Home / I Saw My Mom in His Family Photo / Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

All Chapters of I Saw My Mom in His Family Photo: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

10 Chapters

Chapter 1

Ten minutes later, I arrived at the student's neighborhood.The security guard at the gate stopped me. "Can I help you, sir? Who are you here to see? Do you have an appointment? This is a high-end community. We can't let you in without a resident's approval."I looked at him and opened my mouth. "I'm looking for my mother. Anna—"Before I could finish speaking, the guard suddenly snapped to attention and shouted past my shoulder, "Good afternoon, Mr. Mercado!"I turned around just as a white BMW sped past, splashing mud all over me."Who's that?" I asked.The guard replied, "That's Mr. Mercado. His wife owns the largest penthouse in the neighborhood. She's a big deal. Annalise Fowler, the incoming CEO of Orion Tech. I've worked here for three years, and I see Ms. Fowler driving her husband and son home almost every day.""Every day?" I repeated.The guard smiled. "Well, not literally every day. She travels for work sometimes. But they have a son in college. Whenever the semeste

Chapter 2

The guard nodded in Mom and Harold's direction and asked, "Anyway, who did you say you were looking for again? Anna something?"My eyes locked onto Mom's hand, which was tightly intertwined with that man's.The words forced their way past my teeth, cold and deliberate. "Annalise Fowler—my dad's legal wife, my biological mother, and the deputy CEO of Orion Tech."As the words left my mouth, the woman across from me seemed to sense something and snapped her head around.The moment I saw her turn, my reflexes kicked in, and I ducked behind the security booth.Mom didn't see me. She frowned in confusion, then wrapped her arm around the man and Harold before heading inside.I pulled out my phone, snapped a photo of their backs, and immediately sent it to Grandpa, who was currently abroad."Grandpa, Mom cheated." My voice shook. "She even has a child with that man. I'm going to tell Dad and make sure Mom leaves with nothing!"Silence stretched over the line before Grandpa finally spo

Chapter 3

I said, "As for the second baby she lost…"I paused for a few seconds. At this moment, the old scar on my left hand seemed to throb with a dull ache."When I was five, Mom found out she was pregnant again. She was thrilled and insisted you take her back to her hometown. On the highway, a truck lost control and rammed us into the guardrail."That had been the darkest moment of our lives.Five-year-old me was pinned under the backseat. My left arm was broken, and all I could see was blood.Meanwhile, Dad was in the passenger seat with glass embedded in his neck and chest, completely knocked out.In that critical moment, Mom was the first to crawl out of the wreckage. Risking her life, she crawled back in to drag Dad and me out of the overturned car.Unsurprisingly, she miscarried. "The evidence the lawyer found shows that Mom had orchestrated that crash."I closed my eyes as a wave of hopeless, icy dread washed over me.I would never forget that day. My left hand required 38 sti

Chapter 4

When Mom and Dad were dating, Mom had absolutely nothing, but she offered her so-called devotion, and Dad fell for it.Now, Dad merely glanced at the watch and smiled politely, but didn't reach for it.I had seen that exact watch in a storefront window while out grocery shopping with Dad. It was a clearance item that didn't cost much.Mom looked awkward. Her hand hovered in the air for a second before she turned to Grandpa, wearing an embarrassed smile. "Dad, Noel is just being shy."Those words made Dad and me laugh.But Mom was still entirely consumed with sucking up to Grandpa. She pointed to a family portrait hanging on the wall and said, "Dad, look. We took this for Charlie's birthday. See how happy they look."I remembered that day perfectly.To celebrate my birthday, Dad had booked a restaurant two weeks in advance. He had told Mom that the one thing I wanted was a limited-edition gaming console and reminded her to make sure she bought it.Yet, Mom still showed up empty-

Chapter 5

At my question, cold sweat broke out across Mom's face.Claiming that the people outside had the wrong address, she tried to slam the door and brush it off.But I blocked her immediately and flung the door wide open to face Carlos and Harold. "Mom says you have the wrong house. Is that true?"Carlos glanced inside. Seeing Grandpa's thunderous expression, Dad's profound disappointment, and Mom's sheer terror, he nervously nodded and tried to drag Harold away.Harold, however, refused to go quietly. He shot me a glare.Just as Mom let out a breath of relief, I pulled out my phone and displayed the photo. "If they have the wrong house, Mom, then maybe you can explain why you and this gentleman are looking so cozy in this picture."Mom froze, utterly speechless."Mom? You didn't catch my question? Let me ask again. If you don't know the two people standing at our door, then what exactly is this?"I thrust the photo I'd snapped at the neighborhood entrance right into her face.Her

