Chapter 181

Morgan's POV

Alexander watched as my face contorted in pain. His expression shifted from concern to genuine worry in a matter of seconds. I could feel my control slipping, the migraine splitting my skull open like an axe through wood. The truth about my mother clawed at my insides, threatening to tear me apart.

His hand moved from my wrist to my shoulder, applying gentle pressure to steady me. The gesture was achingly familiar, a remnant of a time when his touch brought comfort rather than pain.

"Do you need to sit down?" he asked, his voice low and sincere.

I shook my head slightly, refusing to show any form of weakness in front of these people. The Montgomery mansion's walls seemed to close in around me, the opulent surroundings a mockery of the darkness they concealed. Robert stood frozen, Nathan glared with suspicion, and Olivia huddled in the corner, her eyes wide with fear.

The piercing sound of my phone ringing cut through the silence, jarring me back to the present. I tried to reach for it, but my body refused to cooperate. My fingers felt numb, disconnected from my commands.

Alexander's eyes darkened. Without hesitation, he reached into my bag and retrieved my phone. His thumb hovered over the screen, ready to decline the call.

"It's Lilith," he said, silencing the ringtone. "We can call her back later, okay?" His tone was gentle but firm, clearly wanting to remove me from this situation before I completely lost control.

I blinked, struggling to breathe. My eyes locked on the screen, and through the fog of pain, I recognized it wasn't Lilith calling. My fingernails dug into Alexander's arm, signaling him to wait.

It was Emma.

Alexander hesitated, noticing my change in demeanor. After a moment of internal debate, he relented and answered the call, holding the phone to my ear.

"...Mommy!" Emma's excited voice burst through the speaker. "Mommy, it went through!"

I took a deep breath, feeling the crushing weight on my chest ease slightly. "Emma!" I called out, my voice finding strength I didn't know I still possessed.

It was as if her voice had recharged something within me. I took the phone from Alexander with newfound steadiness, a small, genuine smile breaking through my pain. "What is it, sweet pea? Were you looking for Mommy?" My tone transformed completely, soft and loving in a way no one in this room had heard from me in years.

"No," Emma replied with her characteristic directness. "Mommy's busy, so I want you!"

I laughed, the sound strange to my own ears after the emotional hell of the past hour. "Oh, then I'll be right there!" I turned slightly away from the others, shielding Emma's innocent voice from the toxicity in this room.

As I spoke to Emma, my mind began to clear. The migraine's grip loosened just enough for me to think rationally again. I glanced around the room, seeing these people with fresh clarity.

Catherine killed my mother out of jealousy and spite. And her daughter, Olivia, who had the same capacity for lies and manipulation—who had taken my child from me and nearly destroyed my life.

Like mother, like daughter.

The realization hit me with perfect clarity. They were cut from the same cloth—a family of vipers who destroyed everything they touched. Catherine's deception had devastated my mother, just as Olivia's schemes had devastated me.

My mother had an affair with Robert, I thought, the knowledge still bitter. But that didn't give Catherine the right to murder her. Just as my marriage to Alexander didn't give Olivia the right to destroy me.

I finished my conversation with Emma, promising to see her soon, and ended the call. The room remained silent, everyone watching me cautiously, as if I were a bomb that might detonate at any moment.

I straightened my shoulders and met their gazes one by one. The emotional hurricane that had threatened to consume me minutes ago had transformed into something colder, more focused. My revenge plans hadn't changed—they'd simply been refined.

"I'll find Catherine, of course, but that's for later..." I said with a devil's smile playing on my lips. "Right now, I want my mother's necklace."

The room temperature seemed to drop several degrees. Robert's face paled, while Nathan looked confused. Only Olivia maintained her composure, her eyes filling with manufactured pity.

"What's happened to you, sister?" Olivia asked, her voice dripping with false concern. She took a tentative step toward me. "Have you seen a doctor about these episodes? This isn't something to ignore. If you need help—"

"Not from you!" I snapped, cutting her off. The migraine lingered at the edges of my consciousness, but Emma's call had given me the strength to push through it. "Can you stop with the performance? Don't you know when your true face has been exposed, you should quit the act?"

Olivia retreated, her expression flickering between fear and calculation. She glanced at her father, seeking direction.

Robert cleared his throat, straightening his shoulders as he regained some of his usual authority. "Morgan, we can't just hand over the necklace. It's extremely valuable, and—"

"That necklace is MINE!" I snarled, my voice echoing against the marble floors.

Robert maintained his calm, reasonable tone, though his eyes revealed darker intentions. "The necklace belongs to the Wallace family. You can have it when you acknowledge your heritage... but until then, we have a responsibility to keep it safe until someone from the Wallace family comes to claim it."

I froze, suddenly understanding his game. He was deliberately using the Wallace name, trying to trigger the mental breakdown he'd witnessed moments ago. If Emma hadn't called—if her innocent voice hadn't pulled me back from the edge—his tactic might have worked.

The cruelty of it shocked me. Even now, they couldn't simply return a memento of my mother. They had to use it as a weapon, another way to break me. What was the point? They couldn't sell it or wear it themselves without raising questions.

Olivia caught her father's cue and stepped forward, her voice hardening. "Without that name, you're nothing," she commanded, pointing toward the door. "Now get out of our house!"

I let out a cold laugh, holding up my phone with a slight shake. "Everything you've said today is recorded. I hope you won't claim the necklace was stolen when the Wallaces come looking for it."

Olivia's finger trembled as she pointed again at the door. "GET OUT!" She nudged Nathan, clearly expecting him to escort me out, but he remained motionless, his eyes vacant as they darted between his father and sister.

I smiled at Nathan's lost expression as I turned to leave. "Don't say I didn't warn you."

I stopped at the doorway, looking back at Robert one last time. "Enjoy your days ahead, Mr. Montgomery... if you have any left."