After twenty years of marriage to Simon Barnes, that man suddenly told me that Ella Barnes, the girl I thought was our biological daughter, was, in fact, not ours. Eighteen years ago, just when she was born, one of Simon's enemies swapped her with the fake one.
Now, our daughter, the real Barnes's daughter, was standing behind Simon. Her name was Cassie Curtain.
As I looked at the young girl who was peeking timidly from behind my student, sorrow filled my heart.
"Are you Cassie?" I asked with teary eyes.
I couldn’t believe that for eighteen years I had been oblivious to the truth, that I had raised someone else’s daughter. How could I have been fooled for so long?
The girl in front of me wore a simple T-shirt. Her frame looked fragile, as though a breeze could blow her away. Yet her delicate and innocent beauty stirred an undeniable urge within me to shield and protect her.
I stepped forward, one step at a time, wanting to touch her face despite my teary eyes. Yet, when my hand reached her face, she became scared and instinctively stepped back then called out with a soft voice, “Auntie Sarah ….
"Don't call her Auntie Sarah," my husband interrupted. "She’s your mother and I’m your father. You're ours. Just call her, Mom."
His eyes were also in tears as he lovingly grabbed Cassie's hand and mine, then held our hands together. He said, "Cassie, from now on, you’re the true daughter of the Barnes Family. Our most cherished child!”
Simon's declaration brimmed with fervor, as though he couldn’t wait to bestow everything the Barnes Family had upon Cassie.
As I watched my husband and biological daughter before me, a pang of dissatisfaction twisted in my chest. I kept my mouth shut until the housekeeper had guided Cassie upstairs. At that moment, I pulled Simon aside and berated him with a hushed voice, “What do you mean by saying Cassie is our ‘real’ daughter and the one we’ll love the most? What about Ella? Even if she’s not our biological child, we’ve raised her for eighteen years. Are you just going to cast her aside?”
"Sarah, of course not! How could you say that?” Simon’s face turned anxious, as if afraid of being misunderstood. He hurriedly explained, “We’ll keep taking care of Ella. We have a big family, besides. It’s not like we can’t spare a seat at the table, right? We’re not about to let her starve.”
Guilt flickered across his face. I shot him a glare, my voice sharpening as I said to him “At least you have some decency. However, Ella isn’t just another mouth to feed. We’ll continue to provide for her as usual. I don't think she needs to know the truth. Just tell her ... that Cassie is her long-lost twin sister. We recently found and brought home.”
“What? No way!” Simon’s displeasure was immediate when he heard that. His voice rose and a strange look crossed his face. “Cassie and Ella look nothing alike! Besides, why should we waste more money on someone who isn’t even our real daughter?”
“I won’t allow it!” I snapped back. My voice was rising, as anger surged at his heartlessness. “Ella may not share our blood, but she’s still the child I’ve loved and cared for all these years. How could I suddenly stop loving her? Eighteen years, she is my daughter that I loved and cherish, how could that mean nothing?”
“Dad, Mom? What are you two talking about?”
My angry outburst was cut short by a soft, familiar voice. I did not know when she came because Ella had appeared in the doorway to the kitchen, dressed in cozy loungewear and holding a glass of hot water. It seemed she had been home all this time.
Chapter 2At this time, I saw disbelief written all over Ella’s face.
"Ella, we …."
Before I could explain, my husband, Simon, let out a sharp, angry snort. “Ella, you heard it, didn’t you? You’re not our biological daughter!”
He stormed over to the couch and dropped onto it with a thud, his expression full of irritation.
“Simon, what’s wrong with you? Stop saying such nonsense!” I snapped, a chill running through me when I saw his harsh expression. Then I turned to my daughter.
At that moment, Ella's face had turned ghostly pale, her whole body trembling, eyes glistening with unshed tears. She looked like she was on the verge of breaking down.
"Ella! Ella! It’s not what you think!” I rushed to her side, desperate to comfort her. “Cassie … Cassie is your twin sister. She isn't ….”
