CHAPTER 445: CHAPTER 445: BET

Jules felt despair wash over her like a cold wave, tightening her chest until she could barely breathe.

She closed her eyes, unable to stop the trembling in her hands. A whisper escaped her lips before she could control it, a question, soft and aching:

’Is this really my mother? The woman who was supposed to protect me? The one who should have held me when I cried, not been the person who caused every tear?’

But here Annie was, threatening her, cornering her, trying to drag her away from her own happiness. All so Annie could cling to a lie.

Jules’s eyes burned, but she refused to cry. She swallowed hard, clenched her fists, and forced herself to inhale deeply.

She reminded herself that she wasn’t alone anymore. She had someone now. A family she chose. A family that chose her back.

’Even if she doesn’t want me... the Waters family does. And they’re worth more than she ever was to me.’

That thought steadied her.

Drawing in another breath, Jules lifted her chin, stepped closer to the door, and spoke through the speaker with calm clarity:

"It would be better if you leave, Annie. Otherwise, I really will call the cops."

On the other side of the door, Annie froze in surprise at Jules’s steady voice. She had expected begging, fear, or tears, not this calm defiance.

Before Annie could retaliate, Jules continued in a voice that carried a quiet, chilling certainty:

"As for the court... I’m not alone anymore. I have a fiancé who loves me. Someone who will stand beside me. Someone who will protect me."

For a moment, Annie didn’t speak.

The silence stretched.

Then Jules finished, her tone turning sharper:

"Until now, I avoided pressing charges against you out of pity, because I understood a mother’s grief. But if you keep pushing me as if I’m some helpless child you can bully... then I will reopen the case. Completely."

A tremor ran through Annie’s voice when she finally spoke.

"You... you’re lying. You must be! You killed her! You killed my daughter!"

But her words lacked conviction.

Because for the first time, Jules sounded like someone who wasn’t afraid, someone who wasn’t hiding guilt, someone who was telling the truth.

A small seed of doubt crept into Annie’s mind.

’What if... what if Jules really didn’t do it?’

Jules heard the hesitation and pressed further.

"If you don’t leave, then once the case is reopened... the ending won’t be something you’ll like. Trust me on that."

Annie’s voice cracked. "What do you mean by that?!"

Jules let out a humorless laugh. "Just that from what I know... your younger daughter is still alive."

Annie’s world stopped.

For a moment, everything went silent. She felt a buzzing in her ears as if someone had struck her across the face.

"W-What did you say?" Annie whispered, voice trembling.

On a closer note, there was a hint of excitement and hope laced in her words.

Jules didn’t soften.

"I said, your daughter is alive."

"HOW DARE YOU!" Annie exploded, pounding on the door so hard it rattled. "How dare you disrespect your dead sister just to protect yourself?! You... you’re disgusting! You’re evil! You’ll say anything just to push me away!"

Jules laughed again, the sound low and sharp.

"Disrespect? No. I’m telling you the truth. But whether you believe it or not is up to you."

Her voice dropped to a calm, deadly whisper.

"If you want proof, simply do a DNA test with Maya."

Annie froze.

The name hit her like ice water.

Maya.

The girl she chose as a goddaughter. The girl she shared meals with, cried with, hugged like family. The girl who brought light into her home after her daughter died.

For a split second, just one, Annie believed Jules.

Just a sliver of doubt.

A possibility.

A hope.

’What if... what if Maya really is...?’

But the hope made her angry. Furious. Because she didn’t want to feel it. She didn’t want to betray the memory of the daughter she mourned for years.

"Impossible!" Annie snapped. "Maya is your ex-husband’s brother’s wife! How could she possibly be my daughter?! She doesn’t even look like her! You’re just jealous! Bitter!"

Jules sighed.

"If you think I’m lying, then stop shouting and just investigate Maya’s background. That’s all I’m saying. Look closely. There are inconsistencies everywhere, if you dare to check."

Annie’s tongue suddenly felt heavy. She couldn’t form words. A strange panic swirled in her chest, twisting her thoughts.

