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Home / After Husband and Best Friend Cheated On Me, I Switched Our Daughters / Kabanata 1 - Kabanata 9

Lahat ng Kabanata ng After Husband and Best Friend Cheated On Me, I Switched Our Daughters: Kabanata 1 - Kabanata 9

9 Kabanata

1

It was nearly dinner time when Sarah came to inspect the kitchen where I was preparing her family's meal.I had been their housekeeper for eight years now, ever since she married Tom - my ex-husband.She always found reasons to check on me while I worked.Sometimes she'd claim she was reviewing the menu. Other times she'd say she needed to ensure I wasn't stealing food.She'd even burst into my servant's quarters at midnight once, accusing me of sneaking calls to Tom.Tom found her behavior amusing. “There is nothing to worry about.” He said “She is nothing to me.”She'd insisted I live in the small room off the kitchen with my daughter, not the guest house like the previous housekeeper."Keep the trash where it belongs," she'd sneered.I never complained. I just kept my head down and continued chopping vegetables.There she stood in her designer silk robe, scrutinizing my work.Behind her stumbled a thin, bruised little girl struggling with heavy cleaning supplies.My daughter. When

2

Blood trickled down my daughter's pale face. She crumpled to the floor, trembling.The crimson drops stained her ragged dress - one of Grace's cast-offs that Sarah had deliberately torn further before forcing Mistake to wear it. The jagged edges exposed bruises both old and new.Grace stared wide-eyed at the scene, her cookie frozen halfway to her mouth. Her perfect party dress seemed to mock Mistake's rags.Sarah just laughed. "Look at you, crying like the pathetic little mistake you are."But my daughter stopped crying. She just pulled herself up shakily, like she'd done countless times before. Her thin arms trembled with the effort.With practiced movements, she tried to wipe away the blood trickling down her face. Her fingers left scarlet smears across her pale cheeks.Through trembling lips, she whispered, "I'm sorry, Madam. I'll do better. Please forgive me."Apologizing after being hurt - it was a daily ritual for my daughter in this house. Every blow came with a required apolo

3

Sarah delivered her news with a smile, her red lips curling up at the corners as if breaking my daughter's leg was something to be proud of.Ignoring Tom's horrified stare, she bustled past him into the living room, her designer heels clicking on the marble floor.She arranged the mountain of presents and three-tiered cake in front of Grace with exaggerated care. Each gift was wrapped in custom paper with real gold ribbons."Sweetheart, it's your special day!" She adjusted Grace's silk party dress. "Mommy won't let anything spoil it - especially not that little mistake. She can spend her birthday thinking about how worthless she is."As Grace reached for a present, Sarah noticed a small cut on her hand. Her face instantly darkened like a storm cloud.She rounded on me, fury in her eyes. Her perfectly manicured nails dug into my arm. "What did you do to my precious Grace? How dare you let her get hurt! I'll have you fired for this!"I kept my face expressionless. "Children get hurt som

4

"Grace isn't your daughter," I said clearly. "She's mine."The champagne glass slipped from Sarah's hand, shattering on the marble floor."What did you say?" Her voice shook."Your real daughter is Mistake, the one you've been torturing in the basement for eighteen years."My hand touched the DNA test results in my pocket. Sarah laughed, high and hysterical. "You're lying. My Grace is perfect. She's brilliant. She's going to Harvard!""Check her left side," I said calmly. "There's a butterfly birthmark. My daughter was born with that mark."The room went silent as Sarah yanked up Grace's dress.There it was - the butterfly, stark against Grace's pale skin.Sarah stumbled backward. "No... no, it's not possible...""Mother?" Grace reached for her, concerned. Sarah's hand cracked across Grace's face."Don't touch me, you filthy piece of trash!" she screamed. "You're nothing but that whore's spawn!"Grace touched her cheek, tears welling in her eyes."How dare you pretend to be my daughte

