I was on the beach helping tourists take photos when Philip and James showed up.
The tourists loved my style and even tipped me generously. I smiled as I accepted it, but just as they leaned in to kiss my cheek in greeting…
Philip rushed over and pulled me away.
“What the hell are you doing!”
The tourists reached out to help push him off me, but I stopped them. I didn’t want them dragged into this mess.
After walking to a quiet spot, I looked up at him.
Philip stared at me intently, as if he couldn’t get enough of looking at me. But I found it strange… and disgusting.
I didn’t ask how they’d found me. If they wanted to track me down, they had their ways.
‘Are you here to confront me?”
Philip froze for a moment, his voice thick with grief. “That was my child too.”
shot back at him: “Do you really care about him?”
‘hilip snapped: “Do you really think I don’t care?”
.ooking at his bloodshot eyes, I couldn’t help but laugh. I mocked his fake emotions, mocked him for pretending to be so incere.
You released that video while I was pregnant. You let the whole world see my pain. You call that ‘caring“?”
‘he moment those words left my mouth, Philip’s face went deathly pale. His eyes widened in panic, but he couldn’t defend
imself.
ven the usually sharp James froze in place, unable to meet my eyes.
fter a long silence, Philip finally spoke, his voice strained. “Clara, we were wrong. Let us make it up to you.”
he waves crashed endlessly against the shore in the distance as I slowly shook my head. “The best way you can make it up to ne is to never appear in front of me again.”
‘hilip’s face tightened. In the suffocating silence, I spoke again.
Actually, you came at the perfect time. I think I should get divorced. When we get back to New York, let’s do that.”
Even on the flight back, Philip never said the words I’d been waiting to hear.
20:27
Betrayed by Husband and Brother. I Became the True Heiress
7,6%
But it didn’t matter anymore. No one could stop my decision now.
Lydia somehow found out about my return. While Philip and James were preparing dinner for me, Lydia strutted in arrogantly. To my surprise, she brought the Stone couple with her–those two despicable people I never wanted to see again.
Philip’s expression immediately changed. He stepped in front of me.
“Get the hell out!” he said coldly.
Mrs. Stone didn’t dare confront Philip directly, but she turned her hateful and malicious gaze on me. Her tone dripped with mockery: “Look at you, going from nothing to a wealthy heiress. Now you think you can bully my daughter? You’ve got a death wish!”
My normally meek adoptive father straightened up in front of me for once, as if trying to prove something. He still thought I was that little girl who couldn’t fight back or respond.
Seeing me stare at him, he spat on the ground and roared: “What are you looking at? Don’t think I won’t teach you a lesson!”
I laughed–why wouldn’t I believe it? Back on the farm, they’d use anything they could grab–whether it was rakes or pitchforks, they’d use them to beat me.
In their eyes, I wasn’t even considered human. When sick animals got ill, people would at least buy medicine to treat them. But when I had a fever close to 104°F, they’d just tell me to tough it out.
If it weren’t for sheer luck, how could I have survived to today?
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