Chapter 72 What Do You Mean Your Father?
Her voice grew louder, filled with years of bottled-up anger and frustration.
"And our father," Vanessa continued, her eyes burning, "never intended to give me anything. Not a single thing. Because I wasn’t his real daughter. Everything he had, his money, his properties, his legacy, he kept for you."
Rebecca’s heart sank as she listened. “But that's not true. Didn't he specifically give you your own share in the company? Weren't you the person everything would've gone to if I hadn't gotten married?” Rebecca asked weakly and before she knew it, a slap landed on her face.
"Shut up!" Vanessa said, angrily. “You think I don't know his plan? Do you think I didn’t know that the only reason he even put that stupid marriage proposal in the will," Vanessa went on, "was because he knew you’d eventually get married before me? You were already engaged to Liam. It was all planned for you. Everything was always planned for you."
Rebecca swallowed hard. "I didn’t know… I swear, I didn’t."
Vanessa laughed bitterly. "Of course you didn’t. You were too busy being loved, too busy enjoying the attention and pampering."
She turned away briefly, her voice trembling despite her anger.
"Even when he treated me nicely," she continued, "I knew it was only because of my mother. Deep down, I knew he never liked me. Never wanted me."
Rebecca’s eyes filled with tears. "Vanessa, I never wanted any of that attention and love from your mother. I never knew you'd hold a grudge because your mother was treating me nicely. I never knew you'd think the love my father showed you was all fake. But what about mine? I never faked my love. I considered you a sister but you stabbed me in the back! You're so evil!"
Vanessa spun around suddenly, looking at Rebecca in amusement. Rebecca frowned in confusion when Vanessa suddenly burst in laughter.
“I’m evil? Of course I am because you made me so, you fool!” she yelled.
“Me? How?”
Vanessa laughed, even though the laugh did not reach her eyes. "It happened in high school," she said softly. "The only person I ever loved… the only boy who ever made me feel seen… he just suddenly decided to ask you out and that's because you seduced him!"
Rebecca’s eyes widened. "What boy?"
“Oh stop playing dumb, Becca. You know exactly who I'm talking about. How could you forget the boy I caught you making out with in the restroom?” Vanessa asked in disgust.
“What? Raymond?” Rebecca asked in confusion, wondering why Vanessa was holding a grudge over that when she'd herself told Vanessa how Raymond has been a flirt and tried getting into her pants when he had a girlfriend.
“Yes, Raymond! He loved me. He cared for me. He made me happy but you just had to go seduce him!” Vanessa yelled, tears beginning to blur her vision.
“Vanessa, I didn’t know you liked him.. besides, I told you he was a cheat....”
"Yet, you accepted him! You had no right to tell me what he was or was not!" Vanessa screamed.
"I didn’t know until I got together with him," Rebecca cried. "Besides, if I had known you wanted him, I would never..."
The slap came fast, sharp and loud.
Rebecca’s head snapped to the side, pain exploding across her face. She cried out as fresh blood trickled from her lip, but she barely noticed it.
The pain inside her chest was worse.
"You lie," Vanessa screamed. "You always lie."
They went back and forth, Vanessa accusing, Rebecca defending herself weakly, tears streaming freely down her face. Rebecca’s body trembled, not just from fear, but from exhaustion and pain.
Then suddenly, a sharp cramp twisted violently in Rebecca’s lower stomach.
She screamed.
Her hands flew to her belly as another wave of pain hit her, stronger than before.
"No… no, please," she cried, curling forward. "My stomach my baby."
Her breathing became frantic. Her body shook uncontrollably as fear took over.
"Please" she begged, sobbing openly now. "Take me to the hospital. Please, Vanessa. I’m begging you. My baby please. We can continue all these after I'm sure I'm not losing my baby, please."
Vanessa stopped moving. She looked at Rebecca slowly, her expression unreadable.
"Your baby?" she repeated, a humorless laughter escaping her lips.
Rebecca nodded desperately. "Please… you know I’m pregnant. Please, just take me to the hospital or maybe get a doctor here. I won't try to——"
"Who is the father?" She asked, cutting Rebecca off. Vanessa stepped closer, her eyes narrowing.
Rebecca froze at the question.
"Tell me," Vanessa said calmly. "Only then will I decide whether you live or die." She added.
Since they had established the fact that Liam is not responsible, she wanted to know who was. She wanted leverage. She wanted to know who, Rebecca the most responsible girl, had cheated on Liam with.
Rebecca shook her head weakly. "I can’t. I won’t."
Vanessa’s lips curved into a cold smile. "Even if it means you die?"
Rebecca swallowed, tears falling freely. "Even then, I still won't say a word to you."
Vanessa straightened.
"Suit yourself then," she said coldly. "You’re going to die anyway. Only then can I and my father own everything that belonged to your father."
Rebecca’s eyes widened, her breath catching painfully in her throat.
“Your… your father?” she whispered again, her voice barely louder than the silence around them. “What do you mean your father?”