Chapter 650: Mighty Mother (6)

Chapter 650: Chapter 650: Mighty Mother (6)

Winter Sullivan was already livid with Susan Caldwell and felt weak all over. She never expected Susan to actually push her. Caught off guard, she slammed her head into the corner of the nearby shoe cabinet.

In that instant, blood began to pour from the wound, and Winter Sullivan passed out.

Sheldon Caldwell rushed to support Winter Sullivan. "Mom, are you okay?"

By then, Susan Caldwell had already run into the courtyard. From outside, she heard Sheldon Caldwell’s words and knew something had likely happened to Winter Sullivan. But she had never felt much affection for Winter, and she knew if she went back now, she wouldn’t be able to leave. So, she clenched her jaw, wiped away a tear, and strode out of the Caldwell home.

Sheldon Caldwell shouted, "Susan, come help!"

By the time he helped Winter Sullivan up, Susan was already far gone. He stood at the doorway, stunned. He truly hadn’t expected that Susan, knowing full well she had pushed Winter down, wouldn’t even glance back.

’His heart went cold. Even if Winter was usually strict with Susan, and the two of them didn’t have a good relationship, Winter was still Susan’s mother! How could she just ignore her plight completely?’

Sheldon Caldwell heaved a long sigh. Recalling Vera Xavier’s previous assessment of Susan, he felt incredibly disappointed in his sister.

Blood was still streaming from Winter Sullivan’s forehead, and he had no time to worry about Susan. He swept Winter up in his arms, rushed to his car, and drove her to the hospital.

Susan Caldwell ran into Julian Caldwell by a side door. Father and daughter both froze for a moment upon seeing each other.

When Sheldon Caldwell had called Julian Caldwell earlier, he had only said there was trouble at home and that he should come back quickly, without going into specifics.

Now, seeing Susan Caldwell with red-rimmed eyes and the clear mark of a handprint on her face, Julian Caldwell asked in surprise, "Susan, what happened?"

Susan Caldwell’s tears immediately began to fall. "Dad, Mom listened to Vera Xavier’s lies and hit me!"

The Caldwell family’s discipline was strict. When the children did something wrong, there were punishments, but these involved things like military-style drills, writing lines, or holding horse stances—never physical violence.

Julian Caldwell was stunned to hear this and quickly asked, "Vera Xavier? Who is that?"

"She’s a classmate of mine," Susan said, sobbing. "Brother and Mom met her once when they took me to school at the start of the term. She’s a manipulative and vicious girl. I’ve seen her in Trellis before, too. She’s the one who’s always trying to find ways to hurt me!"

She had already burned the stack of documents anyway, so Julian Caldwell wouldn’t see it when he got home. She might as well use this incident to drive a wedge between him and Winter Sullivan. After all, for years she had clearly seen the major divide between Julian and Winter when it came to disciplining her.

Julian Caldwell’s brow furrowed slightly. He knew Winter Sullivan’s personality, of course; she wasn’t someone easily swayed by others. And yet, the mark on Susan Caldwell’s face was undeniably real.

He asked Susan, "Tell me, what exactly happened?"

Wiping away her tears, Susan said, "Mom has never trusted me. Today, she had Brother meet up with Vera Xavier. Vera and I have had some unpleasant run-ins, both in Trellis and at school. So she took the chance to slander me endlessly in front of Mom, pinning things I didn’t even do on me."