From Broken to Beloved-Chapter 184- truly faithful

In the end, she took several deep breaths and, in a fit of desperation, screamed hoarsely,

"If you dare do this, I’ll expose everything! I’ll let the public know just how heartless and ungrateful you and Catherine are—abandoning your own father when he’s sick and in the hospital!"

Lucca believed that most people cared deeply about their reputation—especially a man like Bert, someone with status and standing. If word got out that he was unfilial, that he refused to support or care for a sick parent, it would surely be a tremendous disgrace. So she chose to threaten him in this way.

But to her surprise, Bert suddenly laughed, his tone utterly unconcerned.

"Do you really think I’m the kind of person who cares about what others say?"

"Or," he added calmly, "I could make sure you don’t live to see the day you expose anything at all."

Bert’s words were thick with warning, and terror instantly flooded Lucca on the other end of the line.

Thinking back on everything since she’d met Bert, she realized he had never been someone who cared about anyone’s opinion. He was not a man who allowed himself to be manipulated—and he was ruthless in his methods.

As for his threat about her not living to see the day of exposure, Lucca had no doubt he was capable of it. Fear seized her so completely that she didn’t dare say another word. Meanwhile, Bert had no interest in continuing the conversation. With a sharp click, he coldly ended the call.

What Bert hated most in his life was being threatened. Lucca daring to say something like that just now—wasn’t that asking for death? And her shameless attempt to drag Catherine into sharing financial and caregiving responsibilities only made Bert furious enough to want to crush her outright.

Had Lucca forgotten how she used to bully Catherine day after day? How she had done everything possible to grind Catherine under her heel? How thick-skinned did someone have to be to do all that—and then turn around and demand that Catherine "share the burden"?

All these years, not a single cent of Channing’s earnings had ever been spent on Catherine. Whoever had enjoyed the wealth and luxury back then should be the one to bear the consequences now that Channing was in trouble.

Given the nature of Lucca and Tracy, they would probably hide as far away as possible in a situation like this. And now that Tracy was divorced from Channing, it was the perfect excuse for her to shirk all responsibility for caring for him.

Bert curled his lips into a cold smile. It didn’t matter. He would make sure that Tracy and Lucca fulfilled their duties and took proper care of Channing. He had to—otherwise that soft-hearted woman of his would end up shouldering the burden herself. There was no way he would allow her to suffer like that.

Although caring for and supporting Channing was, in theory, part of Catherine’s responsibility, Washington felt it was utterly undeserved. Channing didn’t deserve it.

He had always followed one principle: whoever had enjoyed Channing’s wealth over the years would be the ones to take care of him now.

Lucca spent the entire night at the hospital tending to Channing, and by morning she was utterly exhausted. That single night was enough for her to reach her limit when it came to caregiving. Worn out and seething with resentment, a sudden, reckless thought crept into her mind.

She began to think: if someone as plain as Catherine could attract Bert, then with her looks, wouldn’t she be even more irresistible?

Lucca had always believed she was far more beautiful than Catherine. At best, Catherine could be called neat and pleasant-looking—while she herself had inherited Tracy’s striking beauty and had been known as a beauty since childhood.

She convinced herself that Bert’s hostility toward her before was simply because he hadn’t had much contact with her, and because she had never deliberately used her charm on him. Perhaps Catherine had even badmouthed her behind her back, fanning the flames—otherwise, why would Bert dislike her so much?

If she appeared before Bert with a gentle, sweet demeanor and took the initiative to seduce him—just as she had once ensnared Gerald—then Bert surely wouldn’t be able to resist.

After all, how many men were truly decent?

And how many were ever truly faithful?

What’s more, Lucca thought, with a man like Bert, even if it weren’t her, there would surely be other women lining up to seduce him—and he would inevitably sample other women sooner or later. If that was going to happen anyway, then she might as well be the one.

She didn’t mind sharing a man with Catherine at all. If anything, she suspected it would be Catherine—with her rigid, earnest personality—who would be driven mad by it.

Thinking along these lines, Lucca couldn’t help but feel a renewed sense of anticipation for her future.

If she managed to seduce Bert, a life of endless wealth and luxury would surely follow. And then—she would grind Catherine mercilessly beneath her heel once again.

Just imagining that scene made her feel both thrilled and vindicated.

At that point, she had no patience left to care for Channing. All she wanted was to hurry home, dress herself up, find the right opportunity to "run into" Bert, and put her plan into action.

Poor Channing lay helpless on the hospital bed, half his body paralyzed, his speech slurred and unclear. He tried to ask for a sip of water, making indistinct sounds for a long while, but Lucca paid him no attention. He struggled and twisted his body in every way he could, trying desperately to draw her notice. Lucca, however, was completely immersed in thoughts of what outfit she should wear to see Bert, utterly ignoring the paralyzed patient in front of her.

In the end, Channing could only collapse back onto the bed, exhausted and defeated, gasping for breath. His heart was filled with desolation and helplessness—but who could he blame?

If only he had treated Catherine a little better all those years, he wouldn’t be facing this kind of fate now.

After much consideration, Bert ultimately decided to tell Catherine about Channing’s stroke and hospitalization the next morning. He knew she was soft-hearted and kind. He himself could live freely without caring about anyone’s judgment—but she couldn’t.

If he kept her in the dark about Channing’s illness, she might one day find out and burden herself with endless guilt and self-blame. Bert didn’t want her carrying that weight, so he chose to be honest with her and respect whatever decision she made.

Of course, behind the scenes, his own plans were already moving forward at full speed.

When Catherine first heard that Channing had been hospitalized, she was surprised and genuinely worried. But when Bert told her that Lucca had called, demanding that she share the financial and caregiving responsibilities, Catherine immediately felt indignant.

She, too, felt that Lucca’s behavior was despicable and shameless. Catherine would visit Channing—of her own accord—and she would take on the responsibilities that came with being his daughter. But Lucca’s blatant attempt to force those responsibilities onto her crossed a line. 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

Lucca’s actions implied that she believed Catherine to be just as base and calculating as herself. Did Lucca really think everyone was as selfish and heartless as she was?

Seeing the anger on Catherine’s face, Bert asked quietly, without pressing her,

"What do you plan to do?"

Catherine calmed herself, took a sip of milk, and answered evenly,

"I’ll go see him after breakfast."

In the end, Catherine couldn’t simply ignore the situation. After all, she was Channing’s daughter—something she could never erase for the rest of her life.