Clara's heart dropped. She looked over to her mother —searching, pleading, desperate for even the smallest sign that she wouldn't be abandoned again.
But the stunned expression on Charlotte's face only made her heart sink.
One look was enough to see through her hesitation.
She was her biological daughter. That fact alone should have made the choice obvious. But it wasn't.
Clara's fingers dug into the arm of the chair, ropes biting into her skin.
Why?
Why was she still not their first choice?
Hadn't she made it clear to them about how much she had suffered all these years without them?
"No." Charlotte shook her head violently, her grip tightening around Liam's arm. "No, Liam … we can't choose. They're both my daughters. They're both your sisters. We can't choose between them!"
Liam hadn't expected this either.
He covered her trembling hands with his, trying to steady her.
"Mom, I know. Adelyn and Clara are both our sisters. We won't choose between them. Calm down."
Charlotte nodded quickly, clinging to his words like a lifeline.
Then she turned back.
"We won't choose," she said firmly. "We can't. Both are equal and important to us."
The masked man's gaze darkened.
"Why is it so difficult?" he asked lightly. "Have I not simplified the decision-making for you?"
He moved —slow and measured —stopping behind Clara first.
"After all … one of them is the daughter you birthed."
Charlotte stiffened.
"And the other?" His head tilted. "Just a child raised by mistake."
Her breath caught.
His gaze shifted —from Clara to Adelyn.
"One is the daughter who lost everything from the moment she was born," he continued softly. "No mother. No family. No warmth."
Charlotte's eyes flickered back to Clara, guilt rising in her chest.
"And the other …" his voice lowered, almost intimate, "… lived in her place. Enjoying everything that was never hers."
Liam's jaw tightened.
The wind swept through the open structure again, carrying the distant crash of waves.
"The choice shouldn't be difficult. And if it is difficult," the man said, amusement creeping in, "and they had really been treated equally… why is the one you lost trembling?"
He stepped behind Adelyn, gaze lingering on her.
"… while the one you raised looks ready to die?"
Silence fell —heavy and crushing.
"So," he finished softly, "are you unable to choose … or are you just afraid to admit the truth?"
"No!" Charlotte's voice broke as she stepped back. "I treat them both equally! They are both my daughters. I have never treated either unfairly!"
"Really?" the man asked calmly. "Are you certain, Madam Scott?"
"You —"
"Mom."
Liam and Bryer stepped in, steadying her before she could fall apart.
She turned to them, desperation spilling over.
"That's not true. You know me. I could never be biased. Clara is my daughter —I just found her. Of course, I feel guilty. But Adelyn … she —"
"Mom, we know," Liam said gently.
Bryer also nodded, rubbing her arm. "We trust you. And so do they."
He looked at his sisters.
"If Clara didn't trust you, she wouldn't have come close to you so easily. And Adelyn …" he paused, glancing at her still figure, "... she cares too much about you to doubt you."
Charlotte turned.
Her eyes found Adelyn.
Quiet.
Unreachable.
"Adelyn …" Her voice softened, almost pleading. "You trust me, your mother… right?"
She didn't know why she needed to hear it.
But she did.
Desperately.
For a moment, there was nothing.
Then —
Adelyn moved.
Slowly, she lifted her head. Not toward Charlotte —but straight ahead.
Her lips parted, and she said,
"Yes. I trust you."
A pause —quiet and measured.
"I trust you, to choose."
Her gaze didn't shift. It didn't soften, nor did it break.
And somehow —
That hurt far more than refusal.
Charlotte's heart dropped. In an instant, she understood.
Adelyn had never been calm because she trusted them.
She had been calm —because she didn't.
Because somewhere, deep down, she already knew the outcome.
But why …? Where had they gone wrong?
Charlotte's thoughts spiralled.
We're her family … the only ones who would protect her … then why doesn't she believe that?
"Adelyn," Bryer frowned, irritation slipping into his tone. "How can you behave like this right now? Mom is already worried sick, and you're making it worse!"
Adelyn didn't respond.
She didn't defend.
She didn't even look at them —as if his words hadn't reached her at all.
Clara spoke instead.
"Mom …" her voice trembled, soft, selfless on the surface. "You don't have to make this harder for yourself. Just choose what feels right."
Tears streamed down her face.
"I won't blame you … even if you don't choose me."
She swallowed and then forced a faint, broken smile.
"Adelyn has always been the one you cherish. I've seen it. Take her home."
She paused, and her gaze shifted to Xavier.
"Xavier came for her too," she added softly. "He loves her too much to see her hurt."
Charlotte shook her head instantly. "No, Clara. Don't say that. I love you the same. I can't leave either of you."
Xavier also frowned. "Clara, stop."
"No, I —"
"Enough."
Liam's voice cut through sharply.
His gaze locked onto the man behind them —cold and controlled.
"Stop manipulating them," he said.
Then after a beat, he added —
"I've made the decision."
Silence fell the next second.
Clara's breath hitched.
Charlotte froze.
Bryer stiffened. And Xavier's eyes narrowed.
And then —
Adelyn looked up at him. For the first time since this began.
Not to cry.
Not to beg.
She just looked at him —calm and distant —as if she had already accepted what he was about to say. She was ready to let go of the last fragile thread that connected her to them.
Liam froze for a second when his eyes met Adelyn's. A strange dread coiled his heart, making him hesitate.
However, he pushed it down, ignoring that slight feeling of discomfort.
"I choose —"