Liam didn't return until evening with Lila and Vanessa . They were carrying various luxury bags, their faces beaming with smiles, clearly having had a great time. Clara lay sprawled on the sofa, not even lifting her eyelids.
Lila entered the door, she found her slippers still lying haphazardly in the entryway. In the past, Clara would arrange her slippers at a 45-degree angle every day, with the toes pointing towards the door, and would warm them up with a heater beforehand; now, the slippers were scattered haphazardly on the floor, covered in dust.
"Fat lady! Why don't you tidy up the house!" Lila instantly lost her temper, throwing the toy in her hand on the ground. "Aren't you going to come and change my, Daddy's, and Teacher Vanessa's shoes? Are you doing this on purpose?!"
Clara slowly raised her head and looked at her coldly: "Why should I? Do I owe you anything? I used to help you clean up because I considered you family, but not anymore. From now on, you'll have to do your own things."
Liam frowned but didn't say anything—he clearly also thought Clara was "immature," but didn't want to argue in front of Vanessa .
Lila got even angrier and pointed at Clara 's nose, yelling, "You eat my dad's food! You drink my dad's water! You should be working at home! You owe us everything!"
“Who said I eat his food or drink his water?” Clara stood up, the wound on her back throbbing again, but her eyes were incredibly firm. “The down payment for this house was paid with the prize money I won when I won a gold medal in ballet; the wages of the maids in the house were raised by selling the jewelry my mother left me; even the food and clothes you eat and wear were mostly bought with my own savings. I don’t owe you anything!”
Liam finally spoke, interrupting her. He walked over, ruffled Lila 's hair, and said in a soothing tone, "Mommy was just saying that in anger, don't pay any attention to Mommy."
"I wasn't saying that out of anger!" Lila suddenly burst into tears, which streamed down her face like a broken string of pearls. "I don't want a fat and ugly woman to be my mother! I want Vanessa to be my mother! Vanessa is so gentle and beautiful, why wasn't I born from her!"
Clara like a hammer blow . She remembered three years ago, struggling for three hours on the operating table, nearly dying from severe bleeding, to give birth to Lila ; she remembered Lila crying at night when Lila was just a month old, and her mother holding and comforting her all night long, without closing her own eyes; she remembered crying tears of joy for a long time when Lila first called her "Mama." But now, her own daughter wanted someone else to be her mother.
Vanessa stood to the side, a look of surprise on her face. She quickly walked over, took Lila 's hand, and said with a deliberately guilty tone, " Clara , don't blame Lila . It's all my fault. I just wanted to be nice to her, buy her snacks, and play with her. I never thought it would make her think like this... It's all my fault for being too patient, making Lila feel like I'm more like her mother." As she spoke, she wiped her eyes, as if she had suffered a great injustice.
" Vanessa , what are you pretending to be a good person for!" Clara clenched her fists, her nails almost digging into her flesh. "You think I don't know you're doing this on purpose? You're deliberately trying to please Lila , deliberately acting weak in front of Liam , just to steal my place!"
“ Clara , don’t be rude!” Liam frowned, his tone authoritative and leaving no room for argument. “ Vanessa is just trying to be kind, don’t think so badly of her!” He looked down at Lila gently, his voice softening considerably: “ Lila , do you really want Vanessa to be your mother?”
Lila nodded vigorously, tears still streaming down her face, but her determination was unwavering: "Yes! I want Vanessa to be my mom! I don't want this fat woman as my mom!"
Clara looked at the scene before her and felt a chill run through her body. Her back still ached, but her heart ached even more, as if she were about to suffocate. She finally understood that there was no longer a place for her in this home. She took a deep breath, and the last trace of lingering affection in her eyes vanished completely—on the 20th, she would leave immediately and never look back.
