Chapter 4
I wasn’t sure how long the birthday party had lasted, but when I returned home after tending to my wounds at the hospital, Victor was nowhere to be found.
At that moment, my brother, whom 1 hadn’t heard from in a long time, suddenly called.
“Liane, Dad had forgiven you. He said he felt guilty for not being there for you all these years. He had planned to buy you a villa and some company assets to manage. As for your son, Dad wanted him to attend a prestigious school and he had also bought a sports car, planning to give it to him as a gift to celebrate their meeting. If you had time, he asked if you could bring your husband and the others over for a
visit.”
Hearing that, I couldn’t help but think back to the times when I had clashed with my father, blaming myself for not handling
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things better back then.
After silently replying with a simple “Hmm,” I hung up the phone.
At that moment, I received a message from Victor, but it was full of criticism.
[Liane, your behavior today really disappointed me. I told you a long time ago not to speak out. The beating you received was something you brought upon yourself!]
[Ugly monster, I don’t want to see you tonight. Reflect on yourself. When I get back, I expect to hear you admit your mistake.]
The wound throbbed faintly with pain. I couldn’t help but ask him why he hadn’t
clarified when others said Frank wasn’t
my son.
But Victor just said it was to make Erin’s act of being his wife more convincing. Then he scolded me for being ungrateful, for not knowing my place and for bringing this upon myself.
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In that moment, I couldn’t help but wonder if it was because the love and companionship I had given them over the years hadn’t been enough, which was why they treated me this way.
I even secretly found excuses for them in my heart, thinking it was Erin’s sweet words that had confused them.
As long as I could show them Erin’s true nature and tell them what my brother had said, they would change their minds.
Just as I was eagerly waiting for them to come back, I saw Frank‘ s latest post on social media, a photo taken at Erin‘ s house.
In the photo, he smiled brightly while holding a phone, with Victor and Erin standing behind him, both wearing wide smiles. They looked perfectly in sync.
The caption read: [A family should be together, wishing my parents a lifetime of happiness!]
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I had raised my son for sixteen years, always hoping that one day he would appreciate my efforts. Now, he finally posted on his social media, but the person he thanked wasn’t me.
As expected, Victor didn’t come back that night.
In the past, Victor would always call me before doing anything. This time, there wasn’t even a single message from him.
I tried sending him a text, but it was like throwing a stone into the sea. There was no response at all.
At first, I felt angry, but as the night deepened, a growing sense of fear began to torment me. Would this man I’d loved for
so many years be holding another woman in his arms tonight?
I couldn’t stop my thoughts from spiraling, despair washing over me again and again. Yet, all these years of devotion have made it impossible for me to let go so easily.
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I could only comfort myself with the thought that, with our son by his side, he wouldn’t do anything with Erin.
Leven fantasized about the moment when Victor would hear the news I was going to tell them and we’d reconcile.
But that unrealistic dream was shattered
the moment Frank returned home.
As soon as he got back, he headed straight to the bedroom, grabbed some of Victor’s clothes from the wardrobe and prepared to leave. Among the items were some women’s underwear I had never seen
before.
I blocked his way and questioned him,
“What are you doing with these clothes?”
Frank shoved past me, smirking playfully. “My dad and Erin had such a great time last night that they accidentally got their clothes dirty. What do you think I’m doing with these?”
Hearing this, pain shot through my heart
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and my mind involuntarily conjured up images of Victor and Erin entangled together.
I couldn’t help but shout, “Frank, I’m your mother! How can you side with an outsider…?”
“Stop joking,” he cut me off. “All I’ve ever seen is Erin’s effort. What have you ever given me?”
But everything Erin had taken over was originally mine.
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Unwilling to give up, I grabbed his arm, my eyes reddening. “Do you even know that her company was handed to her because your father made me sign the transfer agreement while I was drunk? Everything that woman has was originally mine!”
I thought Frank would take my side after learning the truth. But instead, he impatiently shook off my hand. “I won’t let you insult Erin!”
Then he sneered coldly, “Even if it was
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yours, so what? It’s all hers now, isn’t it?”
He went on, “And you‘ re really clueless. My dad loves Erin. Even I can see that. Can’t you see it? Now that they’ve finally reunited, if you truly love my dad, you should be happy for him. If they want to be together, why can’t you just turn a blind eye and let it be?”
Looking at my son, completely devoid of any familial warmth, a chill ran through my heart.
At that moment, a message came in from Erin.
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