"Because your mother—Jasmine—never carried my father’s child. Ask them. They know. Atlas Bennet knows. Doctor Tyler knows. Everyone knows... except you, Lola. I guess you’re not that smart, after all."
Confusion didn’t even begin to describe what Lola felt after hearing those words. Her gaze darted between Melissa’s flushed, tear-streaked face and Jasmine’s panicked expression. Slowly, she took a step back.
"Lola, it’s not—" Jasmine reached for her, tears already forming in her eyes. But Lola pulled away before she could touch her.
Jasmine was acting strange. This wasn’t the usual script.
It had always been Jasmine and Melissa against her. Never once had Jasmine taken Lola’s side.
"Jasmine Young, why are you looking at me like that?" Lola asked, her voice tight as her mind tried to block everything else out. She didn’t want to consider any of this. Not yet. "You don’t have to explain anything to me."
She swallowed hard. "Just tell me... your daughter is insane."
"Daughter?" Melissa let out a humorless laugh. "Yes, her daughter is insane. Her daughter—you—are insane."
Lola ignored the remark, keeping her eyes on Jasmine. The older woman pressed her lips into a thin line, shaking her head slowly.
"What?" Lola asked again, her voice trembling. "Tell her that’s not true. You’re not my mother, Jasmine Young. Whatever’s going on here—it’s just Melissa Young losing her mind."
But nothing came.
Only silence... and a tear spilling down Jasmine’s cheek.
Lola’s heart stopped. She took a step back, her mind blank, her expression frozen in pure dread.
"No," she whispered, turning on her heel to walk away. But she barely took a step when Melissa laughed.
"Lola, no matter how much you deny it..." A twisted chuckle escaped Melissa, as though saying it out loud finally freed her. "You are a product of deception and infidelity." She stressed each word, watching Lola’s face twist. Seeing the horror in her expression filled Melissa with dark satisfaction. Finally, she’d managed to hurt her.
"Between us," Melissa hissed, "it’s you who doesn’t belong here."
Lola’s breath hitched, her pupils dilating. When she glanced at Jasmine one last time, all she saw was Jasmine’s bitter, defeated expression as she stared at Melissa.
"Hah..." Lola scoffed, the sound empty. She resumed walking. She could hear Jasmine calling after her, even rushing to catch up. But when Jasmine reached for her, Lola tore her hand away and kept going.
*****
If Jasmine hadn’t appeared, Lola would have ignored everything Melissa said. That woman would say anything—truth or lie—if it meant hurting her. Considering Melissa had nothing left to lose, it wouldn’t have surprised Lola if she had simply made it all up.
But no. Jasmine had been there, and her silence, her tears, the look in her eyes—all of it made Lola hesitate.
That look: pity, guilt, and something else she couldn’t name. Longing, maybe. And then there was Melissa’s rage. Rage that didn’t come from nowhere.
In the car, Izu glanced in the rearview mirror. Lola sat quietly in the back seat, staring blankly out the window. She hadn’t said a word since getting in. Aside from giving him her destination, she had remained completely silent.
"Young Madam," he said at last, breaking the stillness. "We’re almost there."
Lola blinked slowly, swallowing the tightness in her throat. She looked toward the driver’s seat, lips parting, then closed them again. In the end, she only nodded.
The silence continued until the car rolled to a stop in front of a two-story house in an exclusive subdivision. Lola turned her head toward the window, her eyes landing on a home she vaguely recognized.
Before she could reach for the handle, the door opened from the outside. Izu stood there, holding it for her.
"Thanks," she murmured as she stepped out.
Her gaze drifted to the fence gate ahead. She was about to walk off when she suddenly paused and turned back to him.
"Do you also know, Izu?" she asked quietly.
Meanwhile...
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