The Unwanted Daughter: When Love Comes Too Late Chapter 232: No One Had Expected

If this had been before, Liam would've let go right away, feeling bad and saying sorry over and over.

But now, not only did he not let go, but he held on even tighter to Erin, his voice getting louder. "Tell me—did you save me or not?!"

That was when the others seemed to snap out of it and rushed over.

"Liam, what are you doing? Let her go!"

Daphne grabbed for Liam's hand to pull him away, but he was stuck in his own stubborn thoughts. Instead of letting go, he gripped Erin's shoulders and shook her hard. "Answer me!"

Erin looked stunned, staring at him like she didn't even know him anymore. Tears started spilling down her cheeks, heavy drops hitting the floor.

The sight made the other Jackmans' hearts twist, especially Daphne, who scratched at the back of Liam's hand so hard that she drew blood, but she still couldn't get him to let go.

When Erin's little face went pale with fear, Andrew's expression turned cold. He raised his hand and slapped Liam across the face.

Smack!

The sound rang out sharp as Liam finally let go, stumbling two steps to the side, his ears buzzing.

He stood there for a while before lifting his head—only to see Benjamin and Daphne shielding Erin, pulling her a few steps back, and holding her close with worried faces.

Andrew stood in front of them, glaring, and there was even a flash of hatred in his eyes.

"Liam, you've really gone too far. You actually dared to bully Erin!"

Liam didn't explain; the words just slipped out, low and dazed. "So, this is how we used to treat Tracy, huh ... "

He had never thought the family he'd lived with for so many years could be this despicable.

All he'd done was ask a fair question, but they saw it as bullying Erin and even hit him for it.

They were his family, but the way they were looking at him now, it was as if they were staring at an enemy.

And it hit him. Have I been like this before? Looking at Tracy with the same eyes, blaming and insulting her without knowing the truth?

Digging through his memories, he realized he had been just like them, turning on Tracy again and again.

And every time, it had been for Erin.

It was like something clicked in Liam's head. His gaze snapped to Erin, crying in Daphne's arms, his face going pale.

He suddenly remembered that the one they used to protect and cherish was Tracy.

At some point, they had started finding fault with her no matter what she did.

But the truth was, Tracy had never done anything wrong. She'd even lowered herself to try to make them happy, yet all she got back was dislike and harsh words.

It wasn't supposed to be like this ...

I promised myself when I was little that I'd always protect Tracy—so how have I become this person?

Liam's face was as white as a ghost's, and the way he looked at Erin shifted from shock to anger, with a bit of hatred.

"It's you ... It's all because of you! If it weren't for you, we never would've treated Tracy like that! Why did you come back? Why did you take everything that belonged to her?!"

"It's you ... It's all because of you! If it weren't for you, we never would've treated Tracy like that! Why did you come back? Why did you take everything that belonged to her?!"

Andrew didn't give him the chance—he shoved Liam back hard. "Liam, what's gotten into you?!"

Liam stumbled a couple of steps, then whipped his head toward Andrew, shouting angrily, "Me? I'm the crazy one? You're the ones who've lost your minds!

"For this woman who's done nothing but lie, you kept misunderstanding Tracy, yelling at her, and hitting her—you even broke her fingers.

"You're the ones who hurt Tracy! You're the ones who hurt me!"

His glare at Erin was sharp enough to cut. "Why did you come back? If you hadn't, we wouldn't have doubted Tracy, and we wouldn't have done so many things to hurt her!

"Tracy never tried to take from you—it was you ... you kept hinting that she bullied you!

"She tried to explain herself. She even showed us proof. Why did we never believe her ... "

Right then, Liam wished he could go back to all those moments he'd stood with the others accusing Tracy, just so he could slap himself.

No one had expected Liam to say all this.

He had always been someone who just went along with life, never regretting anything, not about anyone or anything. And he had always been afraid of Andrew, never daring to talk to him like this.

So for a moment, everyone just stared at him, too shocked to react.

Erin, seeing their stunned faces, cursed in her head, then quickly put on a pitiful look. "Liam, if I did something wrong, I can say sorry. But don't talk about Mom, Dad, and Andrew like that."