Chapter 70 Too Cruel
She knew what the answer was, but she still wanted Michael to tell her that Angie wasn’t Cameron’s daughter. She wanted him to tell her that she was someone else’s daughter,
If Angie was Cameron’s daughter, that would mean Crystal had raised and loved her worst enemy’s daughter as her own for more than twenty years. That would be too cruel for her. She didn’t want to hear anything else. All she wanted was for her husband to tell her that her answer was wrong, but she would never get that wish.
Crystal had managed to guess the reason and the process. If he lied to her even at this point, he knew she would hate him for life. He loved her and would never hurt her, and now, all he could do was hug her. “Yes, Crystal.” He nodded. “Angie is Cameron’s daughter.”
Angie had been shivering in fear all this time, and she finally screamed, “No!”
Buddy trembled, and Aldo covered his ears. Sebastian patted Buddy and put the boy on his lap. “I’m here, son.” He kissed the boy.
Buddy smiled sweetly at his father and huddled closer to him. He hugged Sebastian and tilted his head to the side, looking at Angie curiously. He knew Angie, of course. She was just as bad as Isabel was. Yes, she was prettier than Isabel, but she never did look at them like they were humans. Angie had always looked at them like they were trash. He didn’t like the look in their eyes every time they looked at them, and he and Aldo would stay out of their way every time they saw the girls.
Isabel and Angie were princesses who always had the attention of the public, but now, Angie looked like a proper mess. It was as if her clothes and jewelry had been taken away, leaving nothing but a husk of her former self.
Angie could feel her soul getting crushed and burned, and she was in agony. Michael’s answer was akin to a death sentence, but not physically speaking. Just minutes ago, she was the only girl in the Wendel Family, beloved by her parents and brothers. But now, she was the daughter of the woman the Taylors hated the most. It was an emotional roller coaster, so to speak, just that the roller coaster was filled with blades and flamethrowers. I’m Cameron’s daughter? Impossible. If the public knows about this, then I’d be finished!
She staggered and knelt before Michael and Crystal, bawling her eyes out. “Dad, Mom! This can’t be real! T-They must have lied to you! I’m your daughter! I was born and raised here! I’ve lived with you for more than twenty years! I must be your daughter!”
“Nobody lied to us. Madeline is our daughter, while you are Cameron’s. That is the truth.” Michael heaved a sigh and waved at Jonathan. Jonathan handed him a file that contained all the most important evidence, including the Certificate of Paternity, the pictures of Madeline and Michael’s mother back in her younger days, and the testimonials of the witnesses who heard Cameron calling the Taylors a bunch of idiots in her drunken episodes.
Angie didn’t even look at the files closely. She skimmed through them and tossed the whole thing onto the floor. She looked at the Wendel couple with an unspoken plea in her eyes, and she shook her head. “Dad, Mom, you can’t be sure this is real. They could have doctored it. But the days I spent with you guys? Those are real. Dad, Mom, I’ve been with you for more than twenty years. There’s no way I’m not your daughter! I don’t care who says otherwise!” She cried and held the Wendel couple tightly. “Dad, Mom, I’m your daughter, and you’re my parents. That hasn’t changed for the last twenty or so years, and it wouldn’t ever change. I don’t care what kind of evidence you have; that won’t change how I feel about you two.”
Crystal shoved her away, then she picked the file up and perused them word by word. When she read through the witnesses’ testimonials, she gnashed her teeth, almost crushing them in anger. I am a fool. I’ve been raising my enemy’s daughter for more than twenty years, while my own girl was insulted, tortured, and almost killed. I am such a fool. She gripped the files tightly as she trembled in rage. She looked at Madeline and tried to say something to her, but it took her a long time, and finally, all she could muster was a feeble apology.
Madeline shook her head. She didn’t bear any grudge against the Wendel couple. They were the victims too.
The apology opened the floodgates, and Crystal’s emotions poured forth like a great wave coming down from a broken dam. She wobbled toward Madeline and gave her a tight hug as she cried her heart out. “I am so, so sorry, Maddie. I’m so sorry. I’m such a fool. I haven’t been taking good care of you when I was pregnant, and you had to live in the incubator right after you were born. I’ve already failed you enough, but who would have thought I would fail you further and let that witch take you away? I am so, so, so sorry.”
She started hyperventilating eventually, much to the shock of her family. The family physicians had rushed to Crystal’s rescue, however. They fed her the emergency meds and massaged her, and luckily, she managed to hold on.
Michael held her tightly, fear still lingering in his heart, while tears lingered in his eyes. “Calm down, Crystal. Our girl’s back. We can make it up to her still. We have a lot of time ahead of us. It’ll all be better. What’s important now is your health. What would happen to Maddie if you were to fall? What would happen to me? To the kids? You have to be strong for them.”
Crystal didn’t want to fall either. I cannot die yet. I want that witch to pay for what she did. I must not die. She took her pills and breathed deeply to calm herself. It was a difficult ten minutes, but eventually, she regained some color on her face and managed to calm down.
Michael was drenched in sweat, and the Wendel brothers looked pale from the fright as well.
Cedric said, “Dad, let’s not talk about this for now. It’s not good for Mom. We should get something to eat and retire for the day. We can leave this for tomorrow.”
Michael gave it some thought and nodded. “Sure. Let’s have dinner first.”
Dinner was served a moment later, and everyone took their seats. Angie sat down dumbly on her usual spot, tears still streaming down her cheeks.