’Inconsistencies? What inconsistencies?’

She stared blankly at the door.

Jules saw her silence through the tiny camera feed and decided to push harder.

"If I’m lying, you’ll prove it easily. Right? So go investigate. Unless... you’re afraid the truth won’t be what you think."

That sentence broke Annie’s restraint.

She screamed, voice filled with rage and humiliation:

"If what you said is wrong, I WILL drag you out of this apartment and slap you myself! In front of everyone!"

Jules didn’t even flinch.

"Fine. I agree. But if I’m telling the truth, then you will never contact me again. Not you. Not your husband. Not any member of your family. Because if you do, I will call the police and press charges."

Annie blinked.

It wasn’t the response she expected.

Usually, if someone proved they were right, they proudly flaunted it. Rubbed it in. Boasted. Celebrated.

But Jules didn’t demand validation. She didn’t ask for an apology.

She just wanted separation.

Complete, final separation.

’Why doesn’t she want a relationship anymore? Why does she act like any connection with us... is a threat to her?’

Then, unbidden, a memory flashed in Annie’s mind.

A little girl tugging her sleeve, asking her to bake a cake.

Jules laughing as she cracked eggs into a bowl.

Jules beaming with pride when she scored above 100 in her exams, waving her report card eagerly.

Back then, she always sought Annie’s praise. Always looked at her with sparkling eyes like she was her whole world.

Where had that little girl gone?

Why was the woman behind this door so... distant?

A strange sting pricked Annie’s heart.

For a brief second, an apology rose to her lips.

But she swallowed it down immediately. Her pride strangled any softness.

’My real daughter is dead. I cannot... WILL not... show affection to the one who replaced her.’

She exhaled, cold and sharp.

"Fine. Remember what you said."

Jules replied steadily, "I am recording this. So yes, I will remember."

"Do as you like!" Annie snapped.

And with that, she turned on her heel and stomped down the hallway.

The moment her footsteps faded, Jules slowly lowered herself to the floor, sliding down the wall until she was sitting with her knees pulled close.

Her breath shook.

But she smiled.

A small, trembling smile, filled with wonder and pride.

’It wasn’t that hard... to fight back. I just needed to be calm. And courageous.’

For the first time in years, she had stood her ground.

For the first time in years, she had protected herself.

For the first time in years, she had told the truth out loud.

She hugged her knees, feeling warmth bloom in her chest.

She remembered all the times she had tried to tell her parents the truth, that Maya was their real daughter.

But Maya had been clever. Terrified. Wearing wigs to avoid DNA detection. Manipulating the test results. Lying convincingly.

And Jules had been cast aside for daring to question it.

’They never wanted the truth...’

’They only wanted someone to blame.’

Her parents adopted Maya as a goddaughter while accusing Jules of jealousy. They called her a liar. A malicious woman. A disgrace.

Then they kicked her out.

Jules exhaled slowly.

’If only I had walked away sooner... A lot of wounds could have been avoided.’

But she didn’t dwell on it now.

Because now she had a new family.

One that cherished her. Defended her. Welcomed her. Loved her.

She finally had a place where she belonged.

And she wouldn’t let anyone, especially Annie, destroy that.

Meanwhile...

In a sprawling, luxurious mansion across the city, a middle-aged man in a sharp navy suit observed his daughter with narrowed eyes.

She was dressed in a flowing blue gown, fitting her like a second skin. Her makeup was flawless, her posture elegant, her aura refined.

When she saw him, she offered a confident smile.

"You don’t need to worry, Father. I will definitely find a way to get close to Alex. Once the deed is done, he will take responsibility obediently."

The man nodded slowly.

"I have high hopes for you, Tanya."

Tanya’s smile sharpened.

"I know. And I won’t disappoint you."

But then her expression darkened with irritation.

"However... recently, a woman named Adeline has been interfering between us."

Her father frowned deeply.

"Does this Adeline woman know that you and Alex are already in a relationship?"

Tanya’s eyes glinted with a dangerous coldness.