Chapter 6

Dad became increasingly emotional, and his voice grew louder and louder. "You used my family's money to buy them a house and send your illegitimate son to the best school. Is that your idea of treating me well?"Mom's face went dead pale. She had no clue when Dad had found out about any of this. She parted her lips to defend herself but found she had absolutely nothing to say.Finally, her defense crumbled into a pathetic accusation. "Y-You investigated me?"Dad let out a sharp laugh. "Investigated you? I didn't even have to. Even the guard at their neighborhood entrance knows how close your perfect little family is."And your son never misses a chance to flaunt your status at school. It's like he wants the whole world to know what a great mom he has! Annalise, did you honestly think I was that big of a pushover?"Before Mom could react, Harold suddenly lunged forward and shoved Dad hard.Dad stumbled back, and I barely caught him in time to keep him on his feet.Harold's face w

Chapter 7

Mom glared at me. "I am still your mother! How dare you speak to me like that!""Then can I speak to you like that?" Grandpa's voice was heavy and commanding, instantly silencing everyone in the room.His gaze swept past Mom's pale face before resting on Carlos and Harold."Annalise, on the day you married Noel, you swore an oath to love and care for him forever. You broke that promise, so everything happening now is your own doing."Grandpa's tone was terrifyingly calm. "Effective immediately, you are terminated from your position as deputy CEO. Someone will be by tomorrow to handle the transition, and your upcoming promotion is officially revoked."Hearing this, Carlos lost his mind. He shrieked, "You can't do that! The company doesn't just belong to you!"Grandpa didn't even grant him a glance. He kept his eyes fixed on Mom. "The lawyers are auditing the company assets you embezzled over the years. If you want to stay out of prison, I suggest you cooperate fully with the inves

Chapter 8

These seemingly remorseful apologies were nothing more than a desperate surrender once she had lost everything.The moment Grandpa stripped Mom of her corporate power, she became a completely different person.Her sharp, executive poise was gone, replaced by days of wallowing in regret.She spent what little money she had left buying Dad and me luxury watches and booking high-end restaurants. She even tried making Dad's favorite dishes.Unfortunately, all those attempts to please us only seemed laughable to us."Just sign it," Dad said, dropping the divorce papers in front of her. His voice was as cold as ice. "There's no point in dragging this out."Mom snapped her head up, her eyes bloodshot. "I'm not signing it! We have over a decade of history together. You can't just throw that away! I'd rather die than sign that."I couldn't help but sneer. "Over a decade of history? What about Carlos and Harold? What were they to you?"The mention of that father and son seemed to give he

Chapter 9

Mom opened her mouth, but in the end, nothing came out."You've only ever loved yourself," Dad said before turning his back on her and walking away.Mom collapsed onto the floor like a deflated balloon.She knew that no matter how much she tried to show her devotion now, we had already seen through her selfish nature.The gold digger who had built her career on her husband's family, only to use their wealth to support a side piece, was now stripped of her final shred of dignity.Yet, she still refused to sign the divorce papers.She showed up at our door every day, sometimes weeping, sometimes making a scene, and sometimes bringing gifts to win me over.But I never forgot how she had treated Dad or me. I wouldn't fall into the same trap twice.If she could abandon Carlos and Harold that ruthlessly, there was no guarantee she wouldn't do the same thing to Dad and me down the road.Dad remained adamant about the divorce. No matter what tactics Mom tried, he refused to give in.

Chapter 10

Fear gripped me as I kept a wary watch on my surroundings. Night was falling.Mom suddenly slammed on the brakes, turned to me, and gripped my shoulders with a deathly tightness. "Call your father! Tell him if he doesn't drop the lawsuit, he'll never see you again!"I was terrified, but I knew I couldn't let her win. No matter what, I refused to make the call.Mom slapped me across the face, ripped the phone from my hands, and dialed Dad on speakerphone.On the other end, Dad's voice shook with intense anxiety. "Annalise, you've lost your mind! This is illegal! Bring Charlie back right now, and I might consider letting this slide!""Save your breath, Noel Larson!" Mom shrieked into the phone. "Drop the lawsuit right now and have 50 million dollars ready! Otherwise…"Dad listened quietly, then said just one thing, "You're going to regret this."With that, he hung up.Furious, Mom smashed the phone against the dashboard.She dragged me into an abandoned factory and bound my hand

SCAN CODE TO READ ON APP