However, before I could finish my word, Ella suddenly shoved me away. With tears streaming down her face, she shouted, “Mom, please! Stop lying to me! I heard everything you and Dad said! I’m not your real daughter. Cassie is! You don’t have to keep pretending to me …”
“No, Ella! When have I ever lied to you?” Panic gripped me as I saw her labored breathing and agitated expression. I frantically searched for her heart medication. “Please, don’t get upset! You have a heart condition. Promise me, Ella, stay calm… You’re my daughter, you're always my child.”
Her face was flushed, but suddenly, her face seemed off and she collapsed in my arms. I turned, about to plead with Simon to convince Ella that she was our daughter, but he just stood up, furious and out of nowhere, he produced a folder and slammed it onto the table in front of us.
“Ella, take a look for yourself,” he said coldly. “This is the paternity test report for you and Cassie. You look nothing alike. How could you be twins? Your mom might have tried to fool you, but don’t be stupid enough to believe it! For eighteen years, you’ve been living off the Barnes Family, eating our food, wearing our clothes, using our resources … Hah!”
Simon sneered. His tone was devoid of any fatherly warmth. “Now, I want you to give everything back to Cassie. Pack up your things and get out! Make space for my real daughter!”
After he said that, he suddenly raised his leg and kicked away Ella's heart medication, sending them scattering across the floor. Before leaving, he sneered one more time, “The Barnes Family has no history of heart disease. Why do we have to waste money on this medicine?”
"Simon, are you insane? Can't you see Ella is having a heart attack?" I yelled in panic and anger then rushed over to pick up the scattered pills.
However, he showed no remorse at all. Instead, he raised his foot and ground the medication under his heel, crushing the tablets into powder. “She’s had plenty of attacks before and never died, right? Maybe she’s just faking it for our sympathy,” he said as he laughed mockingly.
He strode up the stairs without a backward glance and headed straight to Cassie's room.
I could only watch my daughter, whom I had loved for eighteen years, slip into unconsciousness in my arms. The seconds ticked by; precious time lost even before I could call the emergency numbers
Ella was eventually saved after a grueling day and night.
Chapter 3When I arrived at the hospital, I saw Ella lying silently on the bed by herself. Her eyes stared blankly out of the window.
When she heard the door open, she turned her head. Upon realizing it was me, her eyes lightened up. However, then, as her eyes looked behind me, the light immediately dimmed and she turned her head with a disappointed look on her face.
I knew she was looking for her father, Simon.
A pang of sorrow gripped my heart and my eyes burned with unshed tears. Yet I didn’t dare cry. Holding back my emotions, I brought over a bag full of Ella’s favorite things and set them gently by her bedside.
On the nightstand lay a crumpled, opened manila envelope. The paternity test results were scattered in plain view. The result was glaring vividly in my eyes. It clearly stated that Cassie was ninety-nine point ninety-nine hundred ninety match, while Ella was just ninety-nine percent.
Biologically stated having a match of over ninety-nine point ninety-nine percent confirmed that the recipients have a parent and child relationship.
I stared at those cold, unforgiving figures, momentarily dazed. With a deep breath, I pushed the papers aside and covered them with the gifts I had brought.
"Ella, how are you feeling? Is anything still hurting?” I asked, my voice shaky but gentle. “Mom brought you some things you love..."
"Aunty Sarah, thank you for your kindness,” Ella cut me off. Her voice was flat and distant. “However, I don’t need any of it. I’m terrified I won’t be able to pay back everything I owe to the Barnes Family.”
Her words were like a knife twisting in my heart. She glanced at me with an unreadable expression before turning away and pulling the blanket over herself.
“Ella, please, don’t say that. It doesn’t matter if we don’t share the same blood. We’re still family. You’ll always be ….”
“Family?” she interrupted, her voice cracking. She flung the blanket off and sat up, her eyes brimming with tears. “I’m eighteen, Ma'am! I’m an adult! Even if I were your biological child, you wouldn’t be obligated to care for me anymore. I have no parents because I’m an orphan! He said it himself. I’m not shameless enough to stay in the Barnes Family home any longer!”
