Chapter 3
“You brat!” my father yelled furiously.
Della flinched and huddled close to Franklin like a scared rabbit.
Meanwhile, my son, who always treated me kindly, wouldn’t even glance in my direction. Instead, his small frame stood firmly in front of her.
“What right do you, a convict, have to question me?
“If you had even a bit of the sense Della has, you should’ve rotted behind bars rather than showing your face here!”
A crowd began to form. Some people even lifted their phones to record the scene.
I covered my face, drowning in shame.
Franklin, a trace of hesitation in his eyes, finally spoke, “Dad…”
But Della interrupted him, “Franklin, Mr. Zedillo just arrived. Let’s head over now.”
“But…”
“Chelsea is still Dad’s biological daughter. She’ll be fine,” Della pressed on.
Franklin looked uncertain for a second, but in the end, Della tugged him away.
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He kept one arm around Della, shielding her gently, and walked off without turning around.
Left behind, I stood there, shaking as people stared and whispered.
ad raised so carefully didn’t stop. He gave me one cold look,
e, then walked off with Della.
ast, I fled through the crowd’s jeers, unable to bear it any longer.
My father’s voice still rang in my ears.
“If you cared so much about saving face, you should’ve thought of that before! Too late for regrets now!”
I was hiding in a quiet corner of the hotel, quietly crying, when Della came after me.
She wore a satisfied smirk, and her eyes gleamed with cruelty.
“Chelsea Mooney, how does it feel to lose everything to me?
“Did you enjoy the five years in prison I gifted you? I only had to cry once, and your precious son swapped out your work without hesitation.”
She laughed with joy as she spoke, but her eyes were filled with scorn.
“You didn’t even have to stay in prison that long. But your beloved husband was so scared I’d be mistreated that he pushed to make your sentence longer–from two years to three, and then five.
“He even got Dad to post an article cutting all ties with you, just so you wouldn’t have the nerve to go against me when you got out.”
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Because of Della, the people I loved–my family, my husband, and even my child–stood by and watched me suffer in that nightmare for five years.
Five years! For all that time, I was insulted and beaten, torn from a life of respect, and pushed into the dirt where I was treated like garbage.
Thinking about how she caused it all, I couldn’t take it anymore. I raised my hand, ready to slap her.
But before I could touch her, Della dropped to the floor.
“Chelsea, I’m sorry! I’ll give up the crown, okay?”
Right then, Sean shoved me violently to the ground. My forehead struck the table’s corner, and warm blood began to slide down my face.
When Franklin came rushing in, he gently pulled Della close like she
had been hurt instead.
She whispered, pretending to be sad, “Franklin, Chelsea is mad at me. I should return her crown…”
The moment Franklin saw the blood on me, the concern in his expression froze, turning completely cold.
“Once I give it to you, it’s yours. But a convict like her, what right does she have to touch such fine jewelry?
“Chelsea, are you seriously getting picky about jewelry now? If something happens to Della, you’ll regret it. I promise you that.”
“Did you catch that?!” Sean yelled at me too, saying, “You’re a terrible woman! You don’t deserve to be my mom!”
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Then Franklin lifted Della in his arms, completely disregarding me, and turned to leave.
Della rested against him and threw me a triumphant smile.
As I watched them leave, my heart turned as cold as ice.
But at least, I had finally received news of that person.
And soon, I’ll be gone from here.
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