Clarice did not speak but glanced at Mrs. Madden.
It was obvious that she wanted Mrs. Madden to go out and talk to Brandon alone.
After understanding Clarice's meaning, Mrs. Madden's face turned pale. She felt more miserable inside, but still, she forced a smile, "Clarice, I'm your mom. Can't I listen to your conversation with your dad?"
Clarice looked away and avoided Mrs. Madden’s gaze.
Clarice's behavior was like a knife stabbing in Mrs. Madden's heart. It hurt so much that she couldn't breathe.
‘Clarice doesn't want to talk to me, to look at me, or to let me hear their conversation.'
‘She...'
Mrs. Madden covered her face and began to sob.
Seeing this, Brandon, who had been staying out of the situation, frowned. He was not happy with Clarice.
He understood that what his wife had said earlier had broken Clarice’s heart, so he did not intervene when Clarice threw a tantrum with her mom. But now, he felt that Clarice had gone too far.
Although Mrs. Madden's words did hurt Clarice, she cared for Clarice even though she pretended to.
Although Mrs. Madden could not get close to her daughter emotionally, she tried her best. Brandon thought his wife had done enough for Clarice.
He thought it was justifiable for Clarice to be angry with her mom for a while, but she didn't have to behave that way all the time.
As Brandon thought about this, his tone became stern, "Okay, Clarice, this is your mom. Even if she did something wrong, you can't keep resenting her. She's been doing her best to take care of you since you came home."
Sensing the annoyance in Brandon's tone, Clarice lowered her head and kept silent, and her eyes twinkled.
Brandon stopped talking to Clarice. He turned to Mrs. Madden, his face milder and his tone soft, "All right. Give us a second. You both need to calm down. You should talk after you've calmed down."
Mrs. Madden looked at Clarice and then nodded, "Okay."
Then she turned and hesitantly walked toward the door.
Soon, only Brandon and Clarice were left in the room, and the door was closed.
Brandon rubbed his brows and said to Clarice, who hung her head down, "I know you're still mad at your mom for what she said earlier, and I know your mom was wrong, but you've only been back a few months after you've been apart from us for over twenty years. Your mom hasn't quite gotten used to it yet, so she doesn't feel close to you. But she loves you in her heart. You should understand her. Go talk to your mom later. Get things straight. How can you keep distancing yourself from your mom?"
"Okay, Dad." Clarice bit her lower lip and grunted.
Clarice had intended to stay distant from Mrs. Madden for a few days, so Mrs. Madden would be more concerned about her.
However, Brandon was unhappy with Clarice due to her temper tantrums with her mom. Clarice then realized that although she was their daughter, her mom was more important to Brandon.
Between Clarice and Mrs. Madden, Brandon would definitely take his wife's side. If Clarice continued to detach herself from Mrs. Madden, Brandon would be angry with her. That was not good for her.
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