Swapping a Broken Heart for a New Start novel Chapter 1003

The other child's mother stammered with an embarrassed smile, “Actually, I didn't see anything just now. It must have been a misunderstanding. It’s all my son’s fault. I’ll be sure to teach him a lesson when we get home…” She grabbed her son's hand and tried to leave. But Lillian stepped forward, blocking their path. “You can’t go yet. you haven't apologized.” The woman’s face stiffened, but she kept trying to deflect. “It was just a misunderstanding. Why must you be so persistent?” Lillian shook her head, stating the facts calmly. “You were the ones who did something wrong. My teacher says that when you do something wrong, you have to admit it and apologize. You're his mother, a grown-up, but you’re being unreasonable. You even taught him to call someone a cripple. That’s not right. Being injured and unable to walk is already very difficult. Why would you mock someone for their disability?” A crowd had gathered, and the bystanders murmured in agreement with Lillian. They began to look at the mother with disapproval. “The little girl is right! If you do something wrong, you apologize!” “A child might not know better, but doesn't the adult?” “You can tell she spoils that kid rotten.” As the crowd pointed fingers, an eyewitness spoke up. “I saw it too. That boy was chasing a balloon and wasn't looking where he was going.” “That’s right! He ran into the gentleman's wheelchair and then had the nerve to blame him.” “How ridiculous. Crying doesn’t make you right. That boy needs to be taught some manners…” Humiliated by the public criticism, the mother couldn't bluff her way out any longer. She quickly dragged her son forward. “I’m sorry, it was our fault. I haven't raised him properly. I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive us.” She pushed her son’s head down. “I’m sorry,” the boy mumbled. “I shouldn’t have called you that. I’m the one who ran into you. I’m sorry.” After the apology, the mother and son scurried away. In the end, Jordan Smith didn't pursue the matter further. He was too stunned to react. It wasn't just what Lillian had said; it was *why* she’d said it. She had defended him because, in her eyes, people who were sick or injured were already suffering and shouldn't be attacked for it. But thinking back, wasn't she once sick too? She had been a patient, and what had the Smith family done to her? What had he, her own father, done? Since coming to Cabinda, Jordan had known he'd neglected them and missed Lillian's childhood. But it was only today that he truly understood what it felt like to be attacked for a physical disability. If he, a grown man, found it so unbearable, how must Lillian have felt at such a young age? In that instant, Jordan's face went pale. He felt a profound sense of shame that made it impossible to even look at Lillian. For the first time, the thought truly struck him: he was utterly unworthy of being her father. Already thin from the stress of the past months, Jordan seemed to deflate, his spirit completely crushed. He lost all energy to continue the outing, suddenly finding it unbearable to be in her presence. He turned to Nathan Gates and ordered, “Tell Camila’s parents to come get her.” Nathan was surprised. So, the boss had known the Davises were following them all along. It only took him a few seconds to understand. The incident had forced his boss to confront the monstrosity of his past actions.