Foster Mother Sold Blood to Raise Us, Then Crippled and Evicted

The day my foster mother turned up at my door with a bundle under her arm was the day of my wedding.

I had security throw her straight out.

She sprawled at the entrance, wailing.

Ivy Dickerson! I raised you for over ten years! Now that I'm old and crippled, you kick me out like a dog! I'll sue you for filial neglect!

I pulled a few bills from my bag and tossed them on the ground.

"Go ahead and sue. I'll cover the filing fee."

"My three brothers are here for the wedding today. If you know what's good for you, crawl far away from here."

"Because if they see you, I can't promise your other leg won't break too."

She flinched, then scrambled to gather up the money, her eyes still locked on my bag.

"Mom knows you've always had the softest heart. Give me a little more? My leg's broken, this isn't enough to buy medicine"

The crowd of onlookers kept growing, and my future mother-in-law's family came hurrying over at the noise.

My fianc asked me under his breath, "Is that old woman your mother?"

I shook my head. "Just some old con artist begging for money."

When the wedding march started, my foster mother's crying still echoed outside the hotel.

I gripped my bouquet and walked forward.

Jason James stood at the end of the red carpet in a crisp suit, though his face had gone tight.

He caught my wrist and lowered his voice. "Ivy, that old woman really isn't your mother?"

"No."

"Then how did she know your name? And why was she crying like that?"

I laughed. "Knowing a name means anyone can claim to be my family? Then every stray cat and dog on the street could be my mother."

"Besides, isn't that exactly how con artists put on a show?"

Jason's brow stayed knotted, and he was about to press further when a stir went through the crowd below.

I turned.

The doors swung open, and my eldest brother, Allan Dickerson, walked in.

He wore a black suit, broad through the shoulders, long-legged, his face cold and set.

Right behind him came my second brother, Damian Dickerson, and my third brother, Bruce Dickerson.

The officiant froze. "And these three are?"

"My brothers," I said.

Every guest below turned their heads at once.

From somewhere my foster mother had scrambled back into view, her voice shooting up.

"Allan! You ungrateful son! You'll die a horrible death!"

Allan's step paused. He didn't look back. "What's security even doing?"

The words had barely left him before two guards rushed over, hauled my foster mother up, and dragged her toward the exit.

She fought with everything she had. "Let go! You pack of ingrates! I raised you for over ten years! And this is how you treat me!"

"Oh no, my blood sugar's crashing"

Bruce suddenly smiled.

He walked over, crouched down, and looked at the foster mother who was pretending to faint.

"Broken leg and still running that fast. Looks like you've recovered nicely."

She shook all over. "You you what do you want?"

"Nothing."

Bruce dug a piece of candy out of his pocket, unwrapped it, and dropped it into her mouth.

"Keep hanging around here and refusing to leave, and next time it'll be poison I put in there."

Then he patted her cheek, stood, and jerked his chin at the guards.

"Throw her far. Don't let her dirty my sister's wedding."

She flinched again and was dragged back out.

The crying faded farther and farther away, and the hall went dead silent.

My mother-in-law frowned. "Ivy, you take pity on stray dogs off the street. How can you be so cold-blooded to an old woman!"

I smoothed my veil, my voice level.

"A con artist is worth less than a dog, obviously. Do I really need to spell that out?"

She had nothing to say.

The officiant covered the awkwardness and the wedding went on.

But I knew this wedding had already been wrecked by my foster mother.

The banquet had barely started when the story blew up into a trending topic.

The headline was jarring: Foster mother toils for years to raise four orphans, only to have her leg broken by her adopted son and be driven off like a stray dog by her adopted daughter!

The comments erupted.

"Ungrateful animals who repay kindness with hate! They should've been left to rot in the orphanage back then!"

"Right, what good is money? Their hearts are black through and through!"

"The bride's name is Ivy, isn't it? Just wait till they dox you and it all comes back on you!"

My phone kept buzzing. I didn't answer.

Jason threw back one drink after another.

One of his buddies leaned in and asked under his breath, Jason, this thing with your fiance's family is it real? You really can't judge people by their looks. That's cold.

Jason's face went red. He pulled me off to the side.

Ivy, why didn't you tell me about your foster mother beforehand? Now it's blown up like this. Where does that leave the James family's reputation?

I looked up at him.

If you want to call off the engagement, there's still time.

He froze.

His mother rushed over and grabbed him, hissing, Have you lost your mind? This engagement is not being called off!

The reception broke up on a sour note.

But I knew Sheila wouldn't let it go.

Sure enough, first thing the next morning, she planted herself at the entrance of my oldest brother's company.

Security blocked her, and she still put on airs.

I happen to be your chairman's mother! Push me, and I'll have him fire you!

Security ignored her, so she strung up a banner and went live.

I'm Sheila Whitney, and I've got a good heart. I saw four poor children and took them in from the orphanage, raised them with my own two hands, cleaned up after them

And now, every last one of them has turned into a wolf!

She wept like her heart was tearing apart, and pulled up her pant leg to show the vicious scar on her right leg.

