14
1/2
“So what if she is? Didn’t you hear Mr. Lawson Senior? An Impostor will always be an impostor. There’s only one true daughter of the Fuller family!” one of the guests said.
“Well, this is going to be quite a show! The adopted daughter desperately pursues a marriage while the real daughter rejects it vehemently. Isn’t this a case of same person, different fates“?”
The mocking and derisive gazes felt like sharp swords piercing Kayla’s heart. All her pride and self- esteem had turned into a joke at that moment. Unable to take it any longer, she burst into tears and ran outside.
Seeing that, Dexter and Myra grew anxious, worried that Kayla might do something foolish in her distress. They could only turn to Matthew and say, “Let’s discuss the marriage later. We’re not mentally prepared
for this.”
If Matthew had come to propose to Kayla, it would have been a happy occasion. However, he had come for Felicia. Myra frowned, feeling rather conflicted.
Matthew nodded. Before leaving, he glanced at Felicia with a determined look and asked, “Do you still like the gifts I sent over yesterday?”
Myra was once again taken aback. Wasn’t that pile of gifts meant for Kayla? It appeared that they had misunderstood the situation.
Felicia remained expressionless, completely uninterested in answering.
Just like that, the party finally came to an end. After sending off all the guests, Dexter rubbed his temples and asked, “Have you found Kayla?”
“No, I don’t know where she could have gone at this hour!”
Myra paced back and forth, anxious. After all the maids, bodyguards, and chauffeurs searched the Fuller residence, they finally found Kayla by the pond at the back of the villa. When the maids brought her back Kayla was soaked through.
Myra’s heart sank, and her expression changed drastically.
Upon seeing Myra, Kayla’s first words were, “Mom, I don’t want to live anymore! I can’t live like this anymore!”
Her cries echoed throughout the villa.
“When we found Ms. Kayla, she was about to jump into the pond,” one of the maids reported. “Luckily, we saved her just in time, or the outcome would have been unimaginable!”
Myra’s heart ached.
That night, Dexter and Myra took turns comforting Kayla, terrified that she might do something to harm. herself again in the blink of an eye.
Kayla cried the entire night, her eyes swollen and her voice hoarse. She clung to Myra’s hand, nearly pleading, “Mom, I won’t compete with Felicia for anything! I’m an impostor. I shouldn’t ask for too much. I know my place! But Mom, just consider it my plea this time. I really like Arnie…“.
Kayla cried herself to sleep.
Dexter and Myra didn’t leave her room until dawn. In the hallway, Myra wiped her tears, her tone filled
2/2
If it weren’t for the mix–up at birth, there wouldn’t be such a complicated mess. Myra even thought their family could still be a happy and blessed family if Felicia didn’t exist.
Just as she had that thought, she heard Dexter scold her, saying, “What nonsense are you talking about? Kayla is your daughter, but isn’t Felicia also your daughter? Blood ties connect us. A mother’s heart beats for her children! If Felicia heard you say that, how heartbroken would she be?”
Myra suddenly realized that her earlier thoughts had slipped out without her even noticing. No wonder Dexter, who usually had a good temper, would suddenly scold her.
However, Myra felt wronged and decided to fight back, “Yes, I admit Felicia is my biological daughter, but I’ve watched Kayla grow from a toddler to a graceful young woman. Is it wrong for me to favor her?”
Before Dexter could retort, Myra pressed on, “Haven’t you thought the same way?”
“You-” Dexter was left speechless, unable to respond.
Meanwhile, around the corner, Felicia quietly leaned against the wall, absorbing every word of their conversation.