جميع فصول : الفصل -الفصل 10

A wave of nausea hit me, and I almost threw up.I grabbed the coat and rushed out of the room. "Mom, what's going on with this coat? Why is there hair inside? And why does it smell strange?" I asked.My mother, Claire Donovan, was slicing fruit in the kitchen, and her hand jolted at my words. Her gaze flickered for a second before she quickly regained her composure."Oh, you mean that. That was the display piece in the showcase. Other customers have probably tried it on. The sales associate said it was out of stock, and that was the last one left. I didn't want to trouble her by asking for a transfer from another store."I already steamed it after I got home. I probably just missed those hairs. Just make do with it for now. It'll be fine after it's washed. Don't make things difficult for that poor young woman who's just trying to do her job."Mom had always been a pushover. If someone shortchanged her while buying groceries, she just smiled and let it slide. When people borrowed m

Mom's smug voice rang in my ears, each word landing like a blow.So Mom hadn't been tricked into buying that coat. In her eyes, I was only worthy of garbage. For the first time in my 20 years, I truly understood that.Still, I refused to accept it. I kept going through Mom's phone, hoping to find some proof that she treated Brielle and me the same.I opened Mom and Brielle's chat. It was clean, filled with nothing but casual small talk. There wasn't a single record of a money transfer. But that was exactly what made it feel off.I pulled up Mom's transaction history. Sure enough, I saw transfer after transfer sent to Brielle. They ranged from a few hundred dollars to tens of thousands, sent every single month without fail.As for me, the moment I turned 18 years old, Mom cut off my allowance under the guise of teaching me to be independent.I had put myself through college on student loans and part-time jobs. Even when I was at my lowest, I couldn't turn to my parents for money.

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

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

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