The oldest broke my leg and set a dog on me! The second one drove me out of the old house and left me on the streets!

The third is worse. He poisoned me. And even at my youngest daughter's wedding, they were ashamed of me and wouldn't let me come.

Now I'm sick, and not one of my four children cares whether I live or die! Please, help an old woman!

The comments scrolled wildly.

This is disgusting! Even animals wouldn't do something this cold!

Don't cry, ma'am, I'll help you sue them!

Exactly! I've already posted those four ingrates' info online! Everybody pile on!

Sheila watched the comments and cried even harder.

The stream passed a million viewers and shot to number one on the trending topics.

Three days later, with the help of all those strangers online, she took the four of us to court.

On the day of the trial, the courthouse steps were packed with reporters and influencers.

The second we stepped out of the car, rotten vegetables and eggs came flying at our heads.

My oldest brother walked out front, his face blank, egg white dripping down his suit.

My other two brothers flanked me, one on each side.

Inside the courtroom, Sheila was already sitting at the plaintiff's table.

When she saw us come in, she shrank down and ducked behind her lawyer.

The lawyer was young, with a look of righteous outrage.

Sheila's lawyer spoke first.

Your Honor, my client, Ms. Sheila Whitney, adopted four orphans from the orphanage over the years, fifteen years ago. For fifteen years she toiled and suffered, working odd jobs and collecting scrap, to raise these four children to adulthood.

To put them through school, she sold her blood, slept under bridges, ate leftovers out of the trash.

And now, these four have made something of themselves, yet they broke the old woman's leg and threw her out of her home, even set a dog on her!

The gallery erupted, and I spotted Jason and his mother right away.

The judge looked over at us. Do the defendants have anything to say?

My oldest brother stood up, his eyes fixed on Sheila.

Do you dare tell everyone how your leg really got broken?

She stammered.

I I was only trying to get back what was mine, and you broke it!

He let out a cold laugh. What was yours? How would anything of yours be in my home?

My second brother said thoughtfully, True, there's nothing. Although

The corner of his mouth curled up slightly.

Those treasures you kept hidden in the basement of the old house, I've been keeping them for you this whole time.

How is it you never came back to collect them?

At his words, the color drained from Sheila's face in an instant, and her whole body started shaking violently.

No I don't want it I don't want any of it

I broke my own leg. It has nothing to do with them!

The crowd leaned in, whispering.

"What's actually in that basement? To scare him like that?"

"Has to be the old woman's retirement savings. These ungrateful brats even snatched her nest egg away from her. There's no justice in this world!"

My third brother smiled.

"What's down in that basement is a lot more interesting than any retirement fund."

Someone pressed him for more, but Sheila's lips only trembled. She didn't dare say another word.

That was when her card-game friend, Joyce Lawrence, shot up from the gallery and jabbed a finger at my eldest brother's face.

"Allan! You heartless thing! When you had a fever as a kid, who was it that carried you three miles to the hospital? She got blisters on her feet until they bled!"

Allan's eyes stayed cold. "Is that so? Did she also tell you why I had that fever?"

Joyce choked on the answer, then only got louder. "So she shut you up for two days. So what? You'd done something wrong! Boys need a firm hand. Look at you, you turned out fine, didn't you?"

Sheila's lawyer jumped in at once. "Even if my client's methods were on the strict side, it came from love. And the defendants? How did they repay that love?"

He pulled up a video.

On the screen, my eldest brother stood watching Sheila Whitney flee from an attacking guard dog, and did nothing.

My second brother, my third brother and I watched, faces blank, as Sheila fell into a pit and broke her leg.

"The defendants deliberately set the dog on their foster mother, causing her to fall and break her leg. She lay there until she went into shock from blood loss, and only then was she pulled out by a passerby."

"And that pit was a trap the foster son, Allan Dickerson, kept ready for over a decade, all to take his revenge on her!"

The gallery exploded.

"What kind of hatred makes people do something this vicious?"

"Could there be some reason behind it?"

"Reason, my ass. These four are just born bad seeds! They should be dragged out and shot before they poison the whole world!"

A rotten cabbage leaf flew and hit me in the face.

An older woman in the gallery stood and screamed at me, pointing.

"My son must have been blind, to fall for a viper like you!"

"That woman raised you for over ten years! How could you turn on her?"

I wiped the sour slop off my face, expression flat.

"No blood between us. What kind of mother is that?"

At the plaintiff's table Sheila wept pitifully. "Ma'am, please don't blame Ivy. It's my fault, I'm just an embarrassment to her..."

"If she doesn't want to claim me, then fine, she doesn't have to..."

"I only ask that she leave me a way to live. A roof over my head, food to eat..."

People in the gallery began wiping their eyes.

"So cruel. They always say you raise children so they'll care for you in old age, and she can't even fill her stomach."

"Those four animals should cough up every cent and take care of their foster mother!"

"Exactly! Ruin them! Bring them down!"

The scene was completely out of control.

