Chapter 287

hapter 287 Shattered Bonds
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“Mom, you’re still harping on ‘adoption‘? When Dad brought her home, what did he say? Did anyone ever treat her like a real daughter? She was just a tool with value, nothing more.”
Martha’s throat seized. She opened her mouth but no words came out, her lips trembling. “You… how can you say that to me?”
The air in the room froze. Martha’s face drained of color, as if her last veil of dignity had been ripped away in public. She staggered, catching herself on the armrest, eyes wide with shock and hurt.
“I did everything for you. And this is what I get? You accusing me? Do you even have a conscience? Shouldn’t you be thinking about your future? Without Scarlett, what about your kidney?”
Rebecca’s laugh was cold. “Did you forget? My kidney disease is already cured.”
Martha froze, then clutched her daughter’s wrist like she’d grabbed a lifeline. “Cured? Then what Scarlett said was true. She really treated you–she really cured you?”
Rebecca’s smile sharpened. “Yes. What’s the matter? Do you regret it now?”
Every word hit Martha like a hammer. She wanted to deny it, but her daughter wasn’t lying.
Her tears finally fell, not from Rebecca’s words but from the truth she had buried. Scarlett had been extraordinary all along. Even crushed under the Joyners‘ heel, she had still shone. If they had supported her, she would’ve blazed even brighter. If she herself had offered a little kindness, maybe Scarlett would’ve been grateful.
Her mind flashed to being turned away at the Lane family gates. The bitterness stung. “This was all your father,” she whispered hoarsely. “He insisted on it. I wanted to treat Scarlett well, but he said an adopted girl didn’t deserve so much.”
Rebecca rubbed her temples, Martha’s voice drilling into her ears. “No wonder Dad always hated dealing with you. Lately, you’ve been nothing but disappointing.”
Martha froze mid–tear, struck dumb. She had clung to the belief her husband would rebuild the Joyners. It had never occurred to her that he might’ve abandoned her long ago. “Then where is he now? ” Her voice cracked. “Has he left me for good?”
Rebecca stared at the lined face, the red–rimmed eyes, and something twisted through her—no pity, no sympathy, just weary disgust. “Where he is doesn’t matter. What matters is how we survive. I texted Scarlett to feed her more dirt on Connor. The more she severs his path, the more we can gain.”
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8:32 Sat, Sep 27
Chapter 287 Shattered Bonds
“Gain?” Martha blinked. “What gain?”
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“Connor’s finished. Everything he stole from the Joyners should come back. Scarlett wants the patents. Fine–I’ll give her Connor’s other secrets, as long as she cuts us in.”
Martha’s chest tightened. “Rebecca, this is playing with fire. Can you even trust her?”
“Trust doesn’t matter.” Rebecca’s eyes gleamed hard and sharp. She stepped to the window, gazing down at the passing cars. “What matters is profit. She wants him ruined. So do I. We each get what we want.”
Martha moved closer,.grabbing her daughter’s arm. “You think I’m old, useless, that I can’t help you. That’s why you shut me out, isn’t it?”
Rebecca yanked free, her patience snapping. “I shut you out because you’ll only drag me down! These aren’t things you can understand. What do you know besides crying?”
The words shattered what was left of Martha’s composure. She stared at the woman in front of her, makeup flawless, eyes like ice, and realized with horror she didn’t recognize her own child. The little girl who once clung to her skirts was gone–this stranger frightened her.
“I don’t understand?” Martha’s voice rose to a ragged cry, heavy with grief and rage. “I only know you’re my daughter! Now your wings are strong, and I’m nothing but a burden to you? Your father abandoned me, spat cruel words, locked me out. And now you too–you want to throw me away like trash!”
“I don’t!” Rebecca snapped, her brows drawn tight. “I just want you to live better, to stop groveling, to stop surviving on scraps!”
“Live better?” Martha jabbed a trembling finger at her, tears spilling hotter down her cheeks.
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