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Lahat ng Kabanata ng The Test That Shook Two Mothers: Kabanata 1 - Kabanata 8

8 Kabanata

Chapter 1

"Cursida Claire! Where have you been? Didn't I tell you Annie's birthday party is today?"I jumped, snapping my book shut and shoving it into the cabinet. Annie was my cousin.Mom stormed in, sliding the door open. Her eyes landed on me while I stood timid and frozen in place, her face twisting with that familiar mix of disgust and impatience."Look at you, all pathetic and useless. How could you ever compare to Annie? Hurry up and let's go."I hurried to follow her, but I was not fast enough. She yanked my arm so hard I nearly stumbled.Mom did not love me.I had known that for as long as I could remember. Even my name felt like a constant reminder of her resentment.Aunt Monica once told me it was because my real dad was a jerk who ditched us. Mom could not forgive him, so she could not love me either.So, I tried to win her over. I studied harder than anyone, proudly handing her my perfect test scores. But she just ripped the papers to shreds and tossed them at me."You cou

Chapter 2

Annie's friends and classmates gave me strange looks and even asked her how old I was, wondering if I had just started elementary school.The truth was, we went to the same middle school, but I rarely talked to anyone. There were 49 kids in my class, and I sat at the back of the classroom.No one wanted to be my friend because I wore old clothes that did not fit, and I was not very talkative. They said I was dirty and smelled bad, like an orphan.Annie glanced at me and quickly explained, "No, we're the same age. Forget about her. Let's just blow out the candles."Seeing how awkward I looked standing off to the side, Aunt Monica walked over and gently told me to join Annie in blowing out the candles. But standing next to her only made me feel more out of place.Someone wrinkled their nose and said, "Ugh, what's that smell?"I instinctively shuddered.Others started sniffing too. Annie frowned and said, "Cursida Claire, is that you? Maybe you should go take a shower."I quickly

Chapter 3

Mom staggered into the kitchen, completely drunk. I quickly shoved my books under the blanket, startled.She walked over to my bed and stood in front of me. I froze, watching her as she smiled at me gently. It was the same smile she only ever gave to Annie.She sat down next to me and suddenly said, "I love you so much. Do you hate me?"I was caught off guard for a moment, and then, a strange feeling of joy rushed through me. Mom had actually said she loved me.But in the next moment, she leaned her head on my shoulder while her body swayed a little. She slurred out the words, "Annie, when you get into college, come find me. Those worthless people don't deserve to raise you."If I hadn't been broke and jobless back then, I never would've let them switch you with that trash. I really love you…"In that instant, it felt like my head had been hit with a hammer.Was she telling the truth?I could not believe it. Was I not her real child? Could I really be Aunt Monica's daughter?I

Chapter 4

I had a new name, and my teacher announced it in class, "From now on, every time we have an exam, the top scorer will get a special reward. They'll receive the title of 'Stellar Achiever,' and we're going to call them Stella. Whoever gets first place from now on will have this name! This time, we're giving it to Ms. Claire!"The whole class erupted in applause, and I could not stop the tears from welling up in my eyes.The teacher had put so much thought into this reward just to help everyone accept my new name.I was determined to work hard for this 'Stella' title.The teacher moved me from the back corner of the classroom to a spot right by the front. And I finally had a desk partner.She was this chubby girl who always brought snacks and would sometimes share them with me."Stella, why are you so thin? Don't you ever eat anything?"At home, I was the one responsible for cooking, but Mom was often gone. When she was not around, there was barely anything in the fridge, and I wo

Chapter 5

The exam lasted three days, and for the last two days, I stayed at my homeroom teacher's house to avoid Mom.I did not go home even when the high school entrance exam was over. Instead, I found a job at a nearby factory. They provided food and accommodation in addition to paying me a salary, so even though it was hard work, it was a huge step up from being at home.One day, I was working in the factory twisting screws and drenched in sweat when my phone rang.It was my teacher.She was overjoyed as she told me, "Stella, the results are out! You're number one in the whole county! The city's education offices have already called me—you've made it!"I could not hold back the flood of emotions. All the hard work, the sacrifices, and the anger felt like they finally had an outlet. I wiped my sweat away, my tears following as I bent over the table, crying my heart out.The workers around me cheered for me. The factory manager even gave me half a day off to go back to school for the awa

Chapter 6

I studied tirelessly, waking up early and going to bed late. While everyone was asleep, I'd hide under the covers, switch on my lights, and work on practice problems.My deskmate and I both got into the same high school, and we stayed close, still being each other's deskmates. She always teased me about working too hard, "Come on, it's just the first year of high school. Do you really need to go this far?" I did. For me, it was necessary.Exams were the only place I was treated fairly.Luckily, my hard work paid off. This time, I surpassed Annie. I ranked first in my class and sixth in the year. She was third in class and 13th in the year.Annie was not thrilled about it, but she had matured a lot, so at least she did not cry to Aunt Monica anymore. But it was clear we were competing in silence.Then, Annie started dating a guy from outside the school—a small-time thug. Her grades dropped drastically, and the teacher called Aunt Monica over to talk.I ran into them when I was h

Chapter 7

On the day I got back the DNA test results, Annie invited me to her graduation party.She barely made it into a vocational college, but Aunt Monica and Uncle Zach did not mind at all and even threw a big celebration.Annie proudly showed off in front of me. "So what if you got into Mayward? Your mom still doesn't love you. My parents will always spoil me no matter what."I smiled and said, "Well, congratulations on getting into college. I hope you'll always be treated like a princess."Her expression soured slightly, and she snorted before walking off.Mom arrived late, holding the car keys to a brand-new car. With a happy smile, she handed them to Annie. "Here's a graduation gift from me. Don't forget about me in the future!"Annie's pride grew, and she glanced at me with her chest all puffed up.Mom followed her gaze and saw me. She loved making me feel small in front of everyone."What are you doing here? Don't think that getting into a university will make a difference. You

Chapter 8

I turned my gaze to Uncle Zach, and, as expected, he could not meet my eyes.Then, I opened the second DNA test, which indicated that my biological father was Uncle Zach.Originally, I had planned to get a paternity test with Aunt Monica, but I accidentally used Uncle Zach's hair for the test. Ironically, this mistake led to the discovery of a shocking secret.The room was filled with murmurs as relatives started discussing in confusion."How can this be? After all these years of abuse, Moira finds out that Cursida is her biological daughter!""Poor thing, but honestly, Moira had it coming. She's the one who seduced her brother-in-law." "Are you that clueless? Both kids were born at the same time. How can you figure out who seduced who?" Aunt Monica was so enraged that she almost lost her balance. Covering her head, she yelled, "Zach Lindsay, you cheated on me!"Uncle Zach did not say a word, but fear was evident on his face as he fixed his gaze on Mom.Mom was crying, wanti

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