Chapter 154: Not For My Sake

“Do you know how selfish you are? How cruel you are?” I let out a heavy sigh, then turned to stare blankly at the wall in front of me. “When I was little, when I ran and fell until my knees were bleeding, were you there to hold me? When other kids mocked me and made me cry, were you there to comfort me? Is that what you call the best for me?”

“Frel—”

“Did you ever, before throwing me away, think about my fate without your presence? Did you ever think about how I felt every time I saw parents walking with their children? Did you ever know how jealous I was every time I saw other parents’ affection for their kids?”

I kept talking without intending to look at her.

I closed my eyes, which were starting to feel hot. The warmth of tears still managed to seep out from between my lashes.

“But I always watched over you, Frel. Mom never left you. I hired people to always give me news about you. I—”

I cut her off with a sharp stare.

“Alright, Mom admits she was wrong. But at least, Mom didn’t completely abandon her responsibility. In fact, every month Mom always sent money for your needs.”

“Money, money, and money! Keep looking for excuses, ma’am!” I snapped quickly, my voice starting to rise. “Is money all that’s in your mind? Do you think money can replace all the time wasted with your children?”

My gaze suddenly fell on a small book that had fallen from the top of the sideboard in the living room. I narrowed my eyes, and instantly realized that it was the savings book Grandpa had shown me earlier that afternoon.

With firm steps, I moved forward and quickly picked it up. “Is this the money you mean?” I asked sharply while throwing the book onto the table in front of Claretta. “Open that savings book and count it. Check if there’s still any shortage from the money you sent.”

“What do you mean, Frel? I don’t understand,” she replied in a trembling voice.

Even though confusion was etched on her face, she still reached for the savings book. She opened page after page slowly, though I caught hesitation in her hand movements.

Claretta’s eyes widened. “So, they—”

“Yes. Grandma and Grandpa never took a single cent of your money all this time. They chose to spend their own money to meet our needs rather than take money that was not their right.”

Mentioning Grandpa and Grandma made my tears fall again. My body reflexively collapsed weakly onto the sofa.

“By saving the money you sent, they thought they could someday help pay for my college. They never thought about whether I was willing to accept that money or not.” I let out a heavy sigh, feeling the tightness choking my throat. “Now they’re gone. Gone, leaving me forever.”

I clenched my fists tightly at my sides. My emotions surged to the surface. “And you know, ma’am, all of that happened because of the money you sent!”

The woman stared in shock, her lips trembling. “How could that be?”

I wiped my tears roughly. “Do you think after Grandpa and Grandma told me everything about that money, I would feel happy and accept it? Do you think with the amount you gave, I would be tempted and immediately forgive you? Don’t even hope for it, ma’am.”

I stood up and glared sharply at the woman in front of me. “Because of your money, I had to fight with Grandpa and Grandma. Because of your money, I ran away from home until they went looking for me, and in the end, they had this accident.”

“Oh God, how did it become like this.” Claretta lowered her head and covered her face. “Forgive Mom, Frel, forgive Mom. I never thought it would turn out like this.” She sobbed. “I did this for you. For us, Frel.”

“No!” I replied instantly. “Not for me, ma’am, but for yourself. You heartlessly left Abel and Reno at that orphanage also for your own interests. You threw me away at someone else’s doorstep also only for yourself. Even Reno, whom you called someone else’s child, who was that for? For yourself. All of it was only for you and your reputation.”

“No. I’m not that cruel. About Reno, I was forced to say that because I was already bound by a contract with the magazine. I couldn’t violate a single condition of that agreement.”

“Contract? Agreement?” I laughed bitterly through my tears. “So it turns out those papers are far more valuable than your own flesh and blood.”

Claretta’s face looked panicked. “Please, Frel, don’t hate me even more because of this.”

“See, it’s always your career that comes first. All of us mean nothing to you. How miserable our fate is as your children. Especially,” I paused for a moment, holding back the tightness pressing on my chest, “maybe I am the only child from your affair. A child who doesn’t have a father from a legitimate marriage.”

That last sentence felt like it pierced my own heart. I struggled desperately to keep my tears from falling again.

Claretta suddenly stood up. “I beg you, don’t talk like that.” She pleaded while clasping her hands together. “I love you all. You are my child, a child born out of love.”

“Lies!” I stepped back as the woman tried to approach. “The reality is, you are a homewrecker. You stole Mrs. Viona’s husband.”

She covered her mouth while shaking her head hard. “That’s not true, Frel. It was Viona who took Aditya from me.”

“Don’t twist the facts, ma’am. Admit it if you were wrong. Admit that you were the one who seduced Mr. Aditya.”

“No. No!” I gasped when she suddenly shouted and grabbed her hair roughly. “Viona was the one who took Aditya from me. She pretended to be nice in front of me,” she said frantically.

A few seconds later, she sat back down with her body trembling violently. “They conspired to separate me from him. They were the ones who ruined our happiness. They took everything away, Frel.”

They? Who did she mean? I was sure she was just making up stories.

“Enough of the drama! I’m sick of hearing your lies!” I shouted. “I won’t believe anything you say. So you’d better leave now!”

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