"No, you're not. Everything you've done was to make the world hate me and my father despise me. Only then could you highlight Gretchen's wonderful qualities." Gwenda smiled bitterly at her past foolishness. "Speaking of which, you got what you wanted. My breakup with Martin gave you the opening you needed for your daughter to marry into the Morel family. And now that I've left the Evans family, my father hates me even more. He thinks I'm an arrogant and unreasonable b*tch who has destroyed the family reputation and can never be the heir!"

Gwenda pressed on, not giving Pauline a chance to speak. "Did I hit the nail on the head?"

Sneering, Gwenda snarled, "If so, you don't have to pretend to want me back home! You don't even need to act like a loving mother, because you never were!"

Exposed so brutally, Pauline's face was ashen, her hands clenching into fists.

"She actually noticed," Pauline thought in disbelief. "That stupid brat. I always thought she was too dumb to see through me. Why does it seem like she's had some sort of awakening?"

"Oh, and one more thing," Gwenda said, a sudden thought striking her. "You came here to get me to go home because Gretchen isn't doing well, because of what happened to me? Heh, tell her this is only the beginning. There will be many bad days to come! The feud between usisnotfinished!"

Her emphasis on the last three words was bone-chilling. Pauline's eyes twitched as they met Gwenda's sinister smile, a smile that sent chills down her spine. She had changed. This wasn't the Gwenda Pauline knew; she had begun to escape her control. Pauline felt genuinely scared of the brat she had raised for twenty years.

"Is there anything else? If not, you can get lost!" Gwenda said coldly, rising from the sofa and returning to the dining table where her breakfast remained. Frowning, she tossed the barely touched meal into the rubbish bin. She had lost her appetite.

Behind her, Pauline took several deep breaths, composing herself. Gazing at her stepdaughter, she said slowly, "Gwenda, I don't know why you've suddenly developed these thoughts and ideas. But I'd like to say that I've never faked my love for you. If you're angry because of Gretchen and Martin, I don't blame you. I just hope you'll think things through and not be deceived by others. We're still a family, and I will wait for you to come home."

Pauline dared not stay longer. "I won't disturb you further. When you've thought things through, come home as soon as you can." She left the apartment.

The door slammed shut.

Standing by the dining table, Gwenda laughed derisively. "Don't be deceived by others? Does Pauline really think my resolve was incited by others? Ha, what a joke."

Pauline felt uneasy from the moment she left Gwenda's residence. After arriving home, she went straight to her room. Gretchen found her there. "Mum, you're back."

Pauline sat on the sofa, dazed. Seeing her daughter, she nodded.

"You went to see Gwenda," Gretchen said, sitting beside her mother.

Pauline nodded again. "Yes."

"Mum, did something happen?" Gretchen asked, concerned by her mother's strange demeanor.

Pauline's eyes flickered with confusion. "Gwenda found out. She knows I wasn't truly good to her, that I was only helping you. She fell out with me."

"What?" Gretchen was shocked. "How did she know?"

Pauline shook her head. "I'm not sure, but I feel someone's helping her. Otherwise, she wouldn't have figured it out after all these years."

"Is it that man from before?" Gretchen mumbled, puzzled.

This revised version improves grammar, punctuation, and flow, making the passage clearer and more readable. It also corrects some inconsistencies and awkward phrasing.