Chapter13 Found out who the child's father is!
Nora drove to a residential villa district, her eyes settling on the familiar walls and gates of one of the homes as a flood of memories filled her mind.
She once had a happy home where she was everyone's little princess.
But at the age of six, everything changed.
One day, her mother, after a tragic incident of drunk driving that resulted in someone's death, was sent to prison, only to die there two years later.
Her father remarried, bringing home a daughter just a year younger than her.
It turned out her father had betrayed her mother long before.
Her stepmother, kind in public yet two-faced in private, pushed Nora to the fringes of the family.
With a deep breath, Nora suppressed the chaos of thoughts and rang the doorbell.
The door was answered by someone who assessed her from head to toe. "Who are you looking for?"
"Allen, it's me." Nora recognized the Smith's housekeeper, Allen Joe, and greeted him.
"Miss Nora?"
Allen's expression displayed sheer surprise.
Nora managed a smile. "Is Grandma home?"
"Yes, when your dad heard you were coming, he brought Madam Smith back from the sanatorium especially."
Allen conversed while ushering Nora inside.
A cold smirk curved the corners of Nora's lips.
Years ago, Grandpa passed away, and all she had left was Grandma. Yet under the influence of his new wife, he had Grandma moved to a nursing home way ahead of her time.
As Nora stepped through the doorway, her eyes swept the room before landing on the figure with silvery hair. A wave of emotion hit her, and she threw her arms open.
"Grandma, I'm home!"
"Nora, my sweet girl, you're finally back," Madam Smith said, her eyes brimming with tears as she embraced her.
"Why haven't you contacted us in so long? Grandma has missed you terribly!"
"Grandma, I've missed you too."
Nora sniffled, stood tall, and gently wiped away the tears from Madam Smith's eyes.
Ever since her mother went to jail, her grandma had been the only one who truly cared about her.
"Let me get a good look at you—my, my, Nora, how you've grown more beautiful!"
"Because I take after you, Grandma."
"Oh, aren't you the sweet talker?"
Madam Smith's heart swelled with joy at the compliment.
They chatted away as if no one else was there, ignoring everyone else in the room.
Becky glared with resentment, glancing at Lucas and then nudging her mother, Martha, sitting next to her.
Martha turned to Nora with a hypocritical smile.
"Nora, it's so good you're back! I heard you have three children now, why didn't you bring them along today? We've kept your room ready and clean, just waiting for you to return. When can you bring your husband and kids to stay for a few days?"
Nora helped Madam Smith to the couch and looked up at Martha.
"Aunt Martha, this is my family home. I'll come and go as I please, so please stop acting like you own the place. After all, this house is joint property of my dad and mom. If we're talking about outsiders, that would be you."
Martha choked on her words, her eyes pleading for sympathy from her husband, Charles Smith.
Charles's expression darkened as he chastised, "Nora, you think you're all grown up? Disappearing for four years without a single word to your family, and now you speak to your aunt like this?"
"Dad, I'm just stating the facts. Which part of what I said was incorrect?" Nora replied calmly.
"You—"
Charles threw his cup in a fit of anger, "You've been on your own for four years without discipline, and now you think you're independent?"
Nora dodged swiftly, the cup missing her by inches.
Her heart grew cold.
Her own father, fully aware of Becky's treachery from four years ago, acted as if it never happened and continued to find faults with her.
Was this man truly her father?
"Nora, are you alright?"
Madam Smith stood up quickly, her face full of concern.
"I'm fine," Nora said, shaking her head.
Madam Smith turned to Charles, venting her frustration. "Son, what have you even done for Nora since she was six? Who’s to blame for the troubles she faced during her four years away? Did you ever stand up for your daughter as any father should?”
Hearing this, Charles replied impatiently, "Mom, just take care of yourself, will you? You're getting old."
"But you—"
"Grandma."
Nora gently patted Madam Smith's hand, signaling her to drop it.
Her father was no longer the loving man from her memories, the one who would lift her high in the air with affection.
Talking to him was pointless. He wouldn’t listen.
"Nora, now that you're back, you should just get the divorce over with. We're all family here. We need to move on and not dwell on past mistakes, and stop letting your sister face gossip," Charles said, getting to the heart of the matter.
So, in his eyes, her being betrayed by Becky and losing her husband was just a little mistake made by Becky?
And it was Nora who was being unreasonable, clinging to it?
Nora didn't feel like wasting her breath on him anymore.
"Fine," she said to Becky. "Tell me who the man was that night, and I'll divorce Lucas."
Of course, she was going to divorce Lucas.
But before she did, she needed to know who fathered her children.
Her three kids were school-aged now, and the top-notch private preschool she found in Houston had one bizarre rule.
They wouldn’t accept children from a single-parent household!
She had to know who their father was.
Becky's eyes flickered.
"Nora, are you serious? If I tell you who he was that night, you'll divorce Lucas?"
"Yes."
"Let me think."
Becky's eyes darted around before she said, "I remember now. It must have been Mick from Pfizer Pharmaceuticals."
She couldn't clearly recall the man from back then.
But she did remember Mick being there.
That should mislead Nora for the time being.
"Are you sure?" Nora asked.
"I’m sure."
Becky pulled out her phone. "Don't believe me? I'll call him. You two can meet and talk."
"No need."
Nora responded, "I'll talk to him myself."
Becky's eyes flashed. "Nora, I've told you who the father is. You can proceed with divorcing Lucas now, right?"
"What’s the rush? Let's wait until I’ve met with Mick."
Nora wasn’t in a hurry, but Becky clearly was.
"Nora, don’t tell me you're going to play games?"
Nora glanced at her. "I'm not like you; I don't stoop that low. Of course, if you're that desperate for me to go through with the divorce, feel free to get down on your knees and beg."
“You!” Becky fumed, her voice a coquettish whine as she turned to Charles. “Dad, look at her!”
Charles quickly murmured some words of comfort before he turned to Nora with a scolding tone. “What do you mean? Nora, you head on and finalize your divorce with Lucas now!”
Nora met his gaze, her eyes an icy calm. “Dad, I’ll handle my own affairs. You should worry about your own.”
Charles frowned. “And what would that be?”
“Dad, was it really Mom who caused the accident while drunk driving?” Nora’s question drained the color from Charles’s face.
“What are you implying, Nora?”
“Dad, I will uncover the truth about what happened back then.”
Nora’s fingers curled slightly as her gaze shifted towards Martha. “Also, Mom died in prison just a couple of years after her sentence—heart failure, the doctors said. But she was so young. Even with a weak heart, she wouldn't just die of heart failure—unless someone made sure she didn't get out.”
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