Chapter 549 Didn't Take It to Heart
Patricia got rushed to the hospital. She was all banged up with a bunch of fractures and just lay there, drowning in despair.
Logan was outside the ward, wide awake and looking like a mess.
He had nothing left. Chloe was gone, and Ella was looking at some serious jail time.
Now, it was just him and his daughter Patricia.
If something happened to Patricia too... Logan couldn't handle it. He buried his face in his hands, shaking like a leaf.
Chloe's funeral was set for the fourth day of the New Year. Logan was broke, so it was a simple affair, with just a few relatives showing up to pay their respects.
On that day, Sophia found out Chloe was being buried. She stood by the window, staring at the gloomy sky. The cold wind blew in, chilling her restlessness.
She stood there for ages until Gabriel came over and draped a coat on her shoulders.
"You'll catch a cold standing here like this. The kids will start worrying about you again," Gabriel said, sounding a bit annoyed.
The three kids only ever worried about Sophia, never him.
Sophia smiled and headed back to the living room.
On the morning of the first day of the new year, Clayton woke up in some strange place. He bolted out of bed.
"Paul."
Paul was in the living room, playing with Josie.
Seeing Paul, Clayton relaxed, realizing he was still at Caroline's place.
Paul didn't even look up. "If you're awake, go back to your own house."
"What about you?" Clayton walked over, feeling weirdly about Josie.
He didn't dislike Josie; actually, he kind of liked her.
"You planning to follow me around?" Paul shot him a glare.
Clayton pouted.
He asked quietly, "Paul, got an envelope?"
Paul raised an eyebrow. "Yeah."
He grabbed one from Caroline and handed it to Clayton. Clayton hid in the bathroom, stuffed some cash into the envelope, and then handed it to Josie when he came out.
"Josie, Happy New Year."
Josie blinked, unsure if she should take it.
Paul said, "Take it, Josie."
Josie hesitated but finally took it, saying sweetly, "Thanks, Uncle Clayton."
Clayton felt a bit happy. She called him uncle.
He wasn't sure what Josie should call him in this situation.
Anyway, Josie was practically part of the Wolfs when Daisy was raising her, so it was cool for her to call him uncle.
Caroline and Lisa had breakfast ready. Nicholas was already at the table, and Paul carried Josie over. Clayton was about to leave when his stomach growled.
He hadn't eaten much last night, drank a ton, and passed out drunk.
Now he was starving.
Caroline glanced at him, expressionless, but still asked, "Wanna join us?"
Clayton shook his head, hesitated for a couple of seconds, and awkwardly said, "No, thanks. Happy New Year."
Caroline was stunned for a moment.
Before she could say anything, Clayton grabbed his car keys and left.
Clayton thought, 'I didn't come home all night; my family must be worried.'
In the car, Clayton charged his phone. When he turned it on, there were no missed calls.
Clayton felt a mix of emotions.
When he got home, the place was buzzing with laughter and joy.
Linda was chatting with a bunch of ladies and young women, exchanging festive greetings. They were all praising Diana, while Daniel was busy entertaining visiting relatives and friends.
"Dad, I'm back," Clayton said to Daniel.
Daniel glanced at him, noticing his wrinkled clothes.
"Go upstairs, take a shower, and change your clothes before coming down to entertain guests."
"Oh, got it."
Clayton wanted to say hi to Linda, but seeing her happily chatting with Diana, he didn't want to interrupt.
In Linda's heart, it was always all about Diana.
Clayton felt pretty down.
After showering, he didn't bother going downstairs but played on his phone instead.
While scrolling through Facebook, he saw a post from Paul.
Clayton's eyes widened, and he quickly called Paul.
"Paul, what's up with that Facebook post? When did I say I wanted to recognize Caroline as my sister?"
Paul replied, "Last night, you said it yourself. Didn't you see the video?"
"I was drunk; it doesn't count."
Paul said, "I don't care. You said it, so from now on, Caroline is your sister, your real sister. You gotta protect her, got it?"
Clayton was stunned. If Daisy found out, she'd be so upset.
Clayton thought, 'Wait, Paul posted it last night, so Daisy might have already seen the video.'
"Paul, I'm begging you, delete that video."
Paul said, "Begging won't help. You helped Daisy bully Caroline before."
Clayton mumbled, "I didn't mean that."
"Remember, be nicer to Caroline from now on." Paul hung up after saying that.
Clayton flopped onto the bed, closing his eyes, and Caroline's image popped into his mind.
Clayton kept thinking, 'Actually, Caroline is pretty nice. She even took me in when I was drunk last night.
No, if Daisy knew I thought Caroline is nice, she'd be heartbroken.
I am Daisy's brother, not Caroline's.'
There was a struggle in his mind, while a knock on the door stopped him.
Clayton, still under the covers, muffled, "Come in!"
Daisy opened the door, holding a plate of fruit, with a gentle smile on her face.
"Uncle Daniel said you didn't come home all night. Were you causing trouble again?"
Hearing Daisy's voice, Clayton immediately sat up.
"Daisy, why are you here?"
"I was worried about you, so I came to check on you."
Clayton felt a warmth in his heart and thought, 'Daisy is the only one in this family who truly cares about me.'
So, he was close with Daisy since childhood.
"I'm fine. I just got drunk at a friend's house last night."
"You can't handle alcohol, yet you still drink. Were you in a bad mood?" Daisy sat next to him.
"A little."
"Still upset with Aunt Linda?"
Clayton couldn't hold back anymore. He felt Daisy understood him.
"I thought that after Diana was found, Mom would pay attention to me. But it turns out she still only cares about Diana."
Daisy comforted him warmly, "Diana suffered outside, so it's natural for Aunt Linda to care more about her. Clayton, you're grown up now; you need to be mature."
"By the way, I saw the video Paul posted."
Clayton immediately straightened up.
"Daisy, let me explain. I was drunk."
"I know you were drunk. I didn't take it to heart."
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