The Biological Daughter My Husband Bought Home was Actually His Mistress

After twenty years of marriage to Simon Barnes, that man suddenly told me that Ella Barnes, the girl I thought was our biological daughter, was, in fact, not ours. Eighteen years ago, just when she was born, one of Simon's enemies swapped her with the fake one.

Now, our daughter, the real Barnes's daughter, was standing behind Simon. Her name was Cassie Curtain.

As I looked at the young girl who was peeking timidly from behind my student, sorrow filled my heart.

"Are you Cassie?" I asked with teary eyes.

I couldn’t believe that for eighteen years I had been oblivious to the truth, that I had raised someone else’s daughter. How could I have been fooled for so long?

The girl in front of me wore a simple T-shirt. Her frame looked fragile, as though a breeze could blow her away. Yet her delicate and innocent beauty stirred an undeniable urge within me to shield and protect her.

I stepped forward, one step at a time, wanting to touch her face despite my teary eyes. Yet, when my hand reached her face, she became scared and instinctively stepped back then called out with a soft voice, “Auntie Sarah ….

"Don't call her Auntie Sarah," my husband interrupted. "She’s your mother and I’m your father. You're ours. Just call her, Mom."

His eyes were also in tears as he lovingly grabbed Cassie's hand and mine, then held our hands together. He said, "Cassie, from now on, you’re the true daughter of the Barnes Family. Our most cherished child!”

Simon's declaration brimmed with fervor, as though he couldn’t wait to bestow everything the Barnes Family had upon Cassie.

As I watched my husband and biological daughter before me, a pang of dissatisfaction twisted in my chest. I kept my mouth shut until the housekeeper had guided Cassie upstairs. At that moment, I pulled Simon aside and berated him with a hushed voice, “What do you mean by saying Cassie is our ‘real’ daughter and the one we’ll love the most? What about Ella? Even if she’s not our biological child, we’ve raised her for eighteen years. Are you just going to cast her aside?”

"Sarah, of course not! How could you say that?” Simon’s face turned anxious, as if afraid of being misunderstood. He hurriedly explained, “We’ll keep taking care of Ella. We have a big family, besides. It’s not like we can’t spare a seat at the table, right? We’re not about to let her starve.”

Guilt flickered across his face. I shot him a glare, my voice sharpening as I said to him “At least you have some decency. However, Ella isn’t just another mouth to feed. We’ll continue to provide for her as usual. I don't think she needs to know the truth. Just tell her ... that Cassie is her long-lost twin sister. We recently found and brought home.”

“What? No way!” Simon’s displeasure was immediate when he heard that. His voice rose and a strange look crossed his face. “Cassie and Ella look nothing alike! Besides, why should we waste more money on someone who isn’t even our real daughter?”

“I won’t allow it!” I snapped back. My voice was rising, as anger surged at his heartlessness. “Ella may not share our blood, but she’s still the child I’ve loved and cared for all these years. How could I suddenly stop loving her? Eighteen years, she is my daughter that I loved and cherish, how could that mean nothing?”

“Dad, Mom? What are you two talking about?”

My angry outburst was cut short by a soft, familiar voice. I did not know when she came because Ella had appeared in the doorway to the kitchen, dressed in cozy loungewear and holding a glass of hot water. It seemed she had been home all this time.