“I seriously suspect now that it was you who hid somewhere and tricked her away! You conspired with your father, engaging in such insane and despicable acts!”
“Cameron!” I looked at him in disbelief, my heart trembling in pain. But within that pain, there was a subtle undertone of resentment. Why did he slander me like this? Why! Just because I’m the daughter of a murderer, should I be condemned for life? I didn’t kill anyone, and I never deceived Anne. Why should all the blame fall on me?
“Cameron, you can choose not to eat, but don’t speak nonsense.” Carter, leaning on his crutch, descended the stairs. I walked over to assist him, and he looked at me, gently wiping away my tears.
“Laura is Laura, and her father is her father. Don’t confuse the two.” Carter’s voice was deep and steady, providing me with a sense of endless security.
“Are you protecting her?” Cameron turned around, slowly pacing toward Carter, sneering. “Well, she is your wife! But Carter, do you know what your wife has been up to behind your back?”
“Cameron! Don’t go too far… I’ll let bygones be bygones. Laura has said that she wants to live a good life with me in the future. Don’t bother her anymore!”
Cameron revealed a sinister smile. “A woman like Laura can’t live without a man! Carter, even if it’s not me, there will be someone else…”
“Shut up!” I screamed.
I couldn’t take it anymore and rushed to Cameron, lifting my hand to slap him hard. Carter quickly pulled me behind him.
“Cameron, you’re my brother, and Laura is my wife. I hope you can show her some basic respect,” his voice low, “After all… we are still family.”
I had never seen Carter like this before. In the over ten years I knew him, he was just a person who could only sit in a wheelchair due to illness. He never spoke loudly, respected his parents, and was friendly to his brothers. Even when his memories were restored, and he found out about my affair with Cameron, he was just emotionally unstable for a while.
But now, he was standing tall, shielding me in front of Cameron…
I felt deeply touched, but there was a subtle sense of unease stirring in my subconscious. I didn’t know why…
Cameron’s expression changed, lips tightly pressed, sharp eyes scanning between me and Carter. We confronted each other for a long time.
“We are family?” Cameron said coldly, “Don’t you find it ironic?”
“You probably forgot about Anne long ago… forgot how she died, forgot her suffering! That’s why you treasure this wretched woman, Laura!”
“I told you, these are two separate matters!”
“In my eyes, it’s the same!” Cameron roared. “Carter, ask yourself, when did you ever treat us as family? You don’t have to pretend anymore. Continuing to pretend like this is exhausting, even for me.”
After saying this, Cameron walked out, and soon the sound of his car engine starting echoed.
I stood there in shock. It was the first time I heard Cameron say such things in the fifteen years I’d been with The Lynch Family.
What was their relationship? Weren’t they a family? What were they pretending?
Carter gently took my hand and smiled, “Come, let’s have breakfast together.”
Originally, it was a breakfast I prepared for the whole family, but now only Carter and I sat at the dining table. Cameron left, and Ethan came downstairs, glanced coldly, and also left.
I sat there in a daze, unable to eat a single bite. Carter smiled at me, “First, let’s eat. Don’t care about outsiders.”
Outsiders?!
Are the people in this house considered ‘outsiders’ to him?
I looked at him, utterly puzzled. He seemed to sense my thoughts, and spoke softly after a long silence, “Laura, how many years have you been here?”
“Fifteen years,” I replied.
“Fifteen years…” he pondered, “For so long, you haven’t discovered the secrets in this house.”
“Are there secrets in this house?”
“There are plenty of secrets in this house,” he looked at me seriously, “Everyone has secrets, everyone wears a mask in their lives. If Cameron hadn’t let it slip today, you probably wouldn’t have known… We’re not full brothers…”
I widened my eyes, covering my mouth in shock.
“We have the same father, but different mothers,” he said frankly.
“How could…” This revelation was too overwhelming for me.
Carter calmly explained everything to me. He and Stella were not biologically related; Cameron and Anne were Stella’s biological children, but he was not. From a young age, Carter felt the experience of being an outsider, but thanks to his biological father and being the eldest son, he received enough respect from the family.
However, now, due to Anne’s death and my involvement, they had completely fallen out.
“This is not your fault, Laura,” Carter held my hand. “Even without you, we would have ended up like this sooner or later. After all, we are not born of the same mother. In some families, even biological brothers can fight, let alone someone like me and Cameron.”
I suddenly had a strange thought. Perhaps Cameron’s forceful actions towards me were not driven by any feelings he had for me, as I initially believed. It might be just to embarrass Carter. If his brother’s wife were someone else, he would still do the same things, just to humiliate Carter.
A chill ran down my spine, and cold sweat dripped down. My heart felt like it was stabbed by numerous knives, each breath painful.
Everything was an illusion. Cameron’s tenderness, his passion, his warm kisses, and his kindness were all fake. The only things that were real were the mockery and humiliation.
I felt a heartbreaking despair…
During that period, the balance in my heart leaned more towards Carter. I’ve also made up my mind that once this is all over, Carter and I will pick a day to get our marriage license. Then we’ll go to the hospital to continue with IVF treatment and have our own child.
I discussed this with Carter, and he couldn’t contain his joy, grabbing my hand and repeatedly saying thank you.
“Thank you for what?” I smiled helplessly. “Aren’t you angry with me? By doing this, you’re completely standing against them…”
“It doesn’t matter,” he looked at me. “What matters is that I stand by your side.”
“Carter…”
“Can we forget all the unpleasantness from the past?”
“It’s all my fault,” I couldn’t hold back the tears. “I shouldn’t have gotten close to Cameron. I hurt you and myself.”
Carter gently embraced me, and I cautiously felt his warmth, moved but also filled with more unease.
His wife cheated on him, and this man didn’t blame me. Instead, he forgave me with such magnanimity. It was truly perplexing. Despite my suspicions, I was still willing to believe that Carter was inherently a kind person.
…
I’m still working at the television station.
I initially thought that after such an incident, Cameron would surely use his connections to kick me out of the television station. However, everything remained calm on that front. When I went to work as if nothing had happened, my colleagues didn’t treat me differently, and it seemed like nothing had occurred.
Holly only complained to me, “What have you been doing during this time? Taking such a long leave, and I’ve been handling all the work alone. I’m almost exhausted!”
I apologized with a smile and took the copy she handed me. During this period, I had been recovering from my injuries, and, of course, I couldn’t tell her the truth.
Holly whispered to me, “The chief editor has some strange ideas lately. They want a new theme, something about bizarre stories. The story needs to be serialized and broadcast on the late-night radio program… Isn’t it ridiculous?”
“Shh…” I quickly gestured to her.
We exchanged glances, understanding each other without speaking. The head of the late-night radio program team and the undisclosed affairs with our chief editor have long been an open secret throughout the entire television station. However, the late-night radio program had extremely low listenership, so our chief editor came up with this idea.
I joked, “How touching it is!”
Holly widened her eyes, “A married man and a married woman, so boldly challenging our moral bottom line!”
My heart tightened, her words felt like a whip lashing across my face.
“Forget it…” I dismissed it, “Digging up some bizarre stories might broaden our horizons. It could be beneficial!”
“It’s not that easy… Come on, I’ll treat you to a cup of coffee!” Holly grabbed her purse.
In the café, she told me a lot, such as some hidden rules in the workplace. It was my first time realizing the gap between ideals and reality, much like the distance between Cameron and me.
I smiled, lifted the coffee, took a sip, the bitter taste permeating my palate uncomfortably.
“I heard you’re getting quite close to The Lynch Family?” Holly suddenly leaned in and asked me.