Chapter 7

Melissa shivered under the ice-cold glare Amelia cast her way, the weight of that piercing gaze making her palms clammy.

Her thoughts scrambled in panic. She has always been so gentle and sweet, always respecting me as her mother. What’s gotten into her today? Could she… Could she have learned the truth about her birth mother?

No, that’s impossible. Debra’s death was silent and discreet. No one in Norava could possibly know that Amelia is Debra’s daughter.

Drawing a deep breath to calm her nerves, Melissa plastered on her usual facade of motherly affection. “Amy, darling, I’m your mother. I’m only worried about you—”

“You? My mother?” Amelia’s laugh was sharp, bitter, cutting right to the bone. Her eyes burned with a mix of anguish and fury. “You don’t deserve that title.”

Melissa’s expression was as excessively affectionate as ever, full of false concern. For years, she’d played the part of the doting mother, nurturing Amelia into the perfect naive, sweet-tempered fool–easy to manipulate, easier still to control.

In her last life. Amelia had fallen for it all, treating a wolf in sheep’s clothing as her flesh and blood for twenty years, only to end up losing everything, even her life.

Walter’s stern voice cut through the tension, laced with irritation. “Amy, what kind of tone is that? Apologize to your mother right this instant.”

“Sure,” Amelia replied coldly, her voice trembling with barely restrained emotion. “Just tell me one thing first, Dad, where is my real mother buried? I’ll need to know where to go to make my apology.” Her eyes, shimmering with unshed tears, betrayed the heartache she couldn’t quite contain.

Walter and Melissa’s so-called love had always been about one thing–the fortune Debra had left for Amelia. If it weren’t for the stipulation in Debra’s will–that Amelia could only inherit after turning 18 and getting married–Melissa would have likely disposed of her long ago.

Walter froze for a moment, the mask of composure slipping before he forced himself to recover. “Amy, how could you say something so horrible? How could you say that to your own mother,” he scolded.

“That’s right, Amy,” Melissa added with a wounded expression, her voice trembling as though on the verge of tears. “I’ve been so good to you…”

“Mrs. Edwards,” Amelia spat, her voice rising with fury, “your daughter is Sandra while I’m Debra’s.” The silence that followed was deafening. It was as if Amelia’s declaration had sucked all the air out of the room.

The truth had finally come to light, but instead of relief, a deep, aching pain clawed at her chest. The revelation, as earth-shattering as it was, only made the hurt feel sharper. It was as though a part of her had been ripped open, exposing everything she had tried so hard to ignore.

Walter and Melissa paled visibly, their carefully constructed charade crashing down in an instant.

Years ago, Walter had been with Melissa when he met Debra. But the allure of the priceless heirlooms Debra owned had been too tempting. He’d feigned affection, courted her, and eventually married her for her wealth.

The three of them had lived in the neighboring city of Pinecrest. After Debra’s untimely death, Walter and Melissa relocated to Norava with Amelia.

The fever-induced amnesia Amelia suffered as a child was a stroke of luck for them. She had come to see Melissa as her real mother, and the two seized the opportunity to rewrite history, aiming for Amelia to be seen as Melissa’s daughter to the outside world.

In Norava, no one even knew of Debra’s existence. They had assumed Amelia would never learn the truth.

Gloria, watching the scene unfold, was visibly stunned. Everyone in Norava knew the Edwards family had two daughters. Melissa, in particular, was infamous for her excessive favoritism toward her elder daughter, Amelia.

But now, the truth was out in the open. Melissa had not only pushed Amelia into undergoing unnecessary surgery but had also stood idly by while Sandra bore her future brother-in-law’s child. And all because Amelia wasn’t her own.

Gloria’s mind reeled. ‘So that’s why Melissa spent years smothering Amelia with false love. She wasn’t doting on her–she was raising her to be a pliable fool she could exploit.’

But now that Sandra was carrying Zachary’s child, Melissa could easily push for Sandra to take Amelia’s place in the Foster family. After all, from her perspective, it didn’t matter which daughter married into that family. Either way, it was a connection to the Fosters.

Gloria’s suspicions deepened. Could they be plotting something even bigger?

As the matriarch of a powerful family, Gloria had seen her fair share of schemes and storms. But now, her fury surged like a tidal wave. Pulling Amelia protectively into her embrace, she fixed Melissa with a steely gaze. Her voice was sharp, leaving no room for argument.

“Mrs. Edwards,” she said coldly, “since it turns out you’re not Amy’s biological mother, you are no longer an in-law to me.”

Melissa and Walter froze, panic flashing across their faces. If they couldn’t appease Amelia, Debra’s fortune would slip through their fingers for good.

“Honey,” Melissa whimpered, throwing herself into Walter’s arms in a theatrical display of grief. “For eighteen years, I’ve raised Amy as if she were my own flesh and blood, only to be treated like this…”

Walter stiffened, composing himself before he barked angrily at Amelia. “Amy, how could you be so ungrateful? After everything we’ve done for you? We only did this for your own good. Your birth mother passed away far too young.

“We only kept the truth from you so you could live a happy, carefree life. All these years, Melissa has treated you better than her own daughter, Sandra. How could you speak to her like this! Apologize to your mother and come home with us.”

Amelia’s heart clenched as she shook her head, sadness etched in her expression.

Their words might have sounded righteous, but she knew better. This wasn’t about family, or love, or concern for her well-being. It was about dragging her back to go through with that bogus surgery, and then shoving her into a marriage with Zachary.