5

After the initial shock, the party guests rushed down to the street below, their designer shoes slipping on the marble stairs.Tom shot me a look of pure hatred before stumbling after them.I calmly took out my phone and dialed 911: "I need to report a suicide. My daughter was driven to jump." My voice was steady, emotionless.Then I walked downstairs slowly, each step measured and deliberate. My heels clicked against the stairs like a countdown.A crowd had gathered around my daughter's broken body. Blood stained the concrete black in the evening light.Tom knelt beside her, his expensive suit soaking up his daughter's blood. His sobs echoed off the building walls.When they saw me approach, every head turned. The hatred in their eyes could have burned the world down."You monster!" Someone screamed. "You switched those babies on purpose!""You abused Sarah’s child for eighteen years!" Another voice joined in. "You planned this!"The accusations spread through the crowd like wildfire.

6

Sarah took a stumbling step toward me, her designer dress stained with tears. Her mascara ran in perfect tragic streaks down her cheeks."How could you?" she screamed, her voice breaking just right for the cameras pointed at us. "I treated you like family!"Her hands shook as she reached toward the crowd."Even Grace was your daughter, I gave her everything! The best schools, the finest clothes, more love than my own child!"Her voice rose higher, trembling with practiced emotion."I poured my heart and soul into raising Grace for eighteen years! Every moment, every celebration, every triumph!""I neglected my own daughter for her!" She pressed her hands to her heart. "My real baby suffered while I lavished love on yours!"Instagram Live viewers flooded in by the thousands as she turned to face the cameras directly.Tears streamed down her face. "She knew our babies were switched. All this time, she knew!""Why didn't you tell me?" She whirled back to me. "Why did you hurt my child?"

7

"I want to make a statement," I said, my voice carrying across the sudden silence. "I never switched those babies."The police officer took out his notebook. "Tell us exactly what happened."I looked directly into the phone cameras broadcasting my confession to the world."Eighteen years ago, I was eight months pregnant when Tom divorced me. We had been married for seven years."Tom shifted uncomfortably as all eyes turned to him."I had worked double shifts at a diner to put him through Harvard Law School. Every penny I earned went to his tuition.""The day he made partner at his firm, he served me divorce papers. He was marrying Sarah - my best friend."The crowd murmured. Someone spat at Tom's feet."I had nowhere to go, no money saved. Tom knew this. He offered me a job as their housekeeper, knowing I couldn't refuse.""So I served the woman who stole my husband while I was carrying his child. I cleaned their floors and cooked their meals."Sarah's perfectly made-up face twisted. "

8

"Isn't this reason enough?" Sarah took a deep breath.Her perfectly manicured hands trembled. "I may not have your natural grace, your quiet dignity that everyone admired..."She stepped closer, her designer heels clicking on the marble. "But I won where it matters. Your husband chose me!"The crowd watched as she circled me like a shark. "Look at you - the great Jane, scrubbing my floors, serving my meals."Her voice dripped with satisfaction. "You and your pathetic daughter living in my house like beggars, surviving on my charity!"She threw back her head and laughed, the sound echoing off the mansion walls. "Do you know what I treasure most about these eighteen years?"Her eyes glittered with cruel joy. "Watching your daughter clutch Grace's castoffs like they're Gucci! The way she cradles those broken toys!""Remember that ratty pink dress Grace outgrew? Your daughter cried with gratitude when I let her have it!"Her laughter grew wilder, more unhinged. She was practically dancing

9

"You know exactly what I'm talking about." My voice was steel. "Or have you forgotten about your plans with Sarah?"The color drained from his face."I found those messages between you and Sarah one year before the divorce. Not just about your affair..."I pulled out my phone. "About how you were going to kill me."The crowd gasped. Police officers stepped closer, suddenly more alert."You were planning to take the money I earned from those double shifts. All my savings that paid for your precious Harvard degree."Sarah's perfect face crumpled. She knew what was coming."Did you really think I was that stupid, Tom? That I didn't see the poison you kept in your desk drawer?"Tom's face twisted with desperate rage. "You're insane! I never—""Let me refresh your memory." I pressed play on my phone.Tom's voice filled the air: "Once the stupid bitch is dead, we'll have everything. Her life insurance, her savings..."Sarah's girlish laugh followed: "And everyone will think poor Jane worked

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