Chapter 40 Curses
“How dare you push me, you ungrateful little brat! After everything I’ve done for you, this is how you repay me?” Sophie’s voice pierced the air, drawing the attention of everyone nearby.
As more people gathered, Sophie’s energy only seemed to build. With hands on her hips, she addressed the crowd, her voice rising.
“Listen up! I’ve raised this girl for 18 years, and now I find out she’s not even mine! The hospital switched her at birth! I finally find my real daughter, and before I can even enjoy being with her, this ungrateful girl goes out of her way to hurt her! She’s the reason my daughter’s in the hospital, and now she refuses to apologize. And to make it worse, she laid her hands on me!”
The crowd’s murmurs quickly turned against Charmaine, as the people around them voiced their opinions.
“She’s just a kid, but her heart’s already so dark. What a waste of such a pretty face.”
“People say you can’t judge a book by its cover. But if the inside’s ugly, looks don’t matter. She’ll get what’s coming to her.”
“Eighteen years! I can’t imagine how much the mother must’ve gone through. How could a person be so -cruel?”
“She’s not even worried that her own kids might do the same thing to her. How can someone be so heartless?”
Two older women, their faces red with indignation, stepped forward and blocked Charmaine’s path.
“There’s no excuse for this, young lady. Even if she’s not your birth mother, she raised you. That counts for something.”
“Exactly. You owe her an apology. And her real daughter, too. Apologize, now.”
With no escape in sight, Charmaine turned to face Sophie, who stood there with a smug expression.
“You think you can just walk away from this?” Sophie sneered.
Charmaine chuckled, the sound bitter. “Your daughter plagiarized, got caught, and you think that’s my fault? I don’t remember holding a gun to her head and make her do that.”
She shook her head, her voice sharp. “And don’t try to pull the ‘I raised you‘ card. Your daughter was raised by my parents, too. Your family kept me from starving, but you people didn’t do much else for me. My real parents, on the other hand, gave your daughter everything–a life anyone would envy.”
Charmaine’s lips curled into a mocking smile, her eyes glinting with disdain.
Charmaine’s words sliced through the tension, each one landing like a dagger. “Your daughter’s life at my place has been far better than mine at yours. Otherwise, why would she refuse to leave? Mrs. Read, if you care so much about your precious daughter, then why is she too afraid to call you mom in public?”
The harshness of her words struck Sophie, each one like a painful blow.
She stood frozen.
1/2
Chapter 40 Curses
When did this girl start speaking like this?
Leah had warned her, said Charmaine had changed, but Sophie had dismissed it.
She figured Charmaine would always be the same, no matter how much time passed.
But now, she could see just how much Charmaine had really transformed.
Finished
Sophie opened her mouth wide and retorted, “That’s because my daughter is a kind and thoughtful girl. Even though the Nelson couple isn’t her parents, she still loves them deeply.”
Charmaine raised an eyebrow, her voice dripping with mockery. “Oh, so your daughter’s adoptive parents are the ones who taught her all about respect, huh? So should I be just as ungrateful as you say, since my adoptive parents didn’t do it right?”
Sophie sputtered, speechless, her breath catching in her throat.
Anger surged through her like a tidal wave.
The crowd, which had been quietly judging Charmaine just moments ago, began to shift in her favor.
It wasn’t Charmaine who was ungrateful–it was her adoptive mother who had failed her.
People exchanged glances, noticing the contrast between Charmaine’s calm composure and the harsh words Sophie hurled at her.,
It became clear.
No wonder Charmaine didn’t respect her.
Sophie’s mistake hit her too late. She stormed toward Charmaine, ready to drag her off to Leah.
But as she reached out, two older women stepped forward, blocking her path.
“Excuse us, but you’re the one who’s wrong here, ma’am. You didn’t even raise your child properly, and now you’re blaming her for everything? Maybe you should start by looking at yourself.”
Sophie’s face turned bright red, her eyes widening in disbelief.
After spending years on beauty treatments, a couple of hags were calling her ‘ma’am‘ as if she were the older woman here?
Her temper, always ready to flare, ignited immediately
“Who are you calling ma’am?” she snapped. “This is my family business. Stay out of it!”
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