Chapter 269

The sound echoed softly through the quiet kitchen, lingering in the air but stirring nothing like a pebble sinking into a still lake.

Mandy paused, a flicker of doubt crossing her mind. Had Claire heard her at all?

She furrowed her brow and spoke again, her tone warmer and more insistent. "Claire?"

But the only answer was the gentle bubbling of the soup simmering on the stove. Claire remained focused, stirring the thick, fragrant broth with slow, deliberate movements. The soup had been cooking for over an hour, filling the kitchen with its comforting aroma and rolling clouds of steam.

Mandy's gaze locked on Claire's slender back, unease gnawing at her. She called out again, louder this time. "Claire!"

Her voice rang out, bouncing off the kitchen walls. Still, Claire seemed sealed in her own world, oblivious, lost in the rhythm of stirring.

A chill shot up Mandy's spine; her eyes narrowed in alarm. It was then she realized Claire couldn't hear her.

Last time she'd seen Claire in the hospital, she'd seemed fine. How long had it been? And now, she'd lost her hearing?

Mandy clenched her fists so tightly her nails dug into her palms.

What the hell did the Linwoods, Brian, and Vincent do to her?

inside Mandy, her eyes blazing with a cold, murderous resolve. She could almost

Suddenly, Claire turned around.

calm eyes. Her lips curved into a gentle

face brightening with a pure, sunlit smile-warm and dazzling. "I missed

never left Claire's face, searching for any

Mandy's hand in her own-soft

Mandy toward

her doubts unresolved. "Let me help you

with fond amusement. "No need. I

hesitated, thrown off by the reply. Had she been wrong?

to sound

back to the stove, still

stepped back, standing behind Claire. "I don't like

to ask what she'd prefer. But this time,

punch to

answers must have been lip-reading, not

must have suffered terribly in that

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