You wish her a horrible death?
Jacque was momentarily stunned by her words. Sandra finally could not hold it in any longer and berated Kayla.
“Kayla, will you shut the hell up? Do you know who’s the Clarissa you’re badmouthing right now? She’s your biological daughter for goodness sake!”
The air grew still after Sandra’s grand revelation.
However, Kayla and her husband looked puzzled before they burst into a laugh.
“Are you kidding me, Sandra? I only have Shermaine, and James is my only man. When have I ever given birth to another child? Sandra, even if you do not fancy me that much, how could you spur such lies?”
Sandra merely cast a glance at Shermaine. This little minx really knows how to put up an excellent act.
After knowing the truth, Sandra had been ruminating over everything that had happened in the past, and she was positive that Shermaine had known it all along. It was just that the woman was sly enough to feign ignorance in the matter.
Sandra retracted her accusing gaze at Shermaine after she calmed down and took a seat.
Since Sandra had revealed the truth, Jacque could only sigh heavily.
“This was a result of a grave mistake years ago. Clarissa and Shermaine had been exchanged at birth. The truth is, Clarissa is your daughter, and as for Shermaine, well, she’s actually the Quigleys’ daughter.”
“What? That’s impossible. No, this can’t be true!”
Kayla widened her eyes in disbelief as she repeatedly shook her head in denial. At the same time, she clutched onto Shermaine’s hands tightly.
Shermaine appeared thunderstruck after the revelation. However, she quickly regained her composure as she knitted her brows in confusion.
Sandra snorted in response. “Nothing is impossible. It’s fine if you don’t believe in me. Just do a DNA test to confirm.”
“Fine. Let’s go test it right now.”
Kayla was about to dash for the door. However, Hannah was listening intently aside. She was flabbergasted at the revelation, and it took her a while before she let out a shriek.
“Is that true?”
Hannah cast a glance at Sandra, and her daughter-in-law nodded her head. “Yes, I did the DNA test for Clarissa and them both. She’s their daughter.”
“What? When did you do it?”
Sandra replied dryly, “When you chastised her as your nemesis.”
Kayla shook her head to dismiss the notion. “No, that’s impossible. You guys must have mistaken about it. Shermaine, let’s go do another test right now. Let them know that you’re my daughter…”
The news came as a bolt out of blue for Kayla.
It was the last thing that she imagined could happen to her and her husband.
Hence, she kept insisting that they had gotten it wrong. However, James looked grim as he was not as optimistic as his wife on their way to do the DNA test.
His thought strayed afar as he thought about Clarissa, then about Clarissa, and finally Hilary.
So, this means that Shermaine is Hilary’s daughter?
James could never forget the vicious look in Hilary’s eyes after he had rejected her. It was a threatening look, vowing to make him pay dearly for his choice.
So, did Hilary swap their daughters’ identities as revenge against him?
With the thought in mind, he was almost convinced that Sandra was right, and he did not know how to face Shermaine right then.
Shermaine noticed the subtle change in her father’s attitude and was taken aback as she fidgeted nervously.
James sighed to himself and said nothing further.
The DNA test result would require a few days. They found a contact, but even then they also needed one whole day before they could produce the result.
The husband and wife stayed together apprehensively as they waited.
The pin-drop silence was deafening. They decided it was best for all of them to keep quiet.
Meanwhile, Clarissa had no idea that Sandra had revealed everything.
She was resting languidly, seemingly paying no interest to anything.
Matthew would take the time to tell her stories, let her listen to some prenatal music, and even speak a myriad of foreign languages to the baby still in her belly.
Damian would stay closely by Clarissa’s side after getting back from school. Like his father, the little boy greeted his little sister every morning as he spoke to her. The father and son had made it a habit to talk to Clarissa’s belly.
However, Clarissa still felt nothing.
Then, the Smallwoods suddenly paid a visit to her.
Surprisingly, she did not feel as laggard.
At the time, she was lying leisurely on Matthew’s lap as she listened to him reciting famous poems to the baby with his perfect accent.
Clarissa sat upright while Matthew furrowed his brows at the news of the uninvited guests.
“We’re not going to meet them.”
“Yes, we are,” Clarissa said.
Perhaps she had sensed something.
Matthew accompanied her downstairs. Not only were the Smallwoods there, Sandra and Jacque were downstairs too.
However, Shermaine was nowhere to be seen.
Sandra spoke first at the sight of Clarissa as she felt guilty for spilling the beans.
“Sorry, Clarissa. I accidentally let the cat out of the bag on an impulse.”
Clarissa nodded her head to acknowledge her.
She did not meet the Smallwoods’ eyes. Things were complicated, to say the least.
They looked quite devastated, which could mean that they could not grapple with the truth.
