After hearing that I had bought a big house, my father brazenly demanded, in front of all our relatives and friends, that I transfer the property to his illegitimate son.
"You’re not married," he said. "Eventually, the house will belong to your brother anyway. It's better to transfer it to him now so he can marry, have children and continue our family's bloodline soon."
Without hesitation, my mother refused and even stood up to argue against the crowd on my behalf.
Instead of supporting her, I sided with my father and criticized her alongside him.
"Mom, Dad is right. A sister should look after her brother. I'll go transfer the house to him tomorrow."
And that was not all.
I even forced my mother to step down from her position, giving it to the mistress. I brought the mistress to my side, keeping a close watch on her, forbidding her from returning home to cause trouble.
My mother was nearly driven mad by me.
However, it did not take long before my father and his illegitimate son were the ones seething with rage.
——
After receiving my mother's message, I immediately took leave from work and rushed home.
The moment I reached the doorstep, I saw my grandmother, Martha Chambers, jabbing a finger at my mother's face, scolding her harshly.
"Why are you crying? You couldn't give birth to a son and she fulfilled that duty for you, helping our Dalton Family continue the bloodline. What's wrong with serving her?"
Hearing this, I pushed the door open and stepped inside.
"What's going on?" I asked.
At the sight of me, my mother suddenly seemed to find her strength. She grabbed my hand tightly and sobbed, "Elena, you're finally back. Your father... he's not even human. You're only thirty years old and his illegitimate son is already twenty-nine!"
"It happened with my best friend. When she got pregnant out of wedlock, no one was willing to help her at the hospital. I even brought you along to take care of her. I must be the stupidest, most naive person in the world!"
No wonder she was so furious.
My mother had married far from her hometown and in that unfamiliar place, her only close friend was Vanessa Grayson. The two of them had always been inseparable, like sisters. My mother treated Vanessa’s son, Brian Dalton, with as much care and love as her own child.
To be betrayed by the three people she trusted most at the same time was a blow no one could endure.
As soon as my mother finished speaking, Vanessa pulled Brian down to kneel before her.
"I swear, I never meant to destroy your family," she wept. "If you want to blame someone, you can just blame me. Still, my son is innocent."
"You raised Brian too... I only hope he can acknowledge his roots. Don't worry, Brian is such a good boy. He’ll definitely treat you like his own mother. As long as you agree, I... I’ll leave and never come back."
Before my mother could even refuse, my father, Gerald, scowled and barked, "Nonsense! You're the child's mother, so why would you leave? After all the years you spent raising him alone, suffering through humiliation and hardship, I will make sure you are given a rightful place."
My mother swayed on her feet. After steadying herself, she finally spoke. "Yes... you're right. She shouldn't have to leave. I'm the fool who should go. Gerald Dalton, I want a divorce!"
As if she had already anticipated that my mother would demand a divorce, Martha sneered and said arrogantly, "Divorce? Your parents are long gone and you have few relatives or friends. At your age, where do you think you’re going to go?"
At her words, the onlooking relatives and friends also began to chime in, persuading my mother to reconsider.
They said that my mother did not know how to appreciate her blessings, that she had no real hardships to bear and that someone was caring for her in her old age and yet she was still being ungrateful and making trouble.
With the crowd backing her up, Martha grew even bolder. "I'll tell you this. You want a divorce, huh? Fine. But first, pay back every grain of rice you’ve eaten and every piece of clothing you’ve worn in our family all these years!"
"And another thing." Martha yanked me over to her side. "You can leave if you want, but Elena stays. Elena is a child of the Dalton Family. Just because she’s capable of earning money now doesn’t mean you can dream of living a good life by clinging to her. That’s absolutely impossible!"
