Who Is the Real Mafia Principessa Chapter 05

Who Is the Real Mafia Principessa Chapter 05

My mind went completely blank.

Mrs. Moretti continued calmly.

“Elowen… she was the one we adopted first. We lost her when she was little, and we never stopped searching for her.”

“But your sister is very sensitive. We were afraid if she knew we were expecting you, she’d think we didn’t love her anymore. So we lied and told everyone you were adopted.”

She smiled, looking at Elowen as if relieved and proud.

“It’s all okay now. Elowen accepts you. She understands. We can all be a family again, just like before—whole and happy.”

They smiled at each other, expressions of relief, satisfaction, and self-righteous kindness.

I stared at them.

At Elowen, curled up in Mrs. Moretti’s arms, smiling sweetly.

At Giancarlo, nodding approvingly.

At Rafael, his lips pressed thin, his profile rigid.

The warmth in my body drained away, bit by bit.

The one hope that had kept me going through hell, that had made me fight through icy water and prison bars—

It snapped. Clean.

I swayed. Rafael reached out instinctively to steady me.

“Mom, Dad, look!” Elowen cheered, perfectly on cue.

“Our baby sister’s so shocked by the good news she can barely stand!”

Mrs. Moretti smiled even wider. “Quick, sit her down. She’s just overwhelmed with happiness.”

I was half-led, half-pushed into a chair at the dining table. The table was loaded with fancy food—most of it seafood, which I was severely allergic to. My head spun. The faces in front of me blurred and turned alien.

So… I was their real daughter.

Then what was all the coldness, the lies, the cruelty for?

Who was I paying for?

What debt was I repaying?

“Althea?” Elowen’s tone turned sweet and helpful again.

“Being in there so long must have made you forget how to crack crabs. Let big sister help you. I’ll get the one with the most roe.”

Mrs. Moretti watched fondly. “Our Elowen always knows how to charm people.”

Giancarlo nodded. “That’s right. From now on, you two sisters get along. Your parents will be fair to both of you.”

“Who are you calling sister?”

My voice was quiet, but it froze the entire table.

“Elowen,” I said, looking at her teary face, “you’re the fake one. What gives you the right to call me sister?”

“Big sister?” I let out a bitter, mocking laugh.

“You don’t deserve that title.”

Elowen froze mid-crack. Tears spilled over instantly, her eyes glistening.

“You’re… you’re right! I’m not a Moretti! I’m the fake! Then I’ll leave! I’ll go! I’ll step aside for the real princess!”

“Elowen! Don’t say that!” Mrs. Moretti grabbed her and held her protectively, then whirled on me with fury. “Blood or no blood, Elowen will always be the princess of this family! That will never change!”

Giancarlo slammed his fist on the table, his finger nearly jabbing my nose. “It’s just a title! You grew up here, spoiled and cared for! What is there to fight about?”

“You come home and ruin everything. We wasted all those years raising you!”

Spoiled?

I laughed coldly, yanking my arm away from Rafael.

“If it doesn’t matter, then let’s tell everyone the truth. Let everyone know you, Elowen, are the adopted one with no blood tie.”

“No!” Mrs. Moretti cried out, holding Elowen even tighter. “Elowen suffered so much out there alone! She can’t handle gossip and judgment!”

“Then why could I?” I asked calmly.

“I took twenty years of judgment for her. She took my name, my life, everything that should have been mine.”

“Isn’t that what you always told me?”

“Fakes… should know their place.”