Claire thought that if her own parents were around, they would have loved her deeply too.
Neither of them could answer Lex Grant's question.
Yet, they weren't the only parents in the world who didn't love their daughter.
Keeping her eyes on the road, Claire answered, "Because we can't choose our parents, and there's no licensing exam to become one."
"So, the unqualified ones can't be weeded out."
"When you get married, will you love your daughter?"
Even in her drunken state, Lex heard the question clearly. "I would love her with my life. I'd give her everything, and I wouldn't have another kid."
Having a second child didn't necessarily affect a parent's love for their firstborn.
But showering one child with exclusive devotion was hard, and showing favoritism was unfair to the other.
For someone like Lex, having only one child was indeed the best choice.
It would be a chance to raise herself all over again.
Claire believed she would do an amazing job.
The topic was too heavy, hardly suitable for their current situation.
But Lex continued to mumble.
She confessed that she had sent two thousand dollars from her part-time jobs back home, but instead of going to the hospital for treatment, her mother had spent it all on her brother's tutoring.
A neighbor had secretly called to tell her the truth.
Before, Lex hadn't thought much of it, but now, a deep resentment for her parents had taken root.
She used to think her mother was simply oppressed by the family dynamic, which was why she couldn't offer her more.
Looking back, her mother had silently endorsed the way her father and brother exploited her.
Otherwise, why hadn't she ever fought for her daughter's well-being?
In fact, after enduring years of hardship for not having a son sooner, her mother actually resented Lex even more.
Seeing the Zellers' elaborate preparations for Zara Zeller's birthday today had finally made Lex realize that her parents truly didn't love her.
When she was a child, she never had a single birthday celebration.
Meanwhile, her brother's birthdays were always filled with lavish gifts, special meals, and a little cake.
Did she not deserve it?
No, they were both their parents' children, so why was she treated like she wasn't worthy?
Claire drove them back to her own apartment.
It was the first time Skylar Sommers and Lex had ever visited.
Zara had actually offered for all
three of them to stay over, but Cloet
noticed that Skylar and tex
awkward to accept content
Skylar was managing, but Lex felt deeply inadequate surrounded by the Zeller family's immense wealth.
The moment Claire and Zara took their eyes off her, she had gotten completely drunk.
Numbing herself with alcohol wasn't exactly a great coping mechanism.
But Lex had no other emotional outlet, leaving her with no other choice. So, Claire decided to just bring her home.
Compared to Zara's mansion, her apartment was far more minimalist and welcoming.
Skylar and Claire supported Lex as they guided her into the elevator.
The moment they stepped inside, both girls breathed a sigh of relief.
Lex had been sobbing uncontrollably, making their hearts ache for her.
They were also terrified that someone might hear her crying and think they were trying to kidnap her.
Once inside, they helped Lex wash up and settled her in the living room.
Lex stubbornly refused to sleep in the bedroom, insisting on sleeping on the floor in the living room.
There wasn't much of a bed to make anyway.
She simply passed out on the rug.
Claire turned up the heat, ensuring that even if she kicked off her
blankets in the middle of theel
she wouldn't care a cold
Then, she and Skylar went to wash up and headed to their respective beds.
Lex was still sniffling and crying
Paet
halfway through the night, but the other two were already fast asleep and couldn't hear a thing.
When Claire woke up, she found Lex, with her eyes puffy and swollen, deep-
cleaning the apartment.
She was completely speechless.
"Lex, did you get enough rest?"
Claire thought her energy levels were a bit too high for someone with a hangover.