Chapter 621
Stuart’s words sent Keira’s mind reeling back over forty years.
When she was in labor with Amanda, she had suffered a difficult delivery and severe hemorrhaging. It took two full days before the baby was finally born.
Because her daughter had been brought into the world through such a struggle, Keira had always showered her with exceptional affection, indulging her every whim, even allowing her to continue living at home after she was married.
Recalling the ordeal, Keira’s eyes reddened. “Yes, I remember. I nearly died giving birth to that… that monster! If I had known this was how it would end, I wish I’d never had her at all p>
But who could ever predict the future?
Stuart had intended to take this secret to his grave, but now, he had no choice. He looked directly at his mother. “Mom, the truth is… my sister was stillborn. She didn’t survive the birth due to a lack of oxygen. Dad was terrified you would be heartbroken, that you’d fall into a deep postpartum depression and never recover. So, he had someone from an orphanage bring him a newborn baby girl. He told you she was the daughter you had just delivered p>
He paused, letting the weight of his words sink in. “That baby was Amanda p>
The world seemed to stop. Keira’s face was a mask of unreadable emotion.
What? Her daughter had died at birth? Amanda was just a replacement from an orphanage? Keira had never imagined that a plot twist from a soap opera could happen in her own life.
She took a deep, shuddering breath, trying to steady herself. “Stuart, are you telling me the truth p>
“Yes,” Stuart said with a heavy sigh. “Father told me on his deathbed. Even then, he sensed Amanda’s ambition and greed. He warned me to be careful of her. It’s my fault. I didn’t take his words seriously enough.” Looking back, Stuart was filled with regret. If he had only listened to his father, none of this would have happened.
Keira struggled to process the revelation. No wonder. No wonder Amanda had no sense of loyalty, no love for her brother. She clutched her chest, her body wracked with sobs. “Oh, your father… He kept this from me for so long! He deceived me so cruelly!” If Stuart hadn’t told her today, she would have gone to her grave believing the lie.
Seeing her secrets laid bare, Amanda let out a wild, maniacal laugh and pushed herself to her feet. She glared at Keira. “Keira, stop the act! You’re not fooling anyone You knew i wasn’t your rear daughter, didn’t you? Don’t stand there pretending to be some heartbroken mother p>
Amanda had learned the truth from Old Mr. Gonzales himself, right after her investment had failed. He had summoned her to his study. She’d expected him to comfort her, to tell her she could start over. Instead, he had revealed her true parentage. He told her she needed to learn gratitude, that the Gonzales family had been more than generous, and that she should stop scheming to take over the family business. From that day on, her only role was to be a good sister to Stuart.
In that moment, Amanda’s world had collapsed. She had always felt her parents favored her younger brother, and this revelation confirmed her deepest fears: their hearts had always belonged to him, their true-born son.
And so, she began to plot. For seven years, she waited, until Stuart married and had a child. Then, finally, her opportunity came. She had thought the car accident would be the end of him, that she would become Keira’s sole comfort and heir. But even with Stuart gone, Keira’s loyalty remained with her son. He was still the head of the Gonzales family cyền in a coma while she and her daughter were treated like outsiders. Keira didn’t deserve to be a mother, or a grandmother.
As the memories flooded back, Amanda’s bitterness grew. In the twenty years Stuart lay helpless, she’d had countless chances to finish the job, but she never had. She had never physically harmed Keira either, content to simply trigger her migraines.
And now, after all that, Keira wanted her dead. It was laughable. Utterly, cruelly laughable.
Fine. Her life was over, her daughter’s life was ruined. If she was going down, she was taking someone with her.
A venomous light flickered in Amanda’s eyes. She snatched a paring knife from a fruit bowl on the table and lunged toward Keira. “You old hag! I’ll kill you! I’ll kill you p>
*BANG p>
The door was kicked open. A squad of police officers stormed into the room.
At the same instant, Caitlin reacted. With a swift, elegant high kick, she sent the knife clattering across the floor.
“Don’t move p>