Chapter 372 She Is Not My Daughter
On the flip side, after Eleanor pulled her son and husband indoors, she remarked, “Benjamin, I will not let you harm her. If you touch even a strand of hair on her head, I will shoot myself before you.”
Benjamin studied his wife with narrowed eyes. “Eleanor, am I really as cruel as what you make me out to be?”
“Am I wrong?” she cried shrilly. “Our daughter went missing at so young an age back then. Not only did you not call the police, but you also forbade anyone from talking about her. It still haunts me as though it happened last night. How could you possibly imagine that I would think of you as a good man?”
Benjamin clenched his fists at her unexpected insolence.
Clearing his throat, Sean tried, “Mom, please calm yourself. Dad is only worried about your health and that you might be swindled. Your only children are Amelia and me, remember? I have never heard of a missing sister.”
The elder woman glared at Sean. “Are you trying to insinuate that I’m insane, Sean? That I’m hallucinating, perhaps? Maybe this missing sister of yours is a figment of my imagination, isn’t it?”
Hearing that, Sean sighed. “That’s not what I meant, Mom. I just wanted you to calm down. You’re too uptight. I’m just afraid that your illness would act up again. Dad and I are worried about your health, that’s all.”
“Enough!” Eleanor lost her temper. Puffing her bosom out in a rage, she took her frustration out on her son. “She’s your sister too, Sean. I will not permit you to speak about her like that. I will really be furious if you do.”
Sean pouted sulkily, but fell silent.
Benjamin did his best to remain patient. “Eleanor, calm yourself. I have seen the girl, and I must admit that she bears an uncanny resemblance to you. However, the world is a big place. Having doppelgangers is not as rare as it sounds. We can have it verified through a DNA test if you suspect that she’s our daughter. We’ll see what the test says before taking any further action.”
Eleanor glared at her husband with scathing disbelief. After being married to him for decades, she was familiar with his tactics of delay. Besides, no one knew how much her husband disliked their eldest daughter better than her.
“Benjamin, I am not doing a DNA test,” she said flatly before changing tacts and adopting a more cooperative tone. “The young lady you met earlier was not our daughter, I promise you. Amelia and I are just here in Beshya for a vacation. I will return to Saspiuburg with you. Just leave the girl alone. She’s innocent.” Knowing Benjamin, he is going to make things difficult and cause the girl that I have sought after with so much difficulty to slip through my fingers again. Being subservient to him is my only chance.
Regarding the matter of having Amelia be reunited with the family, Benjamin would never allow it, even if she were to threaten him with her life. In some ways, Benjamin can be so much crueler than I could ever imagine him to be.
To her surprise, Benjamin collected himself and sat on the couch with both hands on his thighs. “There’s no rush for that, Eleanor. I will be here with you to keep you company until you are ready to depart, then we’ll return to Saspiuburg together. Amelia told me that the young lady next door has been good to her. She even treats our daughter like her own sister. Imagine that! I would like to pay her a visit. I had Sean prepare some gifts that these younger folks would like.”
Upon hearing his words, Eleanor looked positively alarmed at that. “What are you planning on doing, Benjamin?” she cried. “I’ve already told you she’s not our daughter! I said I’m willing to return with you. What else do you want from me? Will you not rest until you see me safely within the walls of an asylum?”
Gazing at his wife placidly, Benjamin uttered, “What is it that you’re afraid of, Eleanor? If she really is our daughter, do you think I would be wicked enough to harm her?”
Eleanor drew deep, calming breaths before speaking.
“Let’s have a private chat, Benjamin,” Eleanor stated curtly, pointing at the door.
“Fine.”
With that, the couple entered the study. Eleanor shut the door before sitting down on the couch, arms crossed in front of her in a defensive pose.
“Benjamin, do not harm that innocent girl. I will return to Saspiuburg with you.”
