Chapter 3
Clarence stared at Mabel for a long moment.
Finally, he seemed to catch a flicker of my features in her pale, malnourished face.
He let out a cold laugh, the corners of his lips curling in scorn.
“How pathetic.”
“Even after being thrown back to the slums, you couldn’t behave. Had to go messing around with men, huh?”
“Not only did you sleep with other men, but you had the audacity to keep the child. Do you have any idea how much Serena suffered because of you?”
My father spat toward the overgrown weeds by the entrance.
“Siring a disgrace like her… what a humiliation for the family.”
My mother clutched Serena’s hand as tears welled up in her eyes.
“Why is it that good people die young, but the wicked live on forever?”
“Serena is such a sweet, gentle child, yet she’s the one stuck with a terminal illness. And Eulalie? That damn girl not only survived-
she even brought a bastard child into the world!”
“Oh, my poor baby girl. Why couldn’t God just take Eulalie instead?!”
Though long dead, the pain in my heart surged like a tidal wave.
I wanted to scream at them. To shout the truth until the heavens heard me.
“I’m already dead!”
“And the one who killed me… was your sweet, innocent Serena Bell!”
But the dead have no voice.
And the living… couldn’t care less about the cries of the ones they buried.
All their hearts were fixated on Serena.
She glanced downward, a satisfied smirk flashing through her eyes.
But then, as always, she quickly put on that act of gentle understanding.
“Mom, Dad, please don’t say that,” she said softly, playing the martyr.
“Maybe Eulalie did all that because she was desperate for your attention.”
“It’s my fault. If I hadn’t exposed the truth back then, she wouldn’t have retaliated by getting pregnant out of spite and bringing shame on the family…”
Clarence immediately pulled Serena into his arms, his voice full of affection.
“Don’t say that. This wasn’t your fault.”
“The doctor said your heart’s fragile. You can’t be getting so emotional, sweetheart. Don’t cry, okay?”
He wiped the tears from the corner of her eyes with the utmost care. So gentle, as if touching some priceless crystal doll.
And in his eyes was a tenderness I had never once seen in all the years I loved him.
My father, not to be outdone, stormed toward the door. With a kick, the rotting wood creaked open, dust billowing into the air.
“Eulalie!” he roared. “Get your ass out here!”
Chapter 3
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“If you agree to give Serena your heart, we’ll accept that bastard of yours. If not–you can rot here in the slums, both of you! Don’t expect a damn penny from me!”
The loud bang of the door startled Mabel. The rotten apple in her hand rolled to the ground.
She froze, like a frightened little animal. Then, like something ignited inside her, she puffed up, eyes blazing with fury.
“You’re not allowed to talk about my mommy like that! She’s the best person in the world!”
“You’re all bad people! Go away! Go away!”
Her filthy little hand reached out and slapped a palm print onto Serena’s delicate silk dress.
Serena’s eyes welled up with tears on cue.
She looked at Clarence, tears brimming with just the right amount of sorrow.
“Does Eulalie really hate me that much? That she’d raise her kid to humiliate me?”
Clarence’s gaze trembled. His heart ached at the sight.
Without a word, he raised his hand and slapped Mabel hard across the face.
“Apologize!” he barked.
“Like mother, like daughter. Vile to the core. That woman was twisted, and now she’s passed it on to this little bastard!”
I watched as Mabel’s cheek swelled red from the blow. Listened as Clarence hurled hatred and venom at my innocent child.
And I felt my heart shatter into pieces.
I spun in circles, screaming into the void.
“Clarence! How could you say that? Mabel… Mabel is your daughter!”
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Chapter 3
