviour destroys them?”
He rubbed his face with both hands.
He shouldn’t get involved.
But he couldn’t ignore this.
Even miles away, he still cared. Too much.
Ryan sat on the edge of the bed, staring at the wall.
“I shouldn’t go back,” he murmured.
“But I can’t leave them like this.”
His heart was at war with his mind.
Outside, rain began to fall.
Inside the Harrison home, Mrs Harrison groaned softly as Clara and Ava tried to cool her fever with wet towels.
And Ryan, far away, clenched his fists.
He would not let anything happen to them. Not again.
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Chapter 156
Ryan stood at the hallway entrance like a statue. He did not move. He did not blink. He only stared at Clara, Ava, and Mrs Harrison as they talked about Uncle wanting to bail Eric.His heart was beating fast. His face slowly changed from shock to anger.*Why? Why would that man even think of bailing a boy like Eric?* *Why would he help someone who deals in drugs? Someone who kidnapped Ava? Someone who almost destroyed everything?*Ryan clenched his fists slowly.Clara finally noticed someone behind her. She turned and gasped softly.“Ryan… you’re there?”Ava looked back too. Her eyes widened. Mrs Harrison also turned sharply.Ryan walked forward slowly, his face hard and serious.“What did I just hear?” he asked, his voice low but full of anger.Clara swallowed. “Ryan… I wanted to tell you but—”“But what?” Ryan cut in. “But you wanted to hide it?”Mrs Harrison stood quickly. “Ryan, please calm down.”Ryan shook his head. “Calm down? How can I calm down when someone in this hous
Chapter 155
The next morning was bright and peaceful. Birds were singing outside the window. Inside the sitting room, Mrs Harrison—Grace—sat on the sofa with Clara and Ava.Ava looked stronger and brighter now. She had fully recovered, and she sat comfortably with a small smile on her face.“Mummy,” Ava said, “I feel better now. I think I am ready to go back to school.”Mrs Harrison touched her hair gently. “My daughter, are you sure you are strong enough?”Ava nodded. “Yes, Mum. I rested well. I ate well. And the doctor already said I am fine.”Clara smiled. “I am happy you are going back. Staying at home was making you bored.”Ava laughed. “Very bored.”They all laughed for a few seconds until Mrs Harrison suddenly became quiet. Her face changed a little.Clara noticed it. “Mum, what is it? You look worried.”Mrs Harrison sighed and looked at her hands. “There is something I want to tell both of you.”Ava and Clara looked at each other, then back at her.“What is it?” Ava asked.Mrs Harris
Chapter 154
The afternoon sun was slowly going down. The house was quiet because Clara had taken Ava to the backyard to play. Ryan was in the room resting. That was when Clara’s uncle walked slowly into the sitting room where Mrs Harrison was folding some clothes.He cleared his throat. “Grace… we need to talk.”Mrs Harrison looked up. “Talk about what? You look serious.”Clara’s uncle sat down slowly. He rubbed his palms together as if he was thinking deeply. “It’s about that boy in the station… Eric.”Mrs Harrison frowned immediately. “What about him?”He looked at her closely. “I am going to bail him out tomorrow morning.”Mrs Harrison dropped the clothes immediately. “God forbid! Why would you say that? You want to bail that troublemaker?”Clara’s uncle sighed. “Grace, calm down. Let us think well. The boy is suffering in that place.”Mrs Harrison shook her head fast. “He deserves to suffer! Do you know what he did? Do you know how he almost destroyed Clara and Ryan’s peace? How he behaved ba
Chapter 153
Chapter 153Ryan woke up very early the next morning. Sleep did not stay long with him because his mind was troubled. He kept thinking of one thing:Why did Clara’s uncle hate him the moment he saw him?He lay on the bed for a while, staring at the ceiling. He felt something in his chest, a kind of quiet warning. Something was wrong, but he did not know what it was.Clara was still sleeping beside him, holding his hand. Ryan looked at her peaceful face and forced a smile. He reached out and brushed her hair gently.“I will not let anything happen to you,” he whispered.He got up and went to the window. The compound was quiet. Birds were singing. But even with the peaceful morning, Ryan still felt something heavy in his heart.After dressing up, he went downstairs. Mrs Harrison was already in the kitchen preparing breakfast. Clara’s uncle sat in the living room reading a newspaper, but he was not really reading. His eyes were moving, but his mind seemed far away.When Ryan entered the
Chapter 152
Ryan woke up very early the next morning. He did not sleep well at all. His eyes were heavy, and his mind was still full of yesterday’s thoughts. But he stood up slowly and forced himself to move. He washed his face and looked into the mirror.“You must stay calm,” he told himself quietly. “You must watch him. You must not make mistakes.”He changed his clothes and walked out of the room. The house was quiet. Only the soft morning breeze entered through the open window. He walked toward the kitchen to drink water, but he stopped when he heard voices.It was Clara and her uncle.Ryan moved slowly and stood near the wall, not too close, but close enough to hear. He did not want them to know he was listening.Clara’s voice sounded calm. “Uncle, you should eat something. You just came back from a long trip.”Her uncle replied with a fake smile in his tone. “I am fine, Clara. Don’t worry about me.”Ryan could hear the change in the man’s voice. When he spoke to Clara, he was gentle. B
Chapter 151
Ryan could not sleep.The whole night felt heavy. The house was quiet, but his mind was not. He sat on the couch in the living room with his hands pressed together. Every time he closed his eyes, he saw Clara’s uncle’s face. That cold look. That sharp stare. That strong hatred he did not hide well.Ryan had been judged many times in life, but this one felt different. The hatred from Clara’s uncle came too fast. Too strong. Too sudden. And Ryan kept asking himself the same question over and over again…“Why? Why did he hate me at first sight?”He replayed everything in his head. The moment the man entered the house. The way he smiled at Mrs Harrison. The way he hugged Clara. The way he carried himself with pride. And then… the way his face had changed the moment he saw Ryan standing beside Ava.The smile faded.The eyes narrowed.The body stiffened.And in that first second, Ryan had felt it—the dislike, the anger, the rejection. The man had looked at him like he was a danger. Like
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