Chapter 75
Chapter 75:
Laurie sat on the edge of the bed and stared him in the eye. “Have you ever tried a cake that Janice made?”
Connor frowned. Why was she bringing up that ingrate all of a sudden? “Janice has done nothing but cause trouble. She’s not as sweet and considerate as Delilah. When did she ever make something for us?”
“Huh.” Laurie let out a dry, humorless laugh, her eyes dimming further. “Connor, Janice is our real daughter, born of our flesh and blood. How can you dismiss her like that? Is she that unbearable to you?”
“Am I wrong, though?” Connor retorted crossly. “Ever since she came back, she’s been targeting Delilah at every turn. She would either accuse Delilah of stealing her things or try to harm Delilah outright. If we didn’t keep an eye on her, she could have seriously hurt Delilah.”
“Is that really the case? Think about it carefully—when all is said and done, who has been hurt the most? And who has benefited the most?” Although Laurie said those words to Connor, they were also directed at herself.
She had come to realize that she had always overlooked a very basic detail whenever an issue arose.
Every time Janice and Delilah got into a conflict, the blame always lay at Janice’s feet, without fail.
And even though Delilah was always the victim, she never seemed to suffer any real harm. In contrast, Janice would either be berated or beaten up. Her bruises wouldn’t even completely fade before she was subjected to another beating.
Laurie suddenly recalled the incident where Delilah had claimed to suffer from a mango allergy.
Looking back at it now, her story didn’t add up. If Janice had truly known about Delilah’s allergy, why would she feed her mango pudding on purpose?
Janice had been desperately trying to win over the family, and sabotaging Delilah in plain sight would only turn them all against her. Why would she do something so foolish? Moreover, while Delilah did act like she was having an allergic reaction, Bartley’s examination revealed no such symptoms. Exactly what happened back then?
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Laurie remembered Janice calling her blind and foolish, mistaking fool’s gold for the real thing. She had thought nothing of it at the time, but now… Perhaps Janice’s words were true all along.
“What’s the matter, Laurie?” Connor asked, growing more concerned. “Did that rebellious girl say something to you? Whatever it is, don’t listen to her. She’s just a liar and a waste of time. She is nothing compared to our Delilah.”
“Enough!” Laurie exploded, pinning him with a furious glare. “You say that Janice never made us cake, but that’s only because you never gave her the time of day.”
Connor blinked in shock. Vaguely, a vision of a timid girl holding up a cake with both hands appeared in his mind. “Dad, I made this cake for you. Please try it.”
“Get out! I don’t eat junk. Don’t try to bring me something so disgusting again.”
Connor snapped back to his senses and gritted his teeth. “So what if she made one? She spends most of her days away from home. Who knows what kind of germs she carries? We can’t trust any food she makes; it would only get us sick.”
In the next second, Laurie shot to her feet and struck him across the face.
Connor stared at her in disbelief. “What the hell is wrong with you?”
“Get out! I don’t want to share a room with you tonight!” Laurie stood her ground, looking like a warrior ready to tear him apart.
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