Chapter 3

I stayed where I was, staring straight at Lily.

She took my mother’s arm with fake concern. “Mrs. Bennett, I know Nora’s dirty, but she’s still family. You should buy her the clothes. At least she’ll have something to cover her shame.”

My mother trembled with rage and pulled my bank card from her pocket.

She flung it hard into my face.

“Take your filthy money and get out! Don’t ever call yourself my daughter again. You disgust me!”

I bent down, picked up the card, and brushed off the dust.

The sting in my face was nothing compared with the pain inside.

I straightened and looked at everyone around me.

Finally, my gaze settled on Lily’s smug face.

“Finished with your little performance?”

I buttoned my shirt, laughing coldly.

“Lily, right? Trained as a nurse?”

I moved toward her.

“What nursing school did you graduate from? Do you have proof of your clinical placement? Let me see your license.”

Her eyes flickered, and she ducked behind Ethan.

“I… I don’t have it with me.”

Ethan stepped in front of her and shoved me.

“What the hell is wrong with you? You’re the one sleeping around, and now you’re attacking her?”

“Get lost! Nobody wants you here!”

I nodded. “Fine. I’ll leave.”

“But first, we have a few things to settle.”

I took out my phone to make a call.

If we couldn’t resolve this as a family matter, we’d handle it officially.

But the instant I unlocked the screen, Ethan snatched it out of my hand.

He threw it down and stomped on it twice.

“Calling for backup? Going to get your lover down here?”

“Let me tell you something, Nora. God himself couldn’t make you look clean now!”

Looking at my shattered phone, I felt my last shred of restraint snap. “Ethan!”

“What? Don’t like hearing the truth?”

Lily stood nearby, fanning the flames.

“Don’t be like that, Ethan. Of course she doesn’t want to admit what she did.”

Suddenly, she covered her mouth as if something even worse had occurred to her.

“Oh my God. If she’s been sleeping around that much, what if she’s caught something?”

“The skin around that scar looked red. Almost like herpes…”

At the mention of an STD, my mother’s eyes rolled back and she fainted.

“Mom! Mom, what’s wrong?”

Ethan panicked, clutching her and shouting.

The store erupted into chaos.

My father, who had been in the restroom, heard the commotion and hurried over.

Lily rushed straight to him, tears flowing on command.

“Mr. Bennett, it’s all my fault. I couldn’t stop her…”

“Nora… she had a baby out of wedlock, and she caught one of those diseases…”

“Your wife only said a few words, and Nora tried to hit her. She got so upset that she fainted…”

Ethan nodded frantically. “Dad! This is all Nora’s fault! She tried to hit me, too!”

My father turned and glared at me, jabbing a finger toward my face.

“Who’s the man? Tell me!”

I met his gaze coldly. “There is no man. There is no child.”

Smack!

His backhanded slap left my ears ringing.

“Still lying! Your mother’s passed out, and you still won’t tell the truth?”

“I don’t care where that bastard child is. I’ll use every connection I have to find it!”

“Then I’ll turn it over to foster care myself! It will never set foot in my house!”

“And I’m going to your workplace! I’ll make sure everyone knows what kind of woman you are!”

People all around us pulled out their phones.

Someone recognized Lily. “Hey, isn’t that the sexy nurse influencer?”

“Yeah, that’s her! I can’t believe her fiancé’s sister is this shameless.”

Someone started livestreaming. The comments filled with insults aimed at me.

Holding my burning cheek, I looked at the man I called my father.

The last thread of affection I’d felt for this family finally broke.

“Fine! You keep saying I had a baby.”

“Where’s your proof? Lily, show me this child!”

I advanced toward her.

“You say that’s a C-section scar? Then will you let a medical professional examine it right here?”

“And if you’re wrong, you can get on your knees and apologize!”

My tone frightened her. She stumbled backward.

“I… how would I know where your child is? I… I’m a nurse. I can tell just by looking…”

“Just by looking?” I gave a cold laugh. “So can I.”

I pointed at her collarbone without touching her.

“I’ve seen that tattoo in a vice unit case file.”

“You weren’t using this name back then, were you?”