Chapter 0022 .DARLA . < 17 YEARS AGO > I was only twelve when she told me the news that wrecked my heart and shuttered my world before I was even able to understand what happened to my mother . " Why are you still doing here and not helping Mary get the dining room ready for our guests ? " She glared at me on the couch with her voice a bit high , which shocked me because she never spoke to me like that before . " You want me to help Mary ? Why , Mom ? Is she not okay ? " I closed the book that I was reading and looked up at her . " I'm still reading a book . " " I will not repeat myself , Darla . " Her face changed as she pointed her finger at me . " Get your ass up from the couch and go to the kitchen and help Mary set up the dining room table . Are we clear ? " " But I've never done anything in the kitchen . " She scoffed . " You're right . It's my fault that you're a spoilt brat who can't even do anything in the kitchen as a woman ! But that will end right now , so get up from there before I drag you to the kitchen myself ! " " Mom , did I do anything wrong ? Did I offend you and Daddy in any way ? I've done my homework and I make sure that I get good grades at school . " She scoffed as she grabbed my wrist , dragged me up from the couch , and took me to the kitchen where Mary was cooking dinner . She then instructed Mary to find anything for me to do before she left . I kept crying while Mary gave me a task to wash the dishes that she was going to use for the guests . When they arrived , Belinda refused for me to go and sit with them on the table and later that night , my father came to my room and sat down on the edge of the bed next to me . " Is Mommy angry at me ? " " No , baby . She's not angry at you . " " Then why didn't she allow me to sit with you during dinner ? Why did she take me to the kitchen to help Mary when I've never done any dishes in the house before ? " I sobbed . My father reached for my cheek and wiped my tears , and just when he was about to say something , my mother walked inside . My father and I tilted our heads and looked at her . " Don't worry , Darla . I've gotten over my hatred for your dead mother , but I couldn't bear the thought of my family and friends knowing that I am still taking care of my husband's bastard child . It was enough pain to be cheated on , but I will not stand the faces of people I know judging me for taking in a child of my husband's late mistress . " She said before she walked out of the room . My father followed behind her , and I went to sleep crying because I couldn't bring myself to believe a word that she said . In the morning , when I woke up , it felt as if I had a terrible dream and didn't want to think much about it . I was happily heading to the kitchen to get something to eat when I heard my mother arguing with my father in 1/2 Chapter 0022 the hallway down the kitchen . I didn't want to eavesdrop on their argument until I heard my name . +25 BONUS " Do you think that when I look at that girl , I don't see the spitting image of her mother whom you cheated on me with ? " She snapped . " I see Ember in everything she does , and it pisses me off ! So if you don't want me to cast my anger on her at every chance that I get , you better send her packing to boarding school tomorrow morning . " ' Daddy had an affair ! ' I thought as I listened to their conversation and still failed to believe that my mother was not my mother . So , I was a bastard child . Learning that at the age of 12 was confusing , especially after growing up and knowing only my mother as my mother . I had so many unanswered questions that I didn't know who to ask . " She's in the middle of her exams , Linda . You don't actually expect me to tell that little girl that she has to leave everything behind and go to boarding school tomorrow , do you ? Besides that , it's short notice . " " If you want this marriage to work , Ben , you're going to send her away . " " You're the one who wanted us to adopt her as our child . You're the one who said that you're going to make this work because she's my daughter , and now this " My father sighed . " That girl has us . She has no one in the world , but us . " " If you're not going to send her away , then I'm going to leave this house with Anthony so that you two can have the whole house to yourselves and play happy family , " she threatened him before her footsteps disappeared down the hallway to the back porch . I didn't want my father to know that I eavesdropped their conversation , so I rushed off to my room and closed the door as quietly as I could . After keeping myself in my room for almost an hour , I started feeling hungry and walked out to get food when I bumped into Anthony , walking past my room . His face frowned when he saw me . " I knew that you were not my sister . You're nothing but a product of a homewrecking bitch . The sooner my father sends you off to boarding school , the better . " He hissed . Anthony and I were never close , but it never occurred to me that he hated me to that extent . Tears just rolled down my cheeks , and I couldn't utter a single word to him . On top of that , my stomach was rumbling from hunger . " Ugh , you look so pathetic with those crocodile tears on your face . " He mocked before walking off to his room , which was a few doors from mine . I never felt so alone in my life . I didn't even know how to react or think about the revelation of my birth mother , who died when I was just a baby . Home started not to feel like home anymore , and I walked back to my room , closed the door , and ignored the rumbling sounds from my stomach as I curled myself into a ball on the floor and cried until I zoned off to sleep . Discover our latest featured short drama reel. Watch now and enjoy the story!