Clarissa merely spoke to Sandra and Jacque.
Sandra asked out of concern, “Are you doing okay? You don’t seem too well. Are you affected by those vicious remarks out there? Don’t worry, the truth will surface soon enough. You’re going to be alright, Clarissa.”
“No, I don’t really pay attention to what they’re saying. It doesn’t matter anyway since I’ve heard much more nasty things than these.”
Her words sent chills down Kayla’s spine as all colors drained from the latter’s face. The woman was apprehensive of the confrontation.
Kayla recalled her words of wishing death upon Clarissa, and tears brimmed in her eyes. Then, she slumped in her husband’s embrace and sobbed, seemingly paying no heed that they were in fact at someone else’s place.
“Why… James… How did everything turn out like this?”
James patted his wife on her back to soothe her. However, Kayla broke into a violent sob as she burst out crying.
Clarissa knitted her brows, not out of worry, but rather out of annoyance.
Sandra could not help but reprimand the duo, “That’s enough, both of you. I told you guys not to come but you insisted to follow. Not only did you guys say nothing, but now you’re crying? It’s not like Clarissa has asked you guys here because she has something to say. You guys are the ones with something to say, remember? If you guys have nothing to say, you’d better leave right now.”
Clarissa said nothing as Sandra lectured her birth parents.
Kayla looked at Clarissa with misty eyes and was about to say something before she covered her mouth and broke into another bout of violent sob.
Meanwhile, James gave Clarissa a complicated look.
“This whole thing might be Hilary’s doing. We had no idea all these years. You’ve suffered all these years.”
“I’ve suffered nothing. I have a family. My father and Grandma love me. I’m happy.”
Well, at least she’s happy.
James wanted to say something but decided against it in the end. He averted his gaze and dared not look into Clarissa’s eyes.
“Shermaine… She’s innocent. She’s also been toyed by fate.”
“Okay.”
Clarissa did not seem at all surprised that James and Kayla would think so.
Sandra retorted, “She’s innocent? Maybe she was, but she should have known the moment she laid eyes on Clarrisa. Not only did she keep quiet about the matter, but she also hired an assassin to murder someone. Are the two of you really oblivious to how vicious she is, or are you refusing to believe the truth?”
“That’s impossible. Shermaine is innocent. Besides, how could she know anything about it?”
Kayla stopped crying and started to defend Shermaine.
“You guys are… idiots.”
Sandra cast a nervous glance over at Clarissa. She was afraid that the latter might be distressed over having birth parents who chose to side with Shermaine. Clarissa’s reaction proved that she was overthinking the matter.
She did not seem at all saddened by Kayla and James’ reaction. Instead, she looked impassive and unfazed as if she had already seen it coming.
“No, they’re just children. They’re all innocent. But we’ve raised Shermaine for over twenty years… We…”
“Enough.”
Clarissa finally voiced out, albeit sounding annoyed.
“All right, I will note that you guys are aware of this. Just leave if you guys have nothing else to say. Just go on with your lives as always. I’m Clarissa Quigley, and I’ve got nothing to do with you guys.”
“Clarissa, you cannot…”
Sandra wanted to talk her out of it but Clarissa had already stood up while Matthew ordered with a dangerously low voice, “Mrs. Lawson, please see our guests out.”
Then, Matthew steadied Clarissa back upstairs. It was clear as day that he was chasing them out the door.
“The two of you are to be blamed for all of these. You guys only think for Shermaine, but have you ever considered how your very own flesh and blood would feel? Do you guys really have no idea who’s more important?”
At the sight of their ignorant demeanor, Sandra boiled with fury and chided them.
Then, she decided to give up on ever talking sense into the two and turned around to leave.
Kayla and James left the Zen Highlands afterward. Kayla heaved a sigh of relief after getting into the car.
“James, judging by Clarissa’s reaction, do you think she’ll allow Shermaine to continue being our daughter?”
James had clearly sensed Clarissa’s apparent disdain and exasperation at them.
It was a rather inexplicable feeling.
Kayla, on the other hand, was quite pleased.
“Actually, she’s all grown up and already married, even. I don’t think she needs us any longer. To be honest, I can’t help but recall how Shermaine has suffered thanks to her all these years. I just can’t hide my dislike toward her, and it makes me really uncomfortable to know that she’s our daughter. James, do you think we can just pretend that nothing happened and we just carry on with our lives?”
James looked at his wife and rejected her suggestion.
“Kayla, she’s our daughter!”
Kayla appeared conflicted. “B-but Shermaine is our daughter too. We raised her, James. I just can’t let that go.”
“I’m not asking you to disown her. Shermaine doesn’t have family, and we’re going to become her family. But, we can have two daughters. In time, I think the two sisters will reconcile.”
It was what James for hoping for, anyway.
