Chapter 576
Chapter 576
Leah was the first to break the silence, "Got some time? Let's grab a seat and chat."
They made their way to a cozy café nearby.
Once they settled in, Ann was visibly on edge, while Leah felt a storm of emotions swirling inside her. It had been three decades since they'd last seen each other. Even when the truth about their daughters came out, they hadn't crossed paths.
Leah had recently watched Lisa and Ann interact on some surveillance footage. Listening to Ann's words had stirred a whirlwind of feelings in her. As Lisa's biological mom, she'd hit rock bottom with disappointment.
She'd lost count of the times she'd wished Lisa wasn't her daughter, even going so far as to secretly do another paternity test. Her feelings had morphed from guilt and heartache to disgust and frustration. She couldn't muster the kind of affection Ann had. Maybe, deep down, she believed that a parent's love was conditional-whether for Chloe or Lisa.
"How've you been all these years?" they both asked at almost the same time. But after the words left their lips, they both sat there, awkwardly caught in the moment.
Seeing Ann again, Leah felt a surprising softening of her old resentment. In the end, she realized, it wasn't fair to hate her. The drama between grown-ups shouldn't have dragged Ann into it.
Leah studied Ann. She looked like she'd aged twenty years more than Leah. Her face showed the wear of time, grey streaked her hair, and her skin was worn and dark, with lines around her eyes. It brought back memories of their school days. Ann had been the picture of youthful beauty, admired by many boys.
"What happened to you?" Leah blurted out.
Ann awkwardly touched her face, "This is just how it goes for ordinary folks, isn't it?"
They weren't really that old, not even fifty yet. But Ann looked sixty, while Leah, with her perfect makeup, elegant clothes, and tasteful jewelry, didn't have a wrinkle in sight, looking more like forty.
Ann's life had taken a turn because
of Leah. Ann had been a star
student, even the class rep. But
et
Leah's actions had forced her out of school before she even finished middle school. Otherwise, Ann's life might have been very different.
Their tangled history went back a generation. Back in school, Ann's mom had been Leah's tutor and close friend: But then, Ann's mom had an affair with Leah's dad, whichProperty belongs to Nôvel(D)r/ama.Org.
е
Pet
led to Deah's mom dying of heartbreak. Leah had been furious with Ann, believing she'd cozied up to her just to wreck her family.
Three months after her mom's death, her dad was set to marry Ann's mom. But a week before the wedding, they both died in a car crash. At that point, they'd already tied the knot legally. Ann was, in the eyes of the law, Leah's sister,
entitled to half of their dad's estate. But Leah, with her uncles help, shut Ann out completely, leaving her with nowhere to go in the city. Bullied and shamed at school, Ann chose to disappear.
Leah had no clue where Ann had gone. This meeting, thirty years later, was their first encounter since then.
Leah suddenly asked, "So, you blame me, and that's why you switched our daughters and let her life fall apart as payback?"