The Adopted Daughter Was My Husband and Sister's, So I Raged

My husband ran through every cent we had, ignoring every warning I gave him, and the daughter we'd adopted was crying, begging me not to file for divorce.

My parents talked me down. The child is still little. Stop rattling her with all this divorce talk.

My sister blocked my way. Cel, if you divorce him, the new home Kay finally has falls apart all over again. It'll break her heart.

My best friend said, "Money can be earned back. But if you actually go through with the divorce, Kay is going to spiral into depression."

My husband, aching for our daughter too, promised me he'd settle down and live right from now on.

But the year our daughter graduated from college, the money we'd rebuilt was gone again, blown by my husband.

I couldn't take it anymore and asked for a divorce. He just told me, "No need. Our marriage certificate is fake."

Our daughter had known all of it for years. My sister leaned into my husband's arms.

"Thank you, Cel, for working yourself to the bone raising the daughter my love and I had together so beautifully!"

My parents laid out the truth. "The thing is, Kay is your and Dustin's child, Laura. We didn't tell you back then because we didn't want to hurt you."

My best friend pleaded with me, all patient reason. "At least you didn't have to give birth to her, and she's called you Mom for over twenty years. It's not like you came out behind."

Only later did I learn my husband never lost a dime. He'd simply transferred everything over to Laura.

All of it. Every person closest to me knew, and every one of them kept the truth from me under the excuse that it was for my own good.

Given the chance to do it again, I threw the paternity test in their faces and tore the ugly masks right off them.

"Mom, please, I'm begging you, don't divorce Dad, okay?"

"I finally have a dad and a mom. I don't want you two to split up. I don't want to be a kid with no parents again. Don't send me back to the group home."

Kay Simmons clung to my leg, sobbing like her heart was being ripped out.

She sniffled hard and kept wailing.

"The other kids at the group home bully me. They steal my food, and they lock me in a bathroom stall and throw water on me."

"Mom, I'm really scared. Please, Mom, don't divorce him. Don't throw me away."

"If you and Dad divorce and neither of you can look after me, I'll end up back in that place. I don't want to go back. I want a home of my own."

That pitiful little picture would tug at anyone's heart.

The old me would have ached for her too.

But now, looking at this face that carried a trace of my own sister Laura's, I didn't dare ache for her anymore.

Coldly, I pried Kay off my leg.

"There's no money left. We don't even have a place to live, and we can't afford to keep you. Sending you back is the best thing for you."

"You'll be far better off at the group home than staying with us. If you don't want to go back, you can go with your dad."

Kay dropped down onto the floor and cried louder.

"No, I won't go back, I want to stay with Mom and Dad!"

Dustin Simmons pulled her up, all tenderness.

Then he came over to me, head hanging, and owned up to his mistake.

"Celine Swanson, I really know I was wrong."

"I shouldn't have gone against your warnings and made that investment. I lost everything, even the house."

"For the child's sake, just give me one more chance. I won't ever do it again."

Very convincing acting. Who would ever guess the sincere apology he was handing me was all a performance?

At that exact moment, a rapid knocking sounded at the door.

Kay ran to open the door, still crying.

My father scooped up Kay, whose face was streaked with tears and snot, and frowned at me in reproach.

"Cel, you're a grown woman. What kind of person scares a little child like this?"

"Dustin made a bad call and lost some money. It's a small thing. Is there really any need to blow it up into a divorce?"

My mother scolded him. "Don't yell at her. She's going through something like this, of course she's upset."

Then she came over to me, all comfort.

"Cel, Mom understands how you feel. But have you thought about Kay? You only brought her home a little while ago. She's just started to feel a mother's and father's love."

"She finally has a happy family like this, and now it's all going to vanish overnight? She's still so young. How is she supposed to handle a shock like that?"

"You couldn't have children yourself, that's why you chose to adopt. Once you adopt, you should treat her well and give her a good life."

Laura Swanson nodded along in agreement. "Right, sis. This child has a bond with you. She even looks a little like you, and she loves clinging to you."

"Can you really bear to send her back to the group home? Let her grow up in a place that miserable?"

My best friend Sapphire Perry arrived on the scene, out of breath.

She stopped me at the top of her voice. "Divorce is absolutely out of the question!"

"Money's gone, you can earn it back! You just adopted a daughter as adorable as Kay. Can you really bear to send her back?"

