Chapter 8 Biological Mother
ANNA'S POV
“That’s what I want us to talk about,” I said, my voice coming out low, almost trembling, but I kept my chin up.
“Did you bring this lady here to beg me to let you in?” My mother asked sharply, her words slicing through the air. “If that’s what you’re thinking, it’s not going to happen.” Her tone carried the same venom I’d grown up hearing, that sharp, cold voice that could make anyone feel small in an instant.
“Mom, please, just listen to me for once. This is way past any issues we have right now.” I said, clenching my fists tightly at my sides.
“I see you can’t take no for an answer,” Bella said, stepping forward, her arms folded across her chest. “Mom said not to set foot here ever again.”
I turned my head slowly toward her, my lips pressing together. Of course, she had to speak. She always did.
Before I could reply, the woman beside me spoke, her voice calm but edged with something strong. “How can you two say something like this?” she asked. “She came to you, saying she has something important to discuss, and you treat her like trash?”
Her words carried a sting, and even I felt the air tighten between us.
“How dare you interfere in all this?” my mother snapped, her eyes narrowing dangerously. “You have no right to stand there and talk to me about how I treat my daughter!”
The woman gave a small scoff, almost a laugh, her chin raising slightly. “And you have no right to call her your daughter,” she shot back. “You don’t treat her like one. On our way here, I thought the woman who raised my daughter would be kind and responsible, but from what I’ve seen so far, I know for a fact that I was completely wrong.”
The word daughter rolled off her tongue again, and this time it made my mother pause.
“Daughter?” my mother repeated, her expression shifting. For a moment, her eyes softened, confusion flickering across her face.
It was the same confused look I had the first time this woman said it to me.
“Mom, that’s what I wanted to talk to you about,” I said quickly, pointing a trembling finger toward the woman beside me. “She claims I’m her daughter. I need you to tell her she’s wrong, to tell her that I’m your daughter, no matter the differences we have.”
I waited. I waited for her to laugh, to call this woman crazy, to tell me that nothing could change the truth. But instead, she stayed quiet. Her lips pressed together, her eyes darting away.
“Mom, didn’t you hear what I just said?”
“I heard what you said clearly!” my mom snapped, her tone sharp and defensive.
“Then why aren’t you saying anything to her?” I asked, my voice rising with every word. “Why won’t you tell her she’s wrong?”
“Well, because I don’t have anything to say to the both of you,” she said flatly.
My chest tightened. “Mom…” My voice shook. “H-how can you be saying this?” I stepped forward, my hands slightly raised, my mind spinning. My heart was pounding so fast I could barely breathe.
“Is what she’s saying true?” I asked, the words almost breaking as they came out. “You’re my biological mother, right?”
My mother let out a long sigh, the kind that carried years of things unsaid. Her face was unreadable when she finally spoke. “No, I’m not.”
The words hit me like a blow to the stomach. My eyes widened, my lips parting as I stared at her, frozen in disbelief. My lungs felt like they were collapsing from the inside, my knees trembling. I heard the words echo again in my head — No, I’m not.
“What?” I whispered, my voice so small it barely made a sound. “What did you just say?”
“You heard her,” Bella cut in before my mother could speak again. “You were never part of this family. You’ve just been a burden, one we’ve had to take care of for years.”
Her voice was sharp, cruel, and it made my chest ache. I turned to look at my mom, waiting for her to scold Bella, to tell her she was wrong, to tell me something — anything that would undo what I was hearing.
But she didn’t. She didn’t say a word. She just stood there, her arms folded, her eyes cold. The same woman I had called mother all my life.
“I thought you’d have figured it out sooner,” she said finally, her tone cold and detached. “Why do you think you were cast out? Why do you think I favor Bella more than you? It’s because Bella is my biological daughter while you’re not. But at least now, you know.”
Her words felt like knives stabbing through me one after another. I couldn’t even form a proper thought. My mind went blank. I took a step back, the hallway spinning slightly around me. The people standing before me didn’t look like my family anymore, they looked like strangers.
All those years of wondering why she treated me differently, why I was never enough… now I know.
“I suggest you do a DNA test to confirm she’s your mother,” my mother said sharply, her tone controlled but firm. “Because clearly, you don’t even know who you are.”
I could barely breathe. I felt weak — so weak that I almost dropped to my knees right there. My vision blurred from the tears that refused to stop. I wanted to scream, to shout, to ask why but the words wouldn’t come out.
Then, softly, the woman beside me took out a napkin and wiped my tears away. Her hand was gentle, her touch warm.
“Come,” she said quietly. “Let’s go back now.”