That was when the courtroom doors were shoved open.

A woman in heavy makeup walked in.

"Judge, I'm Ivy Dickerson's birth mother. I have something to say."

All three of my brothers frowned at once.

My head snapped up. What was she doing here?

The courtroom went silent in an instant, every eye fixed on the woman.

She stood in the witness box and looked down at me from above.

"My name is Moira Fox. Twenty years ago, I'm the one who left Ivy at the door of the children's home."

"She was born under a hard sign. Not three months old and she'd already jinxed her own father to death. When she was one, my business went under and I lost everything."

"A fortune-teller told me this girl was a jinx reborn, that whoever raised her would suffer for it. I had no choice. I had to get rid of her."

An uproar swept the gallery.

"She's not about to pull that whole broken-home routine, is she? Trying to shift the blame off her daughter?"

Moira Fox shot me a look of disgust and went on. "I dumped her at the children's home meaning to let her fend for herself, sink or swim. I never expected Sheila Whitney to adopt her."

"Ms. Whitney really is a good woman. She knew full well this girl was cursed to harm her own kin, and she still raised her."

"And who'd have thought she'd raise an ungrateful little snake!"

She turned to look at me, one corner of her mouth curling into a cold smile. The year you turned three, I snuck into the children's home to see you once.

I heard you crying, saying you'd take revenge on everyone who threw you away.

You couldn't find me, so you took it out on your foster mother, Sheila Whitney. Isn't that right?

The moment those words left her mouth, the gallery boiled over.

Holy hell! It's a real-life orphan horror story! Even her own birth mother's come out to nail her!

That fortune-teller was dead-on. That poor foster mother, ending up the sacrifice for some bad seed's revenge on society!

Mrs. James slapped her thigh and wailed. What did our family do to deserve this, bringing a jinx like her through our door!

Jason grabbed her arm. Mom

Don't you hold me back! Mrs. James shook him off and turned to glare at me.

A woman like this, the James family won't have her! You call off this engagement right now!

Jason looked at me, his expression tangled. He opened his mouth, then in the end said nothing.

At the plaintiff's table, Sheila dabbed at fake tears. Moira, don't say any more. Ivy was just confused for a moment

Moira gave a cold laugh. Ms. Whitney, you're just too kind. You gave her your whole heart, and all she ever wanted was to rip your heart out!

A daughter like this, you're better off without her!

Then she added one more thing. Oh, and Judge, this girl's been trouble since she was little. I hear she's living in the city now, off men

You're lying! Bruce shot to his feet.

Am I lying? Moira pulled a photo out of her bag. This is her working at a nightclub. Dressed like that, what is she if not selling herself?

The photo went up on the big screen.

It was me in a gown, standing outside a hotel at a business reception, snapped by someone without my knowing.

But the angle was cruel, and yes, it was the kind of thing that could easily be misread.

God, so that's what she does!

No wonder she looks down on her foster mother. She landed herself a rich man! So filthy!

The filth came at me in waves.

Someone threw a half-finished iced drink and it splattered all over my face.

Something smug flickered in Sheila's eyes.

But she dropped her head at once, wiping her eyes with her sleeve, her voice choking up.

Everyone, stop cursing at Ivy. Maybe she was just driven to it by hard times

The gallery cried out on her behalf.

Ma'am, stop defending her! Bad seeds don't know gratitude!

Right! Make those four ungrateful animals cough up every cent of the estate! For your medical care and your old age!

That's not enough. Throw them in prison!

I sat at the defendant's table and clenched my fists.

Allan patted my shoulder to steady me, then slowly rose to his feet and looked at Sheila.

What are you so pleased about?

Sheila froze. Youwhat did you say?

Allan gave a cold smile. Watching the four of us get cursed at by people who don't know the truththat makes you happy, doesn't it?

Sheila shuddered all over. I didn't

Allan turned to the judge. Your Honor, I request permission to play a video.

Sheila went tense all at once.

Bruce took a flash drive out of his bag and handed it to the bailiff.

But before we play it, Allan looked around the courtroom, his gaze sweeping over all those angry faces, I'd like to ask you all something first.

Do you really believe that we four, brothers and sister, are ungrateful animals?

Someone in the gallery roared. Yes! Animals aren't as cold-blooded as you!

Allan nodded. Good.

I hope you can all hold on to that conviction after you've watched this video.

If, once you've seen it, you still think your insults were fair, then I, Allan Dickerson, will kneel and bow in this courtroom and admit I was wrong.

But if that's not how it is, then I want every one of you to apologize to the four of us!

The video began to play.

But less than three seconds after the picture came up, Sheila's face changed. Broken leg or not, she lunged over, yanked out the flash drive, and threw it out the window.

Her whole body had started to shake.

I'm dropping the caseI don't want anythingjust let me go

The entire courtroom sat stunned.

Allan smiled.

Afraid not.

He turned to look at Bruce.

Bruce fished another flash drive out of his pocket and spun it once between his fingers.

Forgot to mention. This kind of thing? I made a hundred backups.