Filed to story: Billionaire Bride’s Revenge (Vera & Howard)
“We’ll know soon enough. Let’s just wait for the results.”
Vera stirred only after much time had passed, her head pounding as if besieged by swarms of bees. Flinching at the slightest movement, Sharon was immediately by her side.
“Vera, you’re awake.”
As she watched her, Sharon’s emotions were conflicted. The suspicion that Lily might be her biological daughter took root swiftly and grew overwhelming.
She examined Vera’s features but found no resemblance to herself, only to the other woman whose eyes mirrored her own.
Exhausted, Vera seemed oblivious to any tension. “It feels like a nightmare,” she murmured.
With a weary gesture, Vera massaged her temples. “Mom, what’s happening to me?”
She remembered trying to leave her bed earlier, only to collapse once more.
Jeff approached with a conflicted heart and said, “The doctor mentioned you’ve been significantly stressed out. You’ll need to rest in the coming days.”
At this, a wry smile touched Vera’s lips.
Howard, her husband and childhood love, had been unfaithful, defending the very woman who had undermined their union-a betrayal no woman could stand. Exhausted, she leaned back against the headboard and murmured, “I understand.”
Sharon looked on with empathy and gently touched her hand.
“Don’t dwell on it too much. Focus on getting better,” she encouraged.
Vera offered a weak nod. “I will recover.”
While her physical injuries were mendable, the emotional wound Howard had inflicted felt as though it had cleaved her heart in two. Time might heal the injury, but the scar would remain deep and raw.
A heavy silence filled the room, making the air feel dense and strange.
Interrupting the quiet, Jeff’s phone rang.
With a glance at the caller ID showing his assistant’s name, he felt a stir of anxiety.
He looked at Vera, then stepped into the corridor to take the call.
“Mr. Montgomery, we have the results of the DNA test.”
“The samples confirm that you are biologically related. Miss Johnson is indeed your and Mrs. Montgomery’s daughter,” the assistant announced.
Jeff’s grip tightened on his phone as he asked for confirmation. “Repeat that.”
Sharon left the room too, grasping his phone to hear better.
The assistant repeated firmly, “The tests confirm that Miss Johnson is your biological daughter.”
Both Sharon and Jeff were stunned by the revelation. Their suspicions were confirmed-Lily was indeed their biological daughter.
After hanging up, Sharon gazed at her hands, her voice shaking with guilt.
“What have I done? I’ve struck my own daughter. No, I must find her immediately.”
“Hold on! Don’t act hastily,” Jeff cautioned, quickly grabbing her wrist to restrain her.
As Sharon fought against his grip, tears streamed down her face.
“I need to apologize to her right away. I was too harsh today. She must be in a lot of pain.”
Jeff glanced back to ensure the door was shut and Vera wouldn’t overhear them.
“Something doesn’t add up here. We only had one daughter. How can Lily Johnson also be…?” he said with a frown.
Sharon felt a cold fear. “Indeed, how is that possible?” She remembered clearly that she had given birth to only one child, yet it seemed she had two daughters. Sharon looked toward the closed door, biting her lip in contemplation. “We should also test Vera.”
They resolved to discover the true lineage of their daughters.
Meanwhile, news from the hospital had also reached Victor through his assistant, Samuel Natt.
As Victor leaned back in his chair, toying with a costly pen, sunlight filtered through the blinds, casting a soft glow around him. His eyes twinkled with a hint of mischief as he remarked casually, “So, it seems quite probable that Vera isn’t actually the Montgomery’s daughter, right?”
Samuel nodded, then added hesitantly, “The Montgomerys are conducting another DNA test. If it turns out they’re not related, should we offer any support to Miss Montgomery?”
Victor’s face remained stoic, his eyes piercing. “If she can’t handle this minor issue, how can she be deemed fit to be my…” His voice trailed off, but his meaning was clear. “Keep monitoring them and keep me informed.”
“Understood, Mr. Adams,” Samuel replied, then exited the room, leaving Victor in his expansive office. Pocketing one hand, Victor walked to the panoramic window and gazed out at the bustling streets below, a thoughtful frown forming.
“A genuine daughter and a counterfeit one? This is intriguing indeed.”
At the hospital, Vera was oblivious to the unfolding drama. The tranquilizers she had been prescribed constantly lulled her to sleep, trapping her in an endless nightmare. In her dreams, she was repeatedly chased to the edge of a cliff by wild beasts.
Just then, Sharon burst into the room with a lunchbox.
Observing her worn-out daughter, she expressed her concern. “Vera, I had the chef prepare some light, easily digestible food for you, considering you haven’t eaten in days. I was worried you might be starving.”
Vera steadied herself, nodding in acknowledgment.
“Thank you, Mom.”
Sharon placed the food on the small table beside her and assisted her daughter with tying back her hair. As Vera ate slowly, Sharon and Jeff exchanged a glance, unease visible in their expressions.
If Vera wasn’t actually their biological daughter, it meant they had unknowingly raised someone else’s child for over two decades.
Their worry deepened over the possibility of inaccurate test results. Even pets that lived with them for twenty years became like family, much less Vera, whom they had raised as their own daughter.
Their thoughts were in disarray.
The wait for the test results was agonizing, weighing heavily on them each moment.
Vera, noticing Sharon’s strained look, voiced her concern. “Mom, you look unwell. Is something wrong?”
Sharon snapped back to the present and dismissed her concern. “It’s nothing. It just pains me to see you like this, dear.”
Vera, unaware of the deeper issues, reassured her lightly, “Alright, Mom. A few days of rest and I’ll be better.”
Sharon responded with a nod, her gaze returning to Jeff, who was clutching his phone anxiously.