Melissa might not have been her real mother, but Walter was her biological father. Yet even he had schemed against his own daughter so heartlessly, driven by greed to betray her trust. The realization stung like a thousand needles.

Fighting back tears, Amelia leaned into Gloria’s arms, her voice quiet but resolute. “I’m already part of the Kingsley family now. You can leave.”

“Amy!” Walter’s voice rose sharply. “Are you saying you won’t even listen to your father anymore?”

He still believed his eldest daughter was the same timid girl who had always cowered before him. A slight raise in his voice used to be enough to terrify her into submission.

While today had not gone as planned, he was confident his authority would prevail. He figured that as long as he could get her back under his roof, the rest would be easy.

But Amelia simply closed her eyes, fists clenched tightly at her sides. “I won’t listen anymore,” she said softly, but the weight of her words was unspeakable.

From this moment on, she was severing all ties with the Edwards family. And not just that–she would make them pay for everything they had done. She would reclaim every last thing that rightfully belonged to Debra.

Walter stared at her, momentarily struck speechless. He opened his mouth, but no words came out.

Melissa, panicked, resorted to tears again. “Amy, all these years, I’ve treated you so well. Are you telling me that it all means nothing? Has it all been erased?”

“Whether it was kindness or manipulation, you know the truth better than anyone,” Amelia replied, her face set in stone.

“You ungrateful wretch!” Walter exploded, his face reddening as he shouted.

Gloria’s expression darkened as she stepped in. “Mr. Edwards, do you intend to cause a scene in my home?”

Walter froze as if struck by lightning, his arrogance deflating in an instant. “Mrs. Kingsley, I was merely disciplining my daughter–”

“Amelia is part of the Kingsley family now,” Gloria interrupted, her tone icy. “It is my responsibility as her mother-in-law to discipline her, if necessary. My son, Landon, cannot handle any disturbances. Should anything happen, the consequences are something you cannot afford. I suggest you leave.”

Her words landed like a hammer. At Gloria’s subtle signal, Ethan, the butler, appeared with two burly bodyguards in tow. “Mr. Edwards,” Ethan said politely but firmly, “this way, please.”

Walter hesitated, unwilling to back down, but he knew he was outmatched. No matter how unwilling he was, he had no choice but to retreat.

He swallowed his anger, forcing a kind and fatherly smile onto his face. “Amy, when you come back home, I’ll take you to visit your mother’s grave.”

His words dripped with implied menace–if she didn’t return, she’d never learn where Debra was buried.

Amelia’s face went ghostly pale. She stared at Walter’s retreating figure, her fists clenched so tightly that her nails bit into her palms. How could he stoop so low?

Gloria, who had been watching silently, let out a sigh as she placed a comforting hand on Amelia’s shoulder. “Amy, I never imagined you had such a complicated family…”

Lowering her gaze to hide the tears welling in her eyes, Amelia took a shaky breath. “I’m sorry. I only found out today myself. If it causes trouble for your family, I can leave right now.”

“Don’t be silly.” Gloria wrapped an arm around Amelia protectively, her tone firm yet gentle. “Where would you even go if you left us? High society is full of dark secrets and power struggles. You’ve married into the Kingsley family now, and that makes you one of us.”

“Gloria…” Tears spilled down Amelia’s cheeks, the warmth of Gloria’s words breaking through the cold bitterness that had surrounded her heart.

“From now on, our family will protect you.”

“Thank you…”

Amelia wiped her tears and straightened her back, determination flickering in her gaze.

The Edwards family and the Foster family had been struggling in business these past two years, desperately waiting for Debra’s inheritance to save them.

Amelia knew they wouldn’t stop targeting her. They’ll come after me again, unless…

“Gloria, may I ask for a favor?” she asked cautiously.

“Of course, dear. What do you need?” Gloria nodded without hesitation.

Amelia explained, “My biological mother left me a diamond hairpin worth more than 30 million dollars. According to her will, I can’t claim it until I’m of age and married. Now that I’m married, I’d like to retrieve it and keep it as a reminder of her.”

“Consider it done,” Gloria said with a decisive smile.

After their humiliating encounter at Kingsley Villa, Walter and Melissa returned home in foul spirits.

The moment they stepped through the door, Sandra rushed to meet them. “Dad, Mom, how did it go?”

“She wouldn’t come back,” Walter snapped, his face dark with fury. “How could you have been so careless? Letting her find out about the affair?”

Sandra’s hand reflexively went to her belly, guilt flickering across her face. “We didn’t mean for it to happen. Everything seemed fine when she went into surgery.”

Zachary frowned, his frustration evident. “She wasn’t right when she came out. Could someone in the operating room have said something to her?”

“No one said anything,” Sandra replied, shaking her head. “I was in the operating room the entire time. Besides, only the four of us even know the truth about her real mother.”

The four of them–Sandra, Zachary, Walter, and Melissa–were in the same boat, bound together by their shared secrets and misdeeds. Naturally, they wouldn’t let Amelia learn the truth.

So who the hell blabbed and ruined everything? Sandra cursed silently, her mind racing with suspicions.

“Dad,” Sandra said after a moment, her tone sharp with an edge of desperation, “Amelia must have rushed to marry Landon for protection. They didn’t even bother going to the city hall themselves. They just had the paperwork pushed through using connections. We should report them.”