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Giselle hesitated for a moment, then stepped aside and let them in. She sat beside her husband and said in a cold voice, “Say what you need to.”
Rosie could feel the weight of the tension in the room. Had Giselle and Shepard been arguing before she arrived?
She swallowed her nerves and forced herself to speak. “Mom, Dad, I was wrong earlier.”
Giselle glared at her and snapped, “You’re not our daughter. No need to apologize to us.”
Rosie’s heart ached with disappointment. The very thing she had feared had come true-now that their biological daughter had returned, Giselle and Shepard no longer saw her as part of the family. She felt like an outsider in the Harper household.
Her eyes brimmed with tears, but she bit her lip, determined not to let them fall. A wave of hatred for Brenna surged within her. She was also sad and believed that neither Giselle nor Shepard had ever truly cared for her.
“Mom, Dad…” Her voice wavered. If they no longer wanted her to call them that, she would never forgive them. As for Brenna-she would make sure she never truly became part of the Harper family, no matter what it took.
If they could be ruthless to her, so could she.
Giselle’s face remained cold, while Shepard continued reading his newspaper, ignoring Rosie as if she hadn’t spoken at all.
The couple’s firm stance unsettled Ernst, who had been watching the exchange closely.
Dropping to her knees, Rosie broke down in tears. “Mom, Dad, please. I wasn’t trying to hurt Brenna-I only spoke the truth. How is that wrong?” she said.
Giselle turned her head away, refusing to acknowledge Rosie. She had long seen through her manipulations, realizing that her every action, every word, was meant to drive Brenna away.
Rosie’s eyes darted to Ernst, silently pleading for support.
Perplexed by his parents’ indifference, Ernst quickly tried to pull Rosie up. “Rosie, don’t do this. Stand up.”
Rosie’s sobs grew louder. “Not until Mom and Dad forgive me!” Frustrated, Ernst said in an angry voice, “Forgive you for what? You didn’t do anything wrong. Now get up.”
Giselle glared at her son, bewildered at his foolishness.
Already impatient, Shepard jabbed a finger toward the door, his voice furious. “Enough! Both of you-get out!” Giselle remained silent.
Rosie covered her face and ran out of the room, her sobs echoing down the hall.
Fuming, Ernst turned to his parents and said, “How can you do this? Rosie has called you Mom and Dad for over twenty years, and now, you’re casting her aside for an outsider? Do you know how much this will hurt her?”
Without warning, Shepard struck Ernst across the face. He exclaimed, “You call my own daughter an outsider? What’s wrong with me caring for my own flesh and blood? Do you think I need you to tell me how to treat my daughter?”
Ernst held his cheek, stunned. His father hadn’t hit him since he was twenty, but today, because of Brenna, he did. He turned back slowly, his eyes cold and contemptuous. “If Brenna were really my sister, I’d treat her well. But I don’t believe that’s the case-I think she’s only here to take advantage of us as a fraud. I get that you miss your daughter and feel guilty, but that only matters if she’s really your daughter.”
Giselle barked, “She is my daughter! Do you think we didn’t thoroughly investigate before finding her? Do you think we’d let just anyone walk into this family and fool us?”
Shepard jabbed a finger toward the door. “Go and apologize to your sister.”
Ernst folded his arms and replied, “Not until a DNA test confirms she’s actually my sister. I’m not going to apologize to a stranger or accept her as family.”
With that, he turned and left the room.
Giselle, seething, turned to her husband. “Unbelievable. How could he act this way toward his own sister? He has completely lost his mind. He doesn’t even recognize who his real sister is.”
Shepard’s expression darkened. “This is my fault. I was too softhearted back then and allowed Rosie to call us Mom and Dad, even though she wasn’t our daughter. Now, we’re paying the price.”
Giselle sighed. “I know… I just worry that Rosie won’t understand us. She might think we don’t love her anymore. What if she resents us for this?”
Shepard waved his hand dismissively. “Then let her. I won’t let our real daughter suffer because of her. Still, no matter what happens, I’ll always take care of her-as her uncle.”
Giselle gave a solemn nod. “Exactly. We can’t let our real daughter be mistreated. Rosie deliberately targeted our daughter today-we have to protect our daughter. Brenna has already endured so much hardship out there. She shouldn’t have to suffer in her own home, too.”
The moment Rosie stepped into her room, her tears stopped. She grabbed a tissue and wiped her face. The sorrow on her face vanished, replaced by a cold, calculating expression.
Rachael entered, balancing a plate of neatly sliced fruit. She blinked in concern as she took in Rosie’s red eyes. “Miss Harper, eat some fruit,” she said softly.
Rosie sat motionless, lost in thought.
Rachael set the plate down gently and spoke cautiously. “I heard what you said to Mrs. Harper. You’re pushing them to turn against their own daughter. That’s not the way to handle this.”
Rosie glanced up, surprised by Rachael’s words. “Then tell me-what should I do? I’m not lying. Without a DNA test, we have no way of proving Brenna belongs to this family. So what’s wrong with me doubting her identity?”
In the morning, Brenna came down the stairs with her backpack. Rosie and Ernst were at the table, already done with breakfast. They seemed deep in conversation but went silent the moment they saw her. Brenna only cast them a brief glance, then headed to the kitchen and poured herself a cup of coffee.
“I’ve already arranged everything with the hospital. We’re going now to check if you’ve had any cosmetic surgery,” Rosie said to Brenna firmly, leaving no room for argument.
Brenna took a slow sip of the coffee. The coffee was too bitter. Ignoring Rosie’s words, she set the cup down and gestured for the servant to bring some sugar.
“Did you hear me? I already made an appointment with the hospital. A friend of mine is a plastic surgeon, and he’ll check you,” Rosie said, clearly annoyed.
Seeing Brenna’s indifference, Ernst frowned. He said to Brenna, “What’s with that attitude? Rosie’s just trying to help. How can you just ignore her? That is so rude.”
A smug look crossed Rosie’s face. She was confident Ernst would take her side. He always did. She believed the thought that she was setting Brenna up never even crossed his mind.
To Ernst, she was the perfect sister-sweet, clever, and gentle. She had always been kind in his eyes.
Brenna, on the other hand, was everything Rosie wasn’t in Ernst’s eyes. She was vain, materialistic, and manipulative. Unreasonable, even. Rosie watched Brenna with a triumphant look. She waited, believing Brenna would have to agree to go.
“She’s trying to help?” Brenna scoffed. “You really think she is helping me? If I go, the hospital will definitely say I’ve had plastic surgery.” She wasn’t stupid. Rosie had set a trap, and she was just waiting for her to walk right into it.