Chapter 74

"No, thanks." Jonathan turned and walked away, his voice tinged with disdain. "Who needs your charity, anyway?" Without another glance at them, he strode out of the art room. Gregory, Eleanor, and his three sisters were hopelessly biased. They never stopped questioning why he had changed and why he wasn't the same person he used to be. But how could he stay the same when prejudice loomed over him like an unyielding mountain? No matter how hard he tried, it wouldn't budge even a fraction. Whatever he did was wrong, and whatever Frederick did was right. When everyone misunderstood him, his attempts to explain himself seemed, in their eyes, like feeble, empty excuses. It was laughable. Their love for Frederick was unconditional, given freely and wholeheartedly, expecting nothing in return. But with him? Even compensating for his missed birthdays came with explicit strings attached, wrapped in disgusting conditions. How could he ever forgive them for such blatantly unfair treatment?