Chapter 6: Betrayal

Monica had barely climbed the front porch when the sound of a door slamming made her jolt. The front door to the mansion was ajar. She heard raised voices inside.

"How would the rest of the world view me when they know that my two daughters are interested in the same man?" her father, Leonard Banks, said, his voice laced with frustration.

Monica froze. Daughters? Her breath caught. Her parents knew. They already knew Brie was involved with Liam.

She edged closer to the door, pressing herself against it, her heart pounding.

"Leonard, now isn’t the time to be proud. Monica has been married to Liam McKenzie for years, and what has she brought to this family? Look at Brie. Just a fling, and contracts are coming into the company," Brenda said sharply.

"But that doesn’t change the fact that Monica is still our daughter," Leonard retorted.

"Your daughter," Brenda corrected coldly.

Monica’s body stiffened. Her brain struggled to make sense of the words.

"You promised never to bring that up again!" Leonard snapped.

Monica wanted to push through the door, confront them—but she already knew they would lie.

"You think I forgot what she gave you? She handed over her entire wealth, and you squandered it all," her father said.

Monica’s knees buckled. The boxes she held dropped to the ground with a thud.

"Everything?" she whispered, unable to believe what she was hearing.

The sound startled them. Leonard rushed out and stopped short at the sight of her.

"Monica!" he gasped, his eyes wide.

She looked at him, tears clinging to her lashes. The man she had trusted all her life—how much had he kept from her? Her voice trembled. "How much did you hear?" he asked.

She didn’t know where to begin. Brenda wasn’t her mother. Her parents knew about Brie and Liam. Her savings—gone.

"Who is my mother?" Monica asked, her voice low.

Brenda stepped into view, her lips parting in mock surprise. "Monica! What are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be at your husband’s house?"

"Did you know Brie was having an affair with him?"

Brenda’s expression twisted slightly, and that was enough.

"The contracts," Monica said with a bitter laugh. "You knew."

"I’m sorry, Monica, but my daughter’s happiness comes first."

"But I’m your daughter too!" she shouted, voice cracking.

"No. You’re not."

"Brenda!" Leonard growled, trying to intervene.

Monica’s world tilted. She turned to her father, her voice a whisper. "What does she mean? Who is my mother?"

"Monica, calm down—"

"Don’t tell me to calm down! Who is she?"

"Just tell her the truth," Brenda snapped. "Your mother was a slut."

Monica recoiled. "My mother is not—"

"She seduced my husband. Got pregnant."

"Brenda!" Leonard warned.

"I was willing to raise her like mine," Brenda continued, ignoring him, "until she turned twelve and said she wanted to be a model. Just like her."

"My real mother was a model?" Monica’s body trembled.

"Was. She died after giving birth to you."

Monica gripped her head. Nothing made sense. Her entire identity felt like it was being shredded.

"You lied to me all my life," she whispered. "And now what? How am I supposed to deal with this? Who is she?"

Leonard swallowed hard. "Indiana Hills Norbert."

The name hit her wildly.

No. It couldn’t be.

Indiana Norbert was a legend—an icon. Everyone in the industry knew her name.

"You’re lying," she breathed. But Brenda only scoffed.

"Look in the mirror. Same blonde hair. Same eyes. You never looked like me."

Monica’s thoughts spiraled. Everything she had ever known—gone.

"What about my savings? The jewelry? The lake house?" Her voice broke. "I gave you everything to keep safe. I trusted you."

Her father stepped forward, but she backed away.

"You can’t do this. Please."

"I sold the lake house," Brenda said flatly. "Your dad’s company needed saving."

"You… you sold it?" Monica whispered, her body shaking. That house had meant everything to her.

She could’ve had a career. She could’ve had a life. But she gave it all up for Liam. For this family.

And they threw her away.

"You have to give it back!" she cried.

"Monica," her father murmured, eyes pleading.

Brenda latched onto Leonard's arm. "She’s ungrateful. After all I did for her. Consider it payment for the years I wasted raising someone else’s child."

Monica scoffed through her tears. "Raising me? You sent Brie to a private school while I went to public. You claimed money was tight, but somehow, she always had more. I went to college on a scholarship. And you call me ungrateful?"

"You ungrateful child. Leave," Brenda spat, shoving her backward.

"Brenda, she’s my daughter!" Leonard tried to pull his wife back, but Monica could see the hesitation in his eyes.

Brenda didn’t stop. "Let her go. Brie’s going to marry Liam. Monica is nothing but an echo of her mother—always reaching for more than she deserves."

Monica stared at them, the people she had loved, obeyed, sacrificed everything for. Her fingers clenched around the cardboard boxes in her arms, filled with the fragments of a life she no longer recognized. Her savings—gone. Her husband—taken. Her mother—never existed. And the only people who should’ve protected her had handed her heart over like it was spare change.

She stepped back.

Then she turned away, tears falling silently as she walked down the porch steps. The boxes were heavy, but not as heavy as the betrayal in her chest. Her legs moved, but everything inside her had already collapsed.

Behind her, the door slammed shut again.

This time, she didn’t flinch.

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