01

Hope felt humiliated. How could she be so wicked? She didn't even deserve to be called a mother. And for what? It seemed she didn't care about the weight of that word. All she did was spit venom everywhere.

"I hate you, I hate you, and I hate you!" she repeated endlessly. The woman in front of her looked at her as if she wanted to kill her. Her sharp eyes were already piercing her in a way that could crush anyone. Yet, she felt no fear of her—only a deep-seated hatred. Now she was coming here to tell her she was good for nothing, that she was entirely useless. All of this stung. Did her cruelty truly know no bounds?

"I feel the exact same way. You shouldn't even be under this roof anymore. You are not, and you will never be, my daughter," Marie snapped, leaving the young woman frozen in place. She couldn't believe her ears. Why was she claiming she wasn't her daughter? Nothing made any sense. She was utterly lost and stunned by what she was hearing. For a long time, she had considered this woman her mother, but now she was treating her vilely.

"It's not like I'm proud to have you as a mother either. You don't even deserve for me to call you that," she stared deeply into her eyes. Rage had twisted her features into a deep flush, and she glared at her with an unforgiving look. She couldn't help it; she was starting to despise this person.

In response, the so-called Marie sneered, putting her hands on her hips. She shot her a mocking look. Hope couldn't understand her attitude. Why on earth was she baring her claws now and acting like a complete bitch?

"You don't understand a thing. You aren't my daughter. I never carried you in my womb. Actually, you're my niece, but the truth was never told to you. Because of you, my sister died. Even so, I was willing to take you in and raise you. But all this time I've lived looking at you and seeing her. My poor little sister should be here, not you," she blurted out without filters or warning, dropping a bombshell that left Hope utterly flabbergasted. She couldn't believe everything Marie had just said was true.

How could they have not told her the truth sooner? She wanted to run and find a sanctuary, but right now, she couldn't even think straight. What Marie had told her completely shattered her.

Hearing the news raw and unfiltered gripped her heart, leaving her in a state of sheer shock. It all hit her like a bucket of cold water. She stared at Marie while trying to process all the information she had just been given. It felt like a nightmare or a bad dream.

Although Marie had never acted like a cruel woman, now that she was showing her true colors, Hope's soul dropped to her feet. This reason sounded painful, as it told her she was to blame for her sister's death. She no longer felt just rage, but also an overwhelming urge to cry—like a little girl who needed someone by her side to feel safe, arms to lean on for protection. Furthermore, she longed to hear that everything was going to be fine, even though everything seemed to be taking a brutal turn, leading her down a completely unfamiliar path.

She didn't know how Marie had kept the truth from her for so long, what game she was playing, or what she was waiting for to confess that she wasn't her daughter. She had waited years to tell her that; simply put, it couldn't be true. Not caring that Marie was right there, she sat down on the nearest living room couch and began to cry uncontrollably. She needed to let out everything her soul was feeling just to feel better, or at least a little relieved. Anyone would have found it difficult to process all of that. It was a truth—and not just any truth, but one that had just exploded and left her in ruins.

From that very second, she began to feel different. She no longer recognized herself; everything felt like an elaborate setup, and her life felt like a parody.

"It's not true, that's not real," she refused to accept it. Hurting from finding herself in the middle of all this, was she really to blame for someone dying? And not just anyone, but her mother. It was worse than receiving a punch to the stomach. She had been living this entire time in an absurd lie and somehow felt trapped inside it.

She covered her face with the palms of her hands. She couldn't stop crying. Her heart was filled with an ocean destined to spill down her cheeks. She felt shattered at the thought that the woman standing before her was not her real mother. Now she understood that indifference, which she had foolishly ignored all her life. The entire time she was close to her mother, she hadn't noticed, or perhaps she simply hadn't cared.

Following the discovery of the truth, she now felt as though she were living under the same roof as a total stranger. Her eyes no longer saw that woman as the mother she once was; there remained only the reflection of a person who hated her—someone who didn't deserve even a fraction of the affection she once felt. At the same time, she thought of her father and saw him as a liar. He had never been willing to tell her the truth, perhaps out of fear, shame, or some other reason. It was even possible he wasn't her real biological father either, unless her aunt hadn't minded keeping her sister's man after she lost her life. That was another question spinning endlessly in her head, and she longed to get an answer. Now that secrets were being revealed, it was time for her to get the answer to that question as well.

And on top of that, Marie, her aunt, wasn't done telling everything. It was merely the beginning of a reality that would crush her and leave her broken like never before. In that state of desolation, Marie didn't care about continuing to recount what had happened, which left her feeling even more helpless and guilty for an event from the past that could probably have been avoided.

"My sister was so young. She didn't deserve to leave this world because of you; she had so many things to live for and so many moments left to write. Unfortunately, she fell in love with the wrong man at the wrong age and didn't think about the consequences of her actions. I wouldn't call that love; it was something fleeting and stupid that sentenced her to death." She paused to wipe away her tears. Hope sniffled and stared at her. "She was only fifteen when she got pregnant with you, and my mother said we could do something—that maybe going to the doctor could terminate the pregnancy. But choosing an abortion back then was illegal, and besides, there were complications given that she was a minor and risked dying throughout the entire process. Even so, nothing could be done anymore; it was already too late because it was somewhat advanced—she was almost three months pregnant, which prevented the abortion procedure."

She just wanted her to stop talking.

"No..."

"We were all devastated by the situation my sister was facing. She didn't deserve to be in such a dangerous position, even though she had brought that consequence upon herself through her lack of precaution. She hadn't thought about the possible consequences of displaying her so-called love, and now she found herself condemned to live with a child at such an early age. However, life had another destiny prepared for her—a cruel and fulminant one. During the first few months, everything seemed to be going well. Her belly was growing normally, and we went to medical appointments to ensure the process went without any hitch. She kept up with checkups and took the recommended medicines. Besides, she exercised to stay healthy. My mother stayed attentive the entire time, making sure she followed every single instruction. She never made a mistake and stayed close to her, teaching her everything she could. When the day of the delivery arrived, we were all quite nervous. Because of her young age, it was decided that a C-section would be best. We were all in agreement and trusted that everything would turn out fine. But, unfortunately, nothing happened according to plan or what the doctors had predicted. It was a Tuesday night, and we were sleeping. Suddenly, her screams woke us all up. The baby decided to come early, and she was practically in labor; her water had broken, and she was writhing in pain on her bed, feeling intense discomfort all over her body."