Chapter 38 The Accident Because her family was upset , Claudia didn't dare to bring the kitten home . Finished She could only slip away to find the only one who would help her - Zoey . Her aunt told her to hide the kitten in the park so no one would find it . She promised she would bring medicine for their scrapes . Little Claudia waited and waited , but Zoey never came . Then the rain started . She shivered in the cold . Her skin was covered with scratches from the grass . The kitten's cries grew weaker . Finally , she decided to take it home and beg her mom for help . At the park's edge , near the intersection , she saw Zoey . Her face blurred by the rain , as if she had been waiting all along . Terrified , Claudia burst into tears and ran toward her . But just before she reached Zoey , the kitten wriggled free from her arms and tripped her . Everything happened too fast . She fell to the ground . When she looked up , she saw Zoey get hit by a car after shouting something to her . The orange kitten was crushed beneath the tires . Blood - so much blood - mixed with the rain and ran everywhere . Her limbs froze . She couldn't even feel sadness when Wilson's furious slap knocked her to the ground . " Why did you run away from home ? Do you know how long Zoey searched for you ? You killed her ! " His anger roared in her ears , mixed with Lydia and Lottie's sobs as they clung to Zoey . " Mom ! Mom ! " Lydia cried . ༨ Then came the wail of sirens - ambulance , police . Rain hammering the street . Birds shrieking . The kitten's dying cry . And Zoey's fading whisper carried by the wind , " I'm sorry ." Claudia blacked out . When she woke again , her world had changed . Now , Lydia asked if she remembered Zoey ; Claudia's mind went first to that last glance she gave her . It almost felt like Zoey had smiled at her one final time , just like she did in the painting . 1/3 20:06 Wed , Oct 8 Chopte : 38 The Acerdent ** Finished Lydia's sharp fingernail scraped against Claudia's rigid cheek . No mark was left . " Why are you still alive ? This family only needs one daughter . When you were gone , everything was fine ." Her voice was low - half confession , half vow . " Claudia , everyone could live a good life in this world , except you . " The two had taken too long getting the gifts . Downstairs , the others kept glancing toward the stairs . Lottie looked worried . " Claudia has a nasty temper . They're not fighting , are they ? " Wilson stayed calm . " Not today . She won't cause trouble . Relax ." Zane , impatient , snapped , " I'll go check ." He started heading to the stairs . Clarence stopped him . " If anything's happening , you'll just make it worse . I'll go ." He knew if Zane and Claudia clashed , they might bring the whole house down . None of his siblings was easy to handle . By the time he reached the second floor , he heard Lydia's panicked voice from one of the rooms . " Please ! Don't ! " Then came the sound of something hitting the floor . Clarence's heart dropped . He rushed into the room . The others , hearing the noise , hurried behind him . When Clarence pushed the door open , he saw Claudia standing across from Lydia . At Claudia's feet lay a knife . It was the Swiss Army knife he had given her years ago - small , elegant , with diamonds inlaid in the handle . Back then , Claudia had been obsessed with combat and self - defense . After she'd once been caught in a kidnapping mix - up , Clarence was mad at her , but he thought it wasn't bad for a girl to know how to protect herself . At least if someone got hurt , their family could cover for her . Better someone else got hurt than Claudia herself . Discover our latest featured short drama reel. Watch now and enjoy the story!