Broken Family After Betrayal Chapter 02

Broken Family After Betrayal Chapter 02

Mom took me to finalize her divorce the next day.

Dad hadn’t come home all night, and Mom hadn’t slept a wink.

She clutched the marriage certificate, staring blankly for a long moment before the clerk’s words finally sank in.

“You mean this certificate is fake? Jonathan and I aren’t legally married?”

The clerk, a woman in her fifties with a gentle face, gave a soft sigh of sympathy.

“I’ve checked several times.”

“Jonathan Harrington is listed as married, but the spouse on file isn’t you. It’s a Cassie Blake.”

“The paperwork was filed through his unit. They registered it a year ago.”

A year ago. That was three months after Cassie moved in with us.

When Mom first brought her home, she was covered in bruises.

Mom said she was a poor thing, and that Dad and I should be kind to her.

But I’d overheard Dad complaining about it once.

He said Cassie was a runaway with no family, and that having someone like her around would be a bad influence on me.

That was the first time I ever saw Mom truly furious at Dad.

She said he had no respect for women and made him swear he’d treat Cassie like his own sister.

Later, once Cassie recovered, she latched onto Dad and became his apprentice at the plant.

Mom was actually happy about it—happy that Cassie had found a path in life, and happy that Dad had let go of his prejudice.

But no one expected things to spiral out of control the way they did.

Dad came home unusually early that day.

When he saw the empty dining table, he raised an eyebrow.

“I didn’t get to finish dinner with my girls last night, so I’m taking you both out today.”

Mom didn’t move. She just pointed at the wedding photo on the wall.

“Jonathan, when exactly did you stop loving me?”

“Was it a year ago? Or the very first time you saw Cassie?”

The photo had yellowed with age, its corners curling up.

Dad’s expression was stiff, and Mom had her lips pressed together in a shy smile.

But in the photographs Dad took with Cassie, both of them smiled brightly.

Dad froze for a second, then laughed.

“That’s what you’re upset about? If you want new photos, let’s go take some right now.”

“Cassie’s young, but she’s smart—someone with her talent deserves a future.”

“Marrying her was just meant to help her. It’s just a piece of paper.”

“If it bothers you, I’ll divorce her right away.”

I tugged on Mom’s sleeve and asked, “Is that why I can’t go to school?”

Dad’s body stiffened instantly. Embarrassment flashed across his face.

I should have started school a long time ago.

But every time Mom tried to enroll me, the staff at Sunnyvale Elementary said I didn’t qualify.

Mom had run around for months trying to figure it out. She even wore through two pairs of shoes.

After calling in every favor she could, all she got was one vague answer.

“Your husband’s information might be wrong. You should look into that first.”

Mom had assumed it was because Dad worked at a government contractor facility, which made things complicated.

But now we finally understood. The man who was supposed to be my father, wasn’t.

I was a child without official household registration, with no formal documents on file.

Mom quietly pulled me into her arms without saying a word.

Dad cleared his throat and softened his tone.

“Once Cassie gets her professional certification, I’ll divorce her.”

“Then we’ll send Olivia to the best school in town. Just wait a little longer, okay?”

Mom pulled away from him and met his eyes.

“You never had feelings for Cassie? You were just helping her?”

Dad nodded right away and pulled us both into a tight hug.

“Trust me. The only people in my heart are you and Olivia.”

I wrinkled my nose and glared at him while covering it with my hand.

The scent on his shoulder was Cassie’s hand cream.

Just then, Cassie appeared in the doorway in a floral dress, biting her lip, her eyes red and brimming with tears.

“Jonathan… I’m pregnant.”