The Hughes family patriarch fell gravely ill, and in the midst of it all, he accidentally uncovered what happened back then.
From the very beginning, Liam was set up.
Even the car accident had been orchestrated.
When the Hughes family decided to bring him back, they reached out to Linda directly.
And then she came to me.
By then, she was already a well–known actress, standing before me with her chin lifted high, arrogance radiating off her
“Now that the Hughes family is taking him back, you’re not still dreaming about clinging to him, are you? “Wake up. Whether it’s the Hughes family or Liam himself, the only person they recognize is me–Linda Dawson.
“You were just a cheap imitation from the start.”
She pulled a check from her designer bag and tossed it onto my lap.
“Here’s another one hundred thousand dollars. Stop chasing fantasies. Otherwise, I’ll make sure everyone knows
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Chapter 9
exactly what happened back then.”
I snapped my head up, glaring at her.
“Linda, Mom was your mother too!”
She let out a sharp, disdainful laugh.
“My mother is a Dawson. What was she? Nothing but a whore.”
The setting sun burned red through the window, casting long, blood–stained shadows across the room.
Something inside me snapped.
I lunged forward, grabbing Linda by the collar, and landed two solid punches.
She screamed, the sound sharp and furious.
And then–footsteps thundered from outside.
A pair of strong hands grabbed my arms, twisting them behind my back, forcing me to the floor.
“Did I say anything wrong? You took the money. Now do as you’re told–stay overseas and keep out of my sight. “Otherwise, I’ll make sure her disgraceful past is carved onto her tombstone for the world to see.”
Then she walked away.
I stared at the check fluttering to the ground, my mind drifting back two years.
Back when Mom got sick, we borrowed money from everywhere just to keep her alive.
After she passed, I couldn’t even afford a decent burial for her.
And that was when Linda reached out to me.
“You need money?”
I barely got a word in before she scoffed.
“She only raised me for a few days. Now that she’s dead, why the hell should I give you a cent?”
I thought she was just bitter and resented Mom.
I had tried to explain.
“She wanted to keep you, Linda. She fought for custody, but you—”
“I was the one who cried to stay with Dad and go to the Dawsons,” she cut in coldly.
“What, did you actually think I’d be dumb enough to stay? You wanted me to end up like you? Broke and pathetic? You’re so poor you couldn’t even afford a proper grave for her!”
I stared at her.
Every word I wanted to say caught in my throat, stuck like a lump I couldn’t swallow.
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