Chapter 13: The Revelation**
With the storm cleared, a deep silence fell over Sterling Manor. Clara packed her single suitcase in her guest room. Her thirty-day contract had officially expired.
She walked downstairs, intending to leave quietly to avoid making the goodbye painful for the boys.
As she reached the bottom of the grand staircase, she found all four boys standing in a neat line, dressed in their Sunday suits. Behind them stood Julian, looking nervous for the first time in his life.
"Where are you going?" Noah asked, his big hazel eyes brimming with tears.
"My contract is finished, sweetheart," Clara choked back a sob, kneeling before them. "You boys are going to be amazing young men."
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"No," Leo stepped forward, holding out a small folded paper—the same crumpled drawing of a family he had hidden weeks ago. "You can't quit. You belong here."
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