Chapter 56
Emily’s POV
Keith’s voice echoed through the room as he shouted at Frank, his anger barely contained. “You’ve ruined everything!” His eyes blazed with fury, his words cutting through the tense silence. But before Frank could respond, Tom raised his hand, his voice calm yet firm.
“Watch your tone, Keith,” Tom said, his gaze cold. “I won’t ‘tolerate anyone raising their voice here.”
Keith stiffened, clearly taken aback by Tom’s authority, but it didn’t stop. him from glaring at Frank. The tension in the room was palpable, thick enough to choke on, as if everyone was holding their breath, waiting for the next explosion.
Vera, her voice softer but no less commanding, added, “And if you continue like this, Keith, you might just lose Williams as a business partner.” Her words struck the room like a bolt of lightning. Everyone froze, stunned by the revelation. My parents… the Williams couple. One of the most powerful families in the country.
I could feel their eyes on me, each face registering the same realization: Emily Wattson, the girl who was always overlooked, was the daughter of the Williams family.
But I had no time for that, no time to think about how this changed
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everything. I turned to Nicole, my patience wearing thin. “Just say what you came here to say, Nicole. Quickly.”
Nicole shifted uncomfortably, her expression showing more concern than I had expected. “Emily… I came to see if you’re okay. After everything-”
I cut her off, my voice cold. “Save your concern. I don’t need it, not from you.”
I could feel everyone’s gaze over me, as they expected something out of me, but Nicole’s words barely registered. My mind was spinning, caught up in the whirlwind of revelations and betrayal. The one thing I hadn’t expected was for Nicole to act as if she cared, not after years of indifference and neglect.
Nicole began to speak, her voice soft but steady. “Emily, you weren’t born into the Donald family. You were brought to us by Mary, the housekeeper.”
A wave of confusion settled over me as Nicole’s words unraveled a truth I hadn’t been prepared for. I had never truly known Mary, never felt much. beyond the faint memories of her as the housekeeper. But now, Nicole was peeling back layers of my past that I hadn’t questioned.
“Mary wasn’t just a housekeeper,” Nicole continued, her expression tinged with sadness. “She was the woman who adopted you when you were a baby.”
My heart pounded in my chest as her words sank in, but I remained silent,
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trying to absorb the weight of what she was saying.
“Mary’s husband was killed by a drunk driver seven years after they got married. The loss devastated her, and she couldn’t bring herself to marry again. That’s when she decided to adopt a child,” Nicole explained, her voice growing softer with each word. “A pastor–your grandfather, Vera’s father–was the one who told Mary about an orphan girl who needed a home. That girl was you.”
My hands trembled as I listened, a quiet unease settling over me.
“Mary took you in and named you Emily. She loved you deeply, but a year later, she was diagnosed with breast cancer. It was a hard fight, and she knew she didn’t have much time.”
Nicole paused for a moment, as if gathering the strength to continue. “Mary pleaded with us–begged, really–asking us to take you in after she passed. But… we refused. We didn’t see you as our responsibility.”
The room felt like it was spinning around me. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing.
“But then something happened,” Nicole said, her voice trembling slightly. “One day, Tyler was playing near the street, and a car came speeding down the road. Mary didn’t think twice–she ran to save him, pushed him out of the way just in time. But she wasn’t so lucky. She lost her right hand and suffered a severe hip injury.”
Nicole’s eyes glistened with unshed tears as she continued. “It was
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because of that accident–because Mary had risked everything to save Tyler that we finally agreed to take you in after her death. But it wasn’t out of love, Emily. It was out of guilt. We felt like we owed her.”
The truth hit me like a ton of bricks. Everything I had questioned, every suspicion I had carried for years about the Donald family–Nicole, the woman I had called my mother–was now confirmed. It wasn’t love that had brought me into their home; it was guilt and obligation.
Nicole’s voice wavered as she finished her story. “We didn’t take you in because we wanted to, Emily. We did it because we felt we had to. You were never really ours.”
Tears welled up in my eyes, not from shock but from the weight of finally hearing the truth aloud. Deep down, I had always known. The coldness, the way they had treated me, the lack of affection–they had never seen- me as their own. The connection I had longed for was never real. They had taken me in out of duty, not love.
“I would’ve preferred the orphanage,” I muttered, bitterness lacing my words.
Lily scoffed, her voice dripping with sarcasm. “Ungrateful, as always. After everything we did for you.”
I whipped around to face her, my eyes flashing with anger. “Shut up, Lily! You’ve done nothing but make my life miserable!”
Before Lily could respond, Vera and Tom both stood up, their faces hard with determination. “We won’t allow you to speak to our daughter like
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that anymore,” Vera said, her voice sharp.
Tom added, his tone icy, “Lily, you’ve bullied her enough. We’ll make sure you pay for that.”
Nicole’s face paled, and she quickly stepped forward, her voice pleading. “Please, don’t. She’s still my daughter.”
Vera turned to Nicole, her eyes full of disdain. “And yet, you were never kind to Emily. You let this go on for years without stepping in. You have no right to ask for leniency now.”
I could feel the room heating up with tension as the two mothers squared off, but I had had enough. “All of you, just leave,” I said, my voice trembling with exhaustion. “I don’t want to see any of you.”
One by one, they all filed out, leaving only Vera and Tom. I sank into the nearest chair, the weight of the last few days finally pressing down on me. For once, it felt like I wasn’t completely alone. I had parents–real parents -who were here to stand by my side.
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But despite the warmth of their support, question remained. Would they stand by me when it came to Frank? Would they punish their own. son for everything he’d done?
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