Chapter 23
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At the end of the exam, a female doctor handed her a sterile container and said professionally, “Please express some breast milk. We need to run targeted analysis.”
The doctor was all business, but Mona’s cheeks flushed crimson with embarrassment.
She complied quickly, then left the hospital in silence.
Mckinley drove her to the entrance of her apartment complex. “Ms. Morse, please keep your phone on and charged at all times. You’ll need to be available 24/7. Is that manageable?”
“Yes.” She thought, ‘With 3 thousand dollars a month in nutrition allowance alone, how can I possibly say no? Even wet nurses probably don’t get this kind of treatment.‘
Mona got out of the car and headed home. It was already midday, and her stomach was rumbling. She started thinking about lunch.
But when she got to the door, she remembered–she still didn’t have a house key.
Just as she raised her hand to knock, the door swung open from the inside.
Addie stood in the doorway, staring at her with thinly veiled disdain. Without a word, she turned and walked back into the living room.
Mona stepped inside, changed into her slippers, and followed.
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In the living room, Eldon sat stiffly on the couch, face like stone.
Next to him, Liza leaned in with a smug little smile playing on her lips.
“Bow,” Addie ordered coldly.
AN
Mona stood her ground in the center of the room. “Why should I?”
“You think I don’t know what shameful things you’ve been up to?” Addie snapped. “Liza told me everything.”
Mona turned her gaze to Liza. “Oh? And what exactly did you see me do that was so shameful?”
The smugness on Liza’s face disappeared‘ instantly, replaced by a look of innocent concern.
“Mona, I saw you outside yesterday with a man… You two were getting physical, and I was worried you might get hurt, so I recorded it–for your protection. But then you got into another man’s car and never came home. I was scared you’d been taken advantage of.
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Her voice trembled. Two perfectly timed tears slipped down her cheeks. “Eldon, say something! If someone hurt Mona, we need to find that man and make him pay!”
Eldon’s icy stare hadn’t moved from Mona.
“Mona,” he said flatly, “you were with Mckinley last night, weren’t you? He’s married. He has kids. What do you get out of being someone’s mistress?”
Mona gave a cold–laugh. “You’re calling me a mistress? Got proof? You see me get into a guy’s car and suddenly I’m sleeping with him? Funny- when you all got me drunk and dumped me into a car back then, why didn’t anyone run to court and accuse me of having sex in the backseat?”
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Addie trembled with rage. “You ungrateful little wretch! Clearly I didn’t raise you right. You sneak out, mess around with random men, and bring shame to this family–and now you dare stand here and talk back? I swear, I’ll beat some sense into you!”
She grabbed the whip hanging on the wall–the one she reserved just for punishing Mona–and swung it at her.
But Mona caught it with one hand, yanked it hard, and pulled Addie off balance. She grabbed her by the collar and yanked her close.
“Addie, your husband cheats on you left and right, and you never make a sound. You even took in his bastard child and raised her like your own, while treating me–your real daughter–like trash. Tell me, am I the pathetic one, or is it you?”
Then she shoved Addie hard.
Still in her heels, Addie stumbled and fell flat on the floor.
The words hit harder than the push. She sat there in shock, then burst into tears, slapping the floor as she sobbed. “She hit me! Mona hit me!”
Liza rushed over, helped her up, and joined her in crying. “Mona. Mom carried you for ten months and raised you with everything she had. Her love is priceless. How could you hit her like that?”
Mona scoffed. “Oh please. Anyone who wants to call her ‘mom‘ can go ahead. I want a DNA test. I don’t believe for a second that I’m her daughter.”
She grabbed Addie again. “Come on. Let’s go right now.”
Addie wailed louder, throwing herself to the ground. “This is outrageous! Mona’s gone completely mad!”
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All the noise brought Colton rushing downstairs. He arrived just in time to see Mona dragging Addie toward the door.
In a flash, he lunged forward, yanked Addie back, and shoved Mona away. “How dare you lay a hand on your own mother, Mona? I’ll teach you a lesson!”
He raised his hand and slapped her across the face–hard.
The blow came out of nowhere. Mona didn’t have time to react. The impact rang through her skull, her cheek stung and went numb, and her ears buzzed. Her mind went blank for a moment.
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