The Daughter He Abandoned Called Him A Stranger Chapter 04

The Daughter He Abandoned Called Him A Stranger Chapter 04

I walked through the nighttime streets in a daze, my vision blurred by tears.

Just then, my phone rang. It was my mother-in-law.

The moment I answered, her scolding came crashing through the line. “Evelyn Hart! Where did you run off to in the middle of the night? The child has been crying nonstop, and nothing will calm her down.”

“She keeps asking for you. She’s just like you, petty, fragile, and unfit to be taken anywhere respectable. Get back here right now!”

My heart clenched, and I quickly wiped away my tears.

I hailed a cab and rushed back to the Whitmore estate.

The moment I walked in, I saw my mother-in-law staring coldly at Claire, who was sitting on the carpet sobbing, her little body hiccupping from crying.

When she saw me, her anger only flared higher. “Look at the daughter you raised. Crying over every little thing. She has none of the dignity a Whitmore child should have.”

I picked Claire up and held her close, trying to soothe her.

My mother-in-law went on scolding.

“Evelyn, I’m not trying to be cruel, but you spend all day hovering over that child until you’ve turned yourself into some exhausted, washed-out woman. I truly don’t know what Nathaniel ever saw in you.”

Her words hit exactly where I was already hurting.

I finally lost control and looked up sharply.

“Yes! I’m not good enough for him. I admit it. He never should have married me in the first place. Now he regrets it. He regrets marrying me. Is that what you wanted to hear?”

My mother-in-law froze for a moment, then gave a contemptuous laugh.

“Regrets it? Isn’t that only natural? Look at yourself now. You’re dull, worn down, completely unappealing. What man would still be fascinated by you?”

Her tone turned brutally cold. “If you still have any sense left, then while Nathaniel hasn’t completely tired of you yet, hurry up and give the Whitmore family a grandson.”

“That way, even if you get divorced someday, your son can still secure you a share of the family assets. At least then, you’ll be comfortable for the rest of your life.”

Her gaze swept over Claire’s tear-streaked little face, undisguised disgust in her eyes. “This girl you gave birth to is useless.”

Listening to her, I felt as if my heart were being squeezed until I could hardly breathe.

At last, I understood the cost of marrying into a family that never believed I belonged. Every corner of that house felt like it was closing in on me.

That night, I held Claire and cried until dawn.

And Nathaniel, for the first time, did not come home at all.