تسجيل الدخولThree months later, it was all over. The court issued its ruling, and Mom and Dad's divorce was finalized.Since Mom was at fault and the paternity test confirmed that Brielle wasn't Dad's biological daughter—proving serious paternity fraud—the court ruled that she should leave with nothing and give Dad 800 thousand dollars as compensation for child support and emotional distress.Although it wasn't as much as 1.5 million dollars, it was still enough to cause them serious suffering.The house was awarded to Dad. Mom and Brielle were forced to move out and ended up renting a dark, damp basement unit.I thought the two of them were close enough to at least support each other. But Brielle had been spoiled by Mom since childhood, always enjoying the best food and clothes and never experiencing any hardship. Now that her living conditions had worsened significantly, she couldn't handle it at all.She began to resent Mom. She blamed Mom for being incapable, for having an affair, and for
I took a deep breath, pushed the door open, and walked inside.Mom was lying on the hospital bed, clutching her chest and groaning. "Aria… I'm in so much pain. I don't think I'm going to make it. My only wish is for you and Brielle to be okay. Give your money to Brielle and tell your dad to leave his assets to her. Only then can I die in peace."Watching her terrible performance only made me feel sick. "Mom, cut it out. The doctor said you only drank dish soap diluted with water. It won't kill you," I said.Mom's groans stopped instantly. She sat up abruptly, briefly embarrassed at being exposed before her face twisted with anger. "So what if it was dish soap? It's still toxic! I wanted to die! You and your dad drove me to this! Aria Montgomery, I'm telling you, if you don't agree today, I really will kill myself! I'll jump off this building!"As she spoke, she threw off the blanket and rushed toward the window. Brielle and Aunt Eleanor hurried in to hold her back."Mom, don't d
Uncle Freddie's voice sounded urgent and panicked. "Your mom said you refused to lend Brielle money for an apartment and even urged your dad to divorce her. She was so angry that she drank pesticide."She's in the emergency room right now. Get over here immediately, or you won't see her before she passes!"My heart sank. Even though I didn't care for Mom anymore, she was still the one who gave birth to me and raised me. More importantly, if she really died in the hospital, the public backlash would destroy my reputation.I took time off and rushed to the hospital. When I reached the hallway, I saw Uncle Freddie, Aunt Eleanor, and Brielle from a distance.Brielle was leaning against Aunt Eleanor, sobbing uncontrollably as if she might faint at any moment. The moment she saw me, she lunged forward and raised her hand to strike me.She screamed, "Aria Montgomery, you murderer! You're the one who drove Mom to this! If anything happens to Mom, I'll never forgive you!"I grabbed her wr
After that day, things between Mom and Dad completely fell apart.Dad moved into his company's dormitory and quickly consulted a lawyer to file for divorce while ordering a paternity test. Meanwhile, Mom stayed in the house with Brielle and refused to move out no matter what. She even changed the locks so Dad couldn't get in.I stayed with my best friend, Olivia Blake, temporarily.I thought I would have a few days of peace, but on the third day, Mom called me. Her voice trembled, and she sounded unusually weak, completely different from the way she had screamed and caused a scene at Grandma's house."Aria, please come home. I know I was wrong. I was so angry that day and said things I didn't mean. Actually, Brielle is your dad's daughter as well. I only said otherwise to make him mad. Now he wants a divorce and plans to kick Brielle and me out. How are we supposed to survive on our own?"Come back and help me reason with your dad. As long as he doesn't divorce me, I promise I'll
Mom's words left everyone in the room staring in shock.Even Brielle looked stunned. She turned deathly pale and pushed Mom away with trembling hands. "Mom, w-what are you talking about? I'm Dad's daughter."After hearing that, Mom finally realized she had let the secret slip. But there was no turning back now. Desperate and frenzied, she grabbed Brielle's arm with all her strength."My poor girl, your real father is a wealthy and powerful businessman. You were supposed to live like a rich heiress. That useless Tristan Montgomery ruined everything for us!"Just then, the sound of something heavy hitting the floor came from the doorway.Everyone turned to see Dad at the entrance. No one knew when he had come. He was still wearing his faded work uniform, and his shoes were caked in mud."W-what did you just say?" Dad asked.He walked in, each step heavy, making the room feel suffocating.The moment Mom saw Dad, the madness in her eyes vanished, replaced by panic and fear. "T-Tris
My timid younger cousin screamed and buried herself in her mother's arms.Aunt Eleanor took several steps back as if I were contagious. She pointed at me, her voice shaking. "I-Is this from a dead person? Claire! Did you give your daughter a dead person's coat to wear?"Mom's face went pale instantly. She rushed forward in a panic and tried to grab the white carnation, but I held onto it tightly.When she couldn't snatch it, she immediately put on a look of deep grievance. She slapped her thighs and began to wail. "I've been wronged! I haven't done anything wrong! Either the sales associate made a mistake, or some awful person put these in after trying on the coat! How could I possibly buy a dead person's coat for my daughter?"As she spoke, she pointed at me and turned the blame on me. "And you! You stubborn child! Couldn't you have told me privately if you found something in the pocket? Did you really have to pull them out in front of everyone? You did this on purpose to embarr







