Chapter 66

“Make way! Make way!”

Just as Brynn turned to leave, a doctor and a nurse rushed past, pushing a patient toward the elevator. She quickly stepped aside, nearly losing her balance. Brenda snapped out of her daze and hurriedly grabbed Brynn’s arm to steady her.

“Are you… okay?”

Brynn smiled at her. “I’m fine. Thank you, Ma’am.”

After thanking her, she was about to leave when she realized Brenda was still holding her arm. She looked at Brenda in confusion, only to find the woman staring intently at her arm.

Following her gaze, Brynn looked down—right at the crescent-shaped birthmark on her forearm. She froze.

Brenda’s voice trembled slightly, but she tried her best to remain calm. “Ms. Everett, may I ask… how you got this mark on your arm?”

“This isn’t a scar. It’s my birthmark,” Brynn answered honestly after only a brief pause.

Had Brenda… recognized her? Her heart pounded with a mix of nerves and anticipation. Brenda’s expression flickered at her response, but at the same time, she wondered if she was overthinking things. A girl as refined as Ms. Everett—how could she possibly be…?

“My daughter had the same birthmark when she was born,” Brenda murmured, lost in thought. “But as she grew older, it gradually faded away.”

Brynn was stunned. Did this mean… Brenda had no idea that Kylie wasn’t her biological daughter? Had Kylie never told the Blaze family about the mix-up? So the reason they never sought her out… was because they didn’t even know she existed?

Brynn’s heart swelled with excitement. She looked up at Brenda, unable to stop herself from speaking. “Actually, I—”

“Mom!” A voice rang out from down the hall, cutting Brynn off mid-sentence. Josh had rushed to the hospital the moment he saw the news online. Even before he arrived, his voice preceded him.

Brenda turned to see her son hurrying toward her, immediately reaching out to steady him. “Slow down! No shouting in the hospital, Josh. You know better than that.”

“Mom, I saw everything online. Are you okay? Did you get hurt? Are you feeling well anywhere?” Josh asked anxiously, scanning her for injuries.

Brenda chuckled and shook her head. “Don’t worry, I’m fine. By the way, your father is stable now—all thanks to Ms. Everett.”

“Ms. Everett?” Josh looked puzzled. “You mean that heartless doctor from the…”

Thunk!

“Ow!”

Brenda smacked her son on the head. “Watch your mouth! Ms. Everett is our family’s savior. If not for her, your father wouldn’t have made it!”

“My bad, my bad,” Josh winced and quickly tapped his own mouth as if to punish himself. “Ms. Everett must be a great person, then. I’ll be sure to thank her properly another day.”

Brenda laughed. “Silly boy, no need to wait for another day. She’s right here.”

With that, she turned toward Brynn. Josh had been so focused on his mother that he hadn’t even noticed the person standing beside her. Now, as he turned to thank Brynn, he got a clear look at her face—and his expression instantly darkened.

“You?”

Brynn frowned slightly. This was the first time they had ever met…. So why was he looking at her with such hostility? Did he already know who she was? And if he did… was he treating her this way because he refused to acknowledge her as his sister?

“What are you doing here?” Josh asked coldly. “You’re not welcome in our family.”

He had seen Brynn before at the Everett Group. The fact that she shared the same last name as Kylie only reinforced his assumption—she had to be someone Kylie sent. That woman was already despicable enough. He wasn’t about to let her lackeys put on some fake show of kindness.

Brynn’s heart sank at his words. So her guess was right after all.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t come here intentionally. I just happened to—” She tried to explain, but Josh cut her off with a sneer.

“Yeah, right. As if this was just a coincidence. Don’t take me for a fool.” He scoffed. “If you think we’re so beneath you, then don’t come bothering us now!”

That day, Kylie had made it perfectly clear what she thought of their family. He wasn’t about to humiliate himself further by accepting her so-called ‘charity.’ Yes, their family was struggling—but they still had their pride!

“I never looked down on you,” Brynn said, her eyes widening. “I just thought—”

“Enough talking. Just leave already!” Josh snapped, his impatience boiling over.

“You guys are unbelievable! This is a hospital, not a marketplace. Can you keep it down?” A nurse nearby finally lost her patience and marched over. “If you want to argue, do it outside!”

Josh stiffened, clearly embarrassed. “Sorry, we’ll keep it down.” The nurse shot them a final glare before walking away.

An awkward silence settled over them.

“You brat, what is wrong with you?” Brenda smacked Josh’s arm, exasperated. “Why are you being so rude? Apologize right now!”

Josh turned his head away stubbornly. “No way.”

“You—!”

“Forget it, Ma’am. Don’t push him,” Brynn interrupted, forcing a smile. “It’s okay. I don’t mind.”

Brenda, however, looked at her with a mix of concern and guilt. “I’m so sorry… My son, he…”

“Mom, why are you apologizing to her?” Josh tugged at Brenda’s sleeve in frustration.

Brenda immediately felt a surge of irritation. What was wrong with this brat today? Ms. Everett was their family’s savior, yet this ungrateful boy dared to act like this toward her?

Seeing that mother and son were about to start arguing again, Brynn quickly intervened. “Ma’am, please don’t argue. Um… I have something to take care of, so I’ll be heading out first. We can talk another time.”

She didn’t want to be the reason for any tension between Brenda and Josh, so she hurriedly found an excuse to leave. But the moment she turned around, the faint smile on her lips completely disappeared. Did she really not mind? Of course not. She longed for family, for a mother’s love, for the warmth of home.

Watching Brynn’s retreating figure, Brenda took a deep breath, then yanked Josh into the stairwell—where she gave him a good beating!

“You little brat! What have I always taught you? Is this how you speak to the person who saved our family?”

“Ouch! Mom! Stop hitting me! That woman—she’s not as good as you think… ah!”

“You dare talk nonsense?” Brenda smacked him on the head again, furious. “How is Ms. Everett not a good person?”

“I was robbed on the street, and she helped me get my things back! She stayed with me at the hospital afterward! And most importantly, she performed surgery on your father and saved his life! How is she not a good person?”

If she wasn’t, then who in this world was?

“Wait, wait—she performed the surgery?” Josh suddenly realized something was off. “Wasn’t she just visiting Dad?”

Brenda looked at him like he was an idiot. “She doesn’t even know your father. Why would she visit him?”

Josh was completely stunned.

‘Ms. Everett risked everything to save your dad, got misunderstood, got insulted by a mob of people… and after all that, you still had the nerve to accuse her? How do you think that made her feel?’

Brenda was overwhelmed with guilt and distress. The more she thought about it, the angrier she got. She couldn’t help but land another punch on Josh.

At last, Josh fully surrendered, looking completely defeated. “M–Maybe I was wrong about her…”

Maybe Ms. Everett just happened to work at the Everett Group and had nothing to do with Kylie at all?

“No ‘maybe’—you were wrong!” Brenda snapped. “And now she’s gone! We don’t even have her contact information! How am I supposed to apologize to her now?”

Josh shrank back like a scolded kid, but after a moment, he spoke up weakly. “I… I know where she works. Don’t worry, Mom. I’ll find her and apologize properly.”

“Also, make sure to thank her properly!”

“Okay, okay…”