"Ella, you know your father didn’t mean that. He’s just feeling resentful right now,” I pleaded, desperately trying to comfort her. “Cassie had suffered all those years she was out there and he’s struggling to adjust. However, he… he’ll come around! He ... he ....”
My words faltered, I was not sure how to comfort Ella. The room fell silent, except for the sound of Ella's quiet broken sobs,
"Ella, don’t get so upset. I’ll talk to your father again. He doesn’t truly want to abandon you. You’re still our beloved daughter, no matter what! Even with Cassie back, we’ll treat you both equally.”
I reached out and gently patted the mound of blankets that was hiding Ella. Tears slipped from my eyes and I tried to blink them away.
"Do you mean it, Mom?" came her muffled, trembling voice. She slowly stretched a hand from beneath the covers, tentatively reaching for me.
“Yes, I do!” I couldn’t hold back anymore. My tears burst forth, flowing like a river as I grabbed her hand and pulled her into a fierce embrace. We clung to each other, sobbing together, our pain and love entangled.
No matter what, feelings that had been forged over eighteen years did not disappear just like that. I couldn’t let her go and I knew she couldn’t let me go, either.
I believed deep inside his heart, that Simon could not sever ties with Ella so easily.
When I finally left the hospital, I did my best to calm myself before returning home.
Chapter 4There was no one in the mansion, so I climbed up the stairs alone. As I passed Cassie's room, I stopped, then slowly turned and gently pushed the door open.
Simon had taken Cassie out to play early in the morning. Looked like he was trying a great lengths to make up for the eighteen years he had missed with his lost daughter.
I gazed around the room, taking in the endless display of expensive clothes, jewelry, rare designer bags and the fairytale-like décor fit for a princess. A strange feeling flickered inside me.
It seemed I, as her mother, still fell short. I often talked about treating both of our daughters equally, but everything in Cassie’s room had been personally arranged by her father. It made me look like an inattentive parent.
I silently reflected on this, then gently closed the door and turned to head a short distance down the hall to Ella's room.
Ella might have to stay in the hospital. I had already hired a caregiver for her, but no one could attend to her as well as I could. My plan was to pack some fresh clothes for Ella and head over to take care of her myself.
As I looked around Ella's modest room, at this moment, the strange feeling that I felt before began to make sense.
For eighteen years, Ella had been our daughter, mine and Simon’s. Although we hadn’t spoiled her with everything she could ever want, she had certainly lived a life of luxury.
However now, with Cassie back, the difference between the two rooms was stark. Suddenly, Simon’s attention toward Cassie felt overwhelming, almost too excessive.
Especially when I looked at Cassie's lavish setup and then at Ella's simple room, it made the favoritism glaringly obvious.
Simon had never been this doting on his daughter before. Now, he seemed like the ultimate girl dad, entirely wrapped around Cassie's finger.
I pushed down my uneasiness and convinced myself that the reason Simon loved her so much stemmed from the guilt that he had lost Cassie for sixteen years.
Actually, Simon had always been a wonderful father to Ella. While her room looked simple and ordinary, it contained many valuable items and several were handcrafted by him. His love for her was genuine and irreplaceable. It made sense that Ella had always been especially attached to her dad since she was a kid.
With that thought, I smiled at the small trinkets Simon had made for Ella, then packed a few of her favorite clothes into a bag. With the help of the house staff, I got the rest of Ella's things ready, as I planned to have the family driver take me to the hospital.
I opened Ella's door and stepped out. I had every intention to call the driver to prepare the car. Yet, I just walked a few steps when I heard the sound of a girl’s laughter coming from Cassie’s room.
Had Simon brought Cassie home already so early? I wondered.
As the thought entered my mind, I drew a deep breath and decided to discuss Ella's situation with Simon. However, before I could take another step, a sudden, muffled scream came from Cassie’s room, followed by Simon’s voice.
My brow furrowed as an unsettling feeling washed over me. Carefully, I tiptoed closer to Cassie’s door.
“No … please, don’t …!” her playful voice rang out sharply at the moment.
A chill shot up from my feet and raced through my body, freezing me in place. My mind hadn’t even caught up to what was happening when I instinctively reached for the door handle.