After Samuel finished his last sentence, he pressed the elevator button and rolled his wheelchair straight in, leaving without looking back.
Samantha stood in the hallway with a pale face. She clutched her chest and couldn't get a single word out.
It wasn't until a long moment later that Sierra stepped forward and gently supported her. "Ms. Blair, let's go back inside and rest."
With her help, Samantha somehow made it back to the living room and sat on the couch.
Melissa approached and poured her a cup of water. "Samantha, don't take what Samuel said to heart."
Samantha accepted the cup, but her hands were trembling uncontrollably.
Sierra didn't say anything. She walked over to the window, staring blankly outside. If Samuel had been with another woman, could she have said it didn't bother her at all?
The answer was no. It would have devastated her.
She would've been so consumed by the betrayal that she might have chosen to divorce him just to escape the pain. She had never really thought about it before and had been stuck in her own assumptions, spiraling deeper into her own narrow view.
Nothing had actually happened to her. But because of the cruel things Samuel had said about Sophia, she assumed he would say the same to her if anything worse had happened.
After learning what she went through, Samuel had said hurtful things. But through it all, he never once said he wanted a divorce. He said he didn't mind what happened to her, and even if it hurt him inside, he never thought about leaving her.
When he talked about wanting Sinclair Group as well as Jonathan and Melissa's fortune, she had thought those were just cruel words said in anger. But he had never said she wasn't entitled to half of what was his.
He had directly called her out for using Sky as a stepping stone.
Sky owed Sophia a debt, not her. When they were kids, he had even helped her once. The stories she told him were a mix of truths and lies, carefully crafted to exploit his guilt. When it came down to it, she was indeed being manipulative.
There was nothing noble about what she had done.
At the very least, Samuel dared to say what was truly on his mind.
But she didn't have that courage. When she thought about it, she realized she was even worse than him.
"Cee, don't overthink it," Jonathan said, coming to stand beside her quietly. "Some of what Samuel said makes sense, sure. But everyone has their own perspective on things. Just because he believes something doesn't mean it's right.
"No matter what, your mom and I are always on your side. Don't start doubting yourself because of him."
"Dad, I did use Sky," Sierra said, snapping out of her daze. Her eyes were downcast, and her voice was full of pain. "He's right. I'm a schemer, as is Sophia. We both used innocent people for our own goals. Even if we had our reasons, those reasons don't justify what we did.
"Dad, I was wrong."
"Forget that for now," Jonathan said, feeling a pang of sadness for her. No matter how reasonable Samuel's points were, he would always side with Sierra without hesitation. "I just need to know if you still want a divorce."
"I don't know." Sierra looked lost. "Dad, I never thought about what would happen if Samuel had slept with someone else. I never imagined how I would feel."
Jonathan saw the look on her face and knew that Samuel's words had hit her hard. "Cee, don't get caught up in this.
"Samuel's just trying to make you feel guilty. He wants to shift all the blame away from himself and come out looking spotless. If you let yourself get caught up in that, you're just falling into his trap."
"It's not a trap." She shook her head. "Dad, I need some time alone."
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