Cynthal raised her hand and rubbed her fingers against the ceramic cup. “I am Dad’s biological daughter. We share the same father but were born to different mothers. When Dad had an affair, my mother and Natasha got pregnant at the same time. When she was pregnant, my mother broke up with Dad. She didn’t want me from the moment I was born. How could Dad let me suffer all alone in the world? So he quietly switched me and your biological sister. I became the second daughter of the Peterson family, while your biological sister was sent to an orphanage.”
Bethan sat in the same spot, her body shivering from the sudden cold.
Cynthal, whom Natasha had loved and protected all these years, was the child of Joseph’s mistress?
Sucking in a deep breath, Bethan bit her lip. “Cynthal, you can’t simply blab about your birth like that.”
“You don’t trust me?”
Cynthal’s lips curled into a smile and took out two DNA reports.
One belonged to Cynthal and Natasha.
The other belonged to Cynthal and another woman.
The reports showed that Cynthal and Natasha were not mother and daughter, but instead Cynthal was the other woman’s daughter.
Cynthal lifted her cup elegantly and took a sip. “I’m going to Europe tomorrow to meet my birth mother, so I came here to tell you all these.”
Bethan looked at the two reports in her hands, biting her lip harshly.
“Then where is my biological sister?”
Cynthal shrugged. “How would I know? I ‘m not God.”
She stood up. “If there’s nothing else, I’ll be leaving now. My dear sister, I won’t be seeing you again.”
Bethan sat in the same spot, looked at Cynthal’s retreating back, a mix of emotions surging in her chest.
Her father had an affair.
Cynthal was not her biological sister. Then where was her sister?
Suddenly, the image of the woman named Alice, who recently appeared in their lives, surfaced in front of her eyes.
Could it be…
After leaving the coffee shop, Bethan went to the fresh market for grocery shopping.
Anne was not good at cooking, so since they lived together, naturally Bethan was the one in charge of grocery shopping and cooking.
Holding the groceries in hand, Bethan stood at the door. She reached for her keys when she heard Anne’s shy voice drifting in from inside the house.
“Bethan is coming home soon, John, don’t…”
“In a way, she’s almost like our cupid, she won’t mind…”
“She’s in a bad mood recently, things have been rough for her, we shouldn’t irritate her.”
“Then we should make it fast, before she comes back Bethan frowned.
Bad timing.
Placing the groceries at the entrance, she huffed out a long breath and turned and left.
The sky darkened, and Banyan City was lit up in an array of bright neon lights.
Bethan wandered alone on the streets for a long, long time.
Unconsciously, she walked to the entrance of an art gallery.
She took a glance at the display board at the entrance: Renowned Artist Theo Allen’s Art Exhibition: Banyan City Stop.
Theo Allen was an artist she admired when she was still a student.
Once, a childish Bethan scribbled in her diary: Life- long bucket list: attend Theo Allen’s art exhibition at least once.
Many years had passed since, now after all that she went through, standing here and looking at his art exhibition again, strangely she felt nothing.
But she still bought a ticket and went in. After, this was once her dream.
There were not many people in the exhibition hall.
Walking along the corridor, she looked at the various pieces of art that accompanied her through her teenage years, memories of herself when she was young and frivolous appearing before her eyes.
She laughed self-deprecatingly.
“Brettley, thank you, I’m very glad to have the chance to attend Theo Allen’s art exhibition.”
“I’m happy I could help you fulfill your wish.”
Sometime later, a familiar woman’s voice pulled Bethan’s wandering thoughts back to the present.
She looked in the direction of the voice.
In the distance stood Alice Peterson in a long white dress, she had her arm hooked through Brettley’s, and was slowly heading in her direction.
They looked so intimate, like the perfect pair.
Suddenly, Bethan understood why the woman’s voice sounded so familiar to her.
Because that was what she used to sound like.
Not only did this woman look exactly like her before surgery, but even her voice also sounded exactly the same.
Cynthal’s words this afternoon rang in her ears again. “
So he quietly switched me and your biological sister. I became the second daughter of the Peterson family, while your biological daughter was sent to an orphanage.”
She could not help but frown.
Could Alice be her sister that was sent to the orphanage?
If she was, then everything made sense…
” ‘Bethan?”
When she was still stuck in a daze, Alice and Brettley had already appeared in front of her.
Alice had her arm hooked through Brettley’s, the two of them looked extremely intimate. “What a coincidence, who thought we would see you here.”
Bethan recovered from her daze and smiled faintly at her. “Yes, what a coincidence indeed. You like Mr. Allen’s paintings too?”
Alice looked at Bethan with a smile on her face. “Yes, I do. Brettley knew I liked Mr. Allen, so the moment I came back, he paid a hefty fee and invited Mr. Allen over to Banyan City and organized this exhibition.”
Then, she even rubbed her head on Brettley’s chest in a display of affection. “My husband is the best! “
Looking at Alice wearing Bethan’s old face and acting all lovey-dovey with Brettley, Bethan felt a whirlpool of mixed emotions in her chest.
She did not know whether to be happy, because Brettley finally liked the old Bethan Peterson.
Or to be sad, because the Bethan Peterson he now liked was nothing but an imposter.
Or maybe, right now, Brettley was just putting on an act.
With this thought, Bethan’s lips curled up in a faint smile. “Then I must thank Mrs. Morrison, because of you, we finally have the chance to admire Mr. Allen’s art right here in Banyan City.”
With that, she pointed at a painting behind her. “
Mrs. Morrison, do you know the name of this painting?”
Alice rolled her eyes.
What was this woman doing, was she testing her?
She replied carelessly, “This painting is named ‘The Act’, it’s used to critique people who intentionally put on an act in front of others to boast.”
Bethan smiled. “This painting is perfect for you.”
Alice paused then realized Bethan was using the painting to make fun of her!
She was accusing her of putting on an act!
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.
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