LOGINAfter entering the room, I indeed discovered a computer connected to the store's surveillance system. However, the surveillance feed was currently inactive.I scrolled back through the saved surveillance footage. Part of it had been deleted, but I did manage to find screenshots from that day.Could it really have been Mom?In that instant, it felt like all the blood in my body rushed backward.Why? Why would she do this?Was I not her daughter? Why would she treat me like this?Staggering backward, I bumped into the desk behind me. This caused a box to fall from the nearby bookshelf. The lid of the box popped open, and I saw photos from my childhood spilling out.Instinctively, I picked them up to take a look. They were indeed pictures of me as a child, but among them was also Mom's diary.After reading the diary, I instantly understood why she had treated me this way!It turned out I wasn't really her daughter.In her youth, she was caught up in a turbulent string of relatio
"But we didn't do anything!" I screamed hysterically and nearly threw the phone across the room.Startled, Jerome quickly grabbed my hand."That's my mom's store, and I was just helping her watch it!"I kept shouting wildly, but Jerome seemed to be holding back something he wanted to say."You yourself said it's your mom's store, yet this is clearly footage taken from the surveillance cameras. So, don't you think you should consider how these images got out?"Looking at the photos again, I felt as if I had been plunged into an ice bath.Jerome's words made me realize belatedly that yes, the photos were clearly taken from surveillance footage. And the surveillance recordings were only stored in the shop's system.Could Mom have been the one behind all this?No, how could that be?I couldn't bring myself to believe what I was thinking. In that moment, it all felt impossible. But then I remembered the candle incident, and a sudden wave of confusion washed over me.Why would she
That evening, when Mom came home, I deliberately brought up the scented candle."Mom, that candle works really well. Could you get me a few more? I'd like to take them with me after the wedding so I can sleep better."Mom paused briefly while eating, her expression turning somewhat awkward."I only bought one. Just use it at home, and don't take it to school. Otherwise, it might be hard to explain if the other students ask about it."As she spoke, she placed a piece of fish on my plate, her face glowing with warmth and kindness."Look at you—you've been staying up so late these days, your face looks pale. Eat more and get some proper nourishment."The table was filled with my favorite food. Under normal circumstances, I would have been overjoyed. But right now, I had no appetite at all.The food felt like sawdust in my mouth, and I just kept mechanically shoveling it in.Mom clearly loved me so much, and nothing seemed off at all, so why…Could it be that she really didn't kno
Perhaps knowing I was hiding behind the curtain, Mr. Palmer seemed uneasy. He pushed Mom's hand away and said, "Alright, enough. Didn't you say we needed to settle the accounts?"But Mom persisted. She nudged Mr. Palmer into a nearby chair before slipping off his pants. Then, she gave him a seductive glance before lowering her head.I could hear Mr. Palmer's heavy breathing and the wet, intimate sounds that followed. Aware I was behind the curtain, Mr. Palmer kept glancing in my direction from time to time.The fire in his eyes sent my heart racing. I knew I shouldn't be watching, but I was utterly spellbound. My eyes locked on the scene before me, completely unable to look away."Oh my, you're so big today. I can barely fit my mouth around it," Mom murmured flirtatiously before straddling Mr. Palmer's hip.Almost instantly, the cluttered storeroom filled with the sound of Mom's gasps and moans, along with Mr. Palmer's restrained breathing.Through the gap in the curtains, my eye
What?Mr. Palmer's sudden revelation left my mind completely blank. For a long moment, I couldn't process anything. I glanced instinctively at the candle nearby, then turned my gaze back toward him."W-What do you mean by 'pleasure candle?'" I asked in a daze.What did he mean? What exactly was he trying to say?"When this kind of candle is lit, the scent it gives off can easily stir up certain urges in a person's body."Mr. Palmer phrased it rather delicately, but I understood instantly what he meant. And it was precisely because I understood that I felt even more bewildered.Why would Mom do this? Why would she light such a candle for me while I was sleeping? I was her daughter, so what good would this do her?At that moment, I was utterly at a loss and simply stared blankly at Mr. Palmer."I usually settle accounts with Allison on Fridays, but she postponed it to Sunday and asked me to come today."After Mr. Palmer said this, my mind seemed to buzz with a sudden, deafening
"No, we can't do th—"My unfinished words dissolved into ragged breath as Mr. Palmer began to move.I could feel how aroused he was. His hands were roaming all over my body, and my clothes were already in disarray.At that moment, the last thread of reason in my mind snapped completely. I could no longer care less about anything. All I wanted was to fully release the desire burning inside me."If no one knows, can't we just pretend it never happened?"In the end, I swallowed my refusal and began to writhe urgently against Mr. Palmer.By the time I finally calmed down, the sheets on the bed were beyond recognition. And beside me, Mr. Palmer was breathing steadily.Although we didn't go all the way, we had already crossed many intimate boundaries.Once the emotions cooled, I was completely engulfed by a wave of overwhelming embarrassment. Flustered, I picked up my clothes nearby and began to dress. Mr. Palmer had also put his clothes back on by then."Ruby, was what happened tod







