My birth mother disdainfully flung away Sienna's fat, sturdy wrist. Just like a scene from a CEO romance novel, she took a silk handkerchief from her luxurious handbag, wiped her hand, and tossed it away.
Her voice was icy cold.
"Oh, are you sure the daughter you're disciplining is your daughter?
"I think your daughter looks a lot like my daughter."
My birth mother stepped gracefully over Sienna and came to my side, helping me up from where I lay sprawled on the sweet potato seedlings.
"Darling," she said, her voice gentle but her gaze firm and unwavering.
"Who do you think is your mother? Me, or this fat woman with the mean face?"
Looking at my birth mother, dressed impeccably and smiling warmly, then down at my own hands, dry, skinny, and dark, a wave of shame washed over me.
I lowered my head, not daring to meet her eyes.
"You're my mom," I whispered, my voice trembling.
My mother smiled, her eyes filled with tears.
"Oh, my sweet girl. Mommy's taking you home."
Sienna, seeing my mother about to leave as if she didn't exist, gritted her teeth and blocked our way.
"Who the hell are you?" she demanded. "
Where do you think you're going with my daughter? Give her back to me!"
She reached out to grab me, but my birth mother wasn't about to let me get hurt again.
She lifted her leg and kicked Sienna's massive belly.
"Ouch!"
Sienna screamed, collapsing onto the sweet potato seedlings.
Her extensive body crushed twice the area of seedlings I had.
I blinked back tears, feeling sad for the poor, dead plants.
My birth mother held me, her face filled with arrogance.
"Madam, stop claiming my daughter as your own.
"You are not worthy!
"Since you can't afford to raise my daughter, I'll take her back.
"My family is wealthy, with properties galore. I can certainly afford to raise a daughter!"
Sienna lay on the sweet potato seedlings, clutching her stomach in pain, her face contorted.
She still refused to admit that I wasn't her biological daughter.
"Mary Lark is my daughter!
"If you're looking for a daughter, go to the orphanage. Don't try to steal mine!"
My birth mother paid no attention to Sienna's fierce yelling, swaying her hips as she led me away.
Sienna couldn't fight back against my mother, so my mother wasn't afraid of her at all.
Suddenly, a deep male voice boomed from above.
"Aria, why are you running so fast? I can't even catch up with you!"
I looked up and saw my biological father!