After Five Years of Lies, I Left the Family and Made Them Regret It Chapter 03

After Five Years of Lies, I Left the Family and Made Them Regret It Chapter 03

“Even if she finds out, she won’t dare cut us off.”

I looked down at my left leg, the one the crash had ruined.

That was exactly how they had always seen me.

For the past five years, I had needed a cane to walk, and whenever the weather turned cold or rainy, the pain could keep me awake all night. On the worst days, I even needed Adrian’s help just to take a shower.

I had always believed he never resented having to care for me because he loved me.

But to them, my injury was no different from my status. Both were things that could keep me trapped exactly where I was.

They were certain that a woman with no Bennett blood, no family backing of her own, and no chance of ever having another child would never dare walk away from a marriage that tied her to the Moretti family.

So even if I learnt the whole truth, they believed I would have no choice but to accept it.

Serena still didn’t look reassured.

She turned to Adrian and asked softly, “What about you? Are you still in love with my sister?”

The ballroom fell silent.

Adrian didn’t answer for a long time.

And somehow, I still waited nervously for his answer. Just as I had for the past five years, I was still hoping for one small sign that he still loved me.

Finally, he spoke.

“She lost the baby, and her leg never healed properly. She never had much standing in the Bennett family to begin with. If I divorce her now, she’ll have no one left in our world. The crash was your fault, Serena. I won’t make Evelyn carry the consequences on her own as well.”

His voice was calm.

I went rigid.

So all those times he had massaged my injured leg, all those times he had held me and promised he would never leave, none of it was because he still loved me.

At least, not anymore.

In his eyes, I was simply a woman with no real status and lasting injuries, someone he felt responsible for rather than someone he still loved.

Mum visibly relaxed and turned to Serena.

“There, you heard him. Adrian loves you, and you’re the one who gave him a child. All Evelyn has is the title of Mrs Moretti. What could she possibly have to hold over you?”

Laughter filled the ballroom again.

The photographer called them together for another picture, and all five turned towards the camera with easy smiles.

“Lovely. All five of you, look this way.”

The shutter clicked.

The photograph captured all five of them standing together.

Meanwhile, I crouched in the corner outside the ballroom, one hand pressed against my trembling left leg. In the glass, I saw my red-rimmed eyes and the way the pain had bent my body slightly forward.

That was when I finally understood. In this family, I had only ever been someone they allowed to stay.

My phone screen lit up.

My flight information was still at the top.

Eight hours until boarding.

I was about to leave when my left leg suddenly gave way. My shoulder struck a vase on the decorative table in the hallway, and it crashed to the floor.

The sound drew everyone’s attention.

The ballroom door opened, and Adrian was the first one out.

The smile vanished from his face the moment he saw me.

“Evelyn?”

My parents and Serena came out behind him.

Mum’s first reaction wasn’t to ask how long I had been standing there. She immediately stepped in front of Serena and Noah instead.

“You said you weren’t coming. Why are you lurking outside the door, listening?”

I didn’t answer. I only looked at Noah, who was hiding behind Serena.

The little boy stared at me nervously, then suddenly asked, “Mummy, is she the nasty auntie who wouldn’t let us come home to New York?”

Serena hurriedly covered his mouth.

“Noah, you mustn’t say things like that.”

But everyone’s expression had already changed.

A four-year-old would never have come up with something like that on his own.

For the past four years, while they had all been part of his life, they had been teaching him that I was the reason his mother couldn’t openly return to New York, that I was clinging to my place as his father’s wife, and that I was the one keeping him and Serena from being openly recognised by the family.

Serena’s eyes quickly filled with tears.

“Evelyn, please don’t be cross with Noah.”