“I think you are mistaken, Eleanor. I have no intention of doing such a thing. I would just like to see the girl who you’ve grown so fond of and find out how it is possible for her to uncover a twenty-year-old family secret and use it to gain your trust.” Benjamin’s voice dripped with malice.
“Leave her alone, Benjamin. I’m begging you.”
“She has no relations to me whatsoever. Why would I harm her? It’s illogical.”
Eleanor’s eyes grew red again. She half-kneeled in front of her husband and gazed up at him. “We’ve been married for so many years, Benjamin,” she whispered. “If you’ve ever loved me, leave that girl alone. She had disappeared because of our negligence. After two decades of suffering, she finally managed to build a home of her own. I will promise you I’ll never tell her the truth, but please, allow me to visit her every now and then. That is the only thing I will ask for from you ever again. I’m afraid I might not survive it if you tear me away from her again.”
Staring down at her, the elder man sneered. “This is the first time after her disappearance that you have spoken to me with such gentleness. I think it’s ironic that you are appealing to my love as your husband on behalf of that bastard daughter of yours. Somehow, your begging doesn’t make me feel as good as it should.”
Eleanor’s face turned deathly white.
“What do you mean, Benjamin?”
“Isn’t the girl a product of an affair you had? Did you know that her existence remains a giant thorn in my side all these years? On the day she was born, I had to fight the impulse to strangle her on the spot.”
Staring at Benjamin in horror, Eleanor stood up and backed away from her husband, who was suddenly unrecognizable to her. Her lower lip trembled for a long time before she choked, “You think she is a product of my infidelity?”
Benjamin’s silence was as good as a confession.
At that, Eleanor suddenly wailed in mirthless laughter. She had never understood why her husband had harbored such a dislike for their eldest daughter over the years. In her confusion, she made the assumption that he felt resentment at the fact that his firstborn was a girl. Never in her wildest dreams could she have concocted such a possibility.
Though she could not proclaim as having been completely loyal, she would not cheat on him as long as he did not cheat on her. After over twenty years, it was the first time she had heard the mention of infidelity in their marriage.
“Even though we could never be as deeply in love as other couples,” whispered Eleanor, her voice hoarse from exertion. “I thought we had at least shared a degree of trust between us. I didn’t expect you to harbor such suspicions toward me. Your excuse hurt more than a knife in my heart.”
Benjamin glared at her with disdain. Getting to his feet, he walked slowly toward Eleanor. “You’re right, we have had a long marriage. I don’t care if you have been unfaithful all those years ago. Let us forget about the bastard girl and pretend that she was never born.”
Eleanor stumbled backward, as she suddenly felt terrified at the man who shared her bed. He even went as far as to disown his own flesh and blood based on his delusional suspicions. Sure, we can do a DNA test, but he is just going to ignore the report, even if the facts are staring him in the face. A man with an ego as large as this is truly something to behold.
She had thought that he merely disliked their eldest daughter, but never could she have imagined that he would think of the child as being a product of her infidelity.
An accusation like this hurts even more than a stab to the chest.
“Benjamin, you’re out of your mind!” Eleanor screamed, looking quite deranged. “She is your daughter, I assure you. I have never been unfaithful. I have always done my duty by keeping my distance from other men. I don’t know who has been planting ideas in your head, but I have never done anything I shouldn’t have. She is our daughter, and I am proud to tell the world that. Anybody who lays a finger on her will suffer my full wrath. You completely disappoint me, Benjamin.”
As Eleanor strode toward the door, Benjamin lunged forward to grab her by the arm.
“Let go of me!” Eleanor threw herself free of his grip.
“Our only children are Amelia and Sean,” repeated Benjamin grimly. “The addition of another child will only bring chaos to the Hutton household.”
Hearing that, Eleanor chuckled bitterly. Nobody in the world could possibly understand how it feels to have a husband who refuses to embrace his own daughter.
“Benjamin, I’m so disappointed in you,” declared Eleanor quietly. My own husband has been suspecting me of infidelity for over twenty years.
