Chapter 104

Shirley saw Cynthia and instantly felt furious. Reporters appeared, snapping pictures. She knew Cynthia's goal: to frame and slander her. "Cynthia, don't slander me! I didn't perjure myself. Every word was true," Shirley said.

Cynthia calmly replied, "You testified that Rachel treated you like a daughter. Aren't you lying?"

Facing the cameras, Shirley dared not lie. "I'm not lying! Rachel was kind to me. She's not my biological mother, but she treated me well. Cynthia, stop this!" She sounded confident.

Cynthia smiled, said nothing, and walked away. The reporters dispersed. Shirley, confused, wondered what Cynthia was planning.

Turning, she saw Selena staring icily. Shirley quickly apologized, "Mom, trust me. I only recognize you as my mother."

Selena asked, "Didn't you say Rachel abused you? Now you say she treated you like a daughter?" Selena believed Shirley had committed perjury.

Shirley had previously complained about Rachel and her husband's abuse—Selena's deepest pain. She felt guilty for Shirley and hated Rachel. But now Shirley claimed Rachel treated her well. In court, Shirley had detailed Rachel's kindness. If true, it was absurd.

Shirley realized Cynthia's question was a trap. She'd almost forgotten her own slanders against Rachel, used to gain Selena's love and sympathy. Unable to answer, she tried to shift blame to Cynthia.

"Mom, Cynthia set me up! She wanted to save Rachel, teaming up with Jonathan to trick me and sow discord. Don't be provoked!"

Shirley felt something was wrong. The appeal was a Jonathan and Cynthia trick. She'd thought the retrial would bring her close to Jonathan, furthering their relationship. Instead, she barely saw him, only communicating through lawyers.

She realized Cynthia had used her. Jonathan was likely instigated. This exposed her relationship with Rachel, inviting ridicule and destroying her relationship with Selena.

"Mom, Cynthia's a scheming bitch! She set me up!"

Chapter 101

Selena remained unmoved. "I just want to know if Rachel abused you!"

Shirley was dumbfounded. Why does Mom keep focusing on that? she wondered.

"Of course, she didn't abuse me! I could have had a rich life, but she stole me and felt guilty. She was kind, but she owed me! If she hadn't switched us, I'd be much better off!"

Selena felt a stab of pain. The events of over twenty years ago were vivid. When Rachel's mother had an affair with her father, Selena indirectly lost her mother, fueling intense hatred and a desire for revenge.

Less than three months later, her father announced his marriage to Rachel's mother. Selena accused Rachel on the school radio, leading to bullying. She forced Rachel to the rooftop. Rachel pleaded, "I didn't know about my mother and your father. I'm sorry."

Rachel knelt, but Selena beat and pulled her hair. "You're lying! You and your mother are vicious liars! You wanted my place! I treated you as a friend, and you backstabbed me!"

Rachel's face was swollen, but she didn't fight back. "Selena, what can I do to make you believe me?"

"Jump off this rooftop," Selena said sarcastically.

Rachel jumped. Selena was dumbfounded, instantly regretful. Rachel landed on a pine tree, seriously injured but alive.

The incident caused a stir, but Rachel attributed her jump to academic stress. Selena's secret remained—two people were on the rooftop. Her feelings for Rachel were complex.

Later, Rachel's mother and Selena's father died in a car accident. Rachel, legally entitled to inherit, disappeared. Selena felt guilty. Perhaps Rachel was innocent, or Selena had misunderstood her.

But after Shirley and Cynthia's identities were revealed, her hatred resurfaced. She no longer felt guilty, believing Rachel was not selfless; she had replaced Selena's child and abused her.

Now, however, things were different. Shirley said Rachel treated her well. If she was kind, why the switch? If she was vicious, why be nice to Shirley, knowing she's my child? Selena wondered. Rachel, what the hell are you thinking?