"Do you have any idea what treating Kay like this will do to her? She'll get depressed! You can't abuse a fragile child!"

The people closest to me, sure enough. They were perfectly in sync.

In sync when they deceived me, in sync when they guilt-tripped me.

In sync even in this: not one of them would think of me, not one would speak up for me.

They knew I was kind. They knew I gave in easily. They knew I loved children.

They said all this because they were certain that, for the child's sake, I would stay in this marriage.

In my last life I gave them exactly what they wanted. I walked straight into the net they'd woven for me.

I suffered gladly at Dustin's side, stayed with him while he clawed his way back up, wore myself out raising Kay.

Until Kay grew up. Until Dustin made his name.

Then, behind my back, they seized the fruit I had planted and took it all for themselves.

Before that, Laura had already been trading looks with Dustin on the sly. The whole family had even married the two of them off, keeping it from me.

My dear best friend was one of the accomplices too, because she and Laura had long since become close as sisters.

Dustin lied to me about going bankrupt. In truth, he had already transferred every asset into the name of his lawful wife, Laura.

Kay would often reunite with her real parents in secret.

They used the money I had worked so hard to earn to buy a house for their family, and I was kept completely in the dark.

My parents had indulged everything Laura did, all her life, fobbing me off with the excuse that if I found out and got upset, I might hurt Laura.

Afraid I wouldn't accept Kay, they had even forged medical records saying I couldn't have children.

The moment I learned the truth, my mind went off like a bomb.

I honored my parents. I was a good daughter, a good sister, a good wife. And this was what it got me.

Cheated for decades, I stood there crying, asking my parents why they had done this to me.

Instead they turned it on me. "You've been jealous since you were little. You could never stand seeing your sister happier than you. Of course you'd never have handed your fianc over to her."

"But you knew the two of them were in love, so we had no choice but to keep it from you. What if you lost it again and shoved your sister off a balcony?"

"Kay's all grown up now. Things are what they are. It's time you gave your sister's daughter back. Stop clinging to people and things that were never yours."

Since when was I the one who stole Laura's child? They were the ones who favored her from the start.

From the day Laura was born, she got the best of everything, and I got whatever she didn't want.

I voiced one complaint to my parents, and in their eyes that made me jealous, made me the sister who couldn't stand seeing Laura do well.

And I never pushed Laura down any stairs. They'd all seen the video. She threw herself down to frame me.

Yet somehow, in the end, every last thing was my fault.

Dustin gripped my hand, gazing at me with all that tender feeling.

"Baby, the investment failed. That was my mistake. I promise you, I'll work hard and earn it back. I'll give you and our child a good life."

"From now on I'll do exactly what you say. You point east, I won't go west. You tell me no more investing, and I'll never touch it again."

"For Kay's sake, baby, forgive me this once. Give me one last chance, and let's build a good life together."

I looked into those eyes, so full of feeling.

Those same eyes had looked at me that way for decades in my last life.

I truly believed he loved me, that he was the one person who would never betray me.

Five years together. He knew my parents favored Laura, knew how hard my childhood had been.

So he promised me all his love would be mine, promised to be good to me for the rest of my life.

And in the end, before we ever married, he got tangled up with my own sister.

He hid it from me, went and got a real marriage certificate with her, and had a child.

And to make me raise their child, he teamed up with my parents to fake a medical record for me.

The whole thing was almost funny.

I thought it to myself, bitter.

The best friend I thought I had, and the husband who swore me a lifetime, were all in on it with my family.

Looking at it now, they were the ones who were family.

But I saw it clearly now.

Even if I stood in front of them and tore off their false faces, they would never admit it.

I'd only tip them off and put them on their guard.

I wanted my money back.

I wanted to throw the evidence in their faces and drag their dirty deeds into the open.

They didn't want me to have a good life. They didn't care about me.

So why should I keep thinking about them? Why go on being the fool they cheated?

Looking into Dustin's eyes, I said calmly,

"That money took us years of hard work to earn. A million and a half is not a small amount."

"This whole thing has shaken me badly. Give me time to think it over quietly."

Dustin relaxed considerably.

"Sweetheart, I know. I understand how you feel right now."

"Take your time and think it through. While you do, I'll prove with my actions that I'm serious about turning over a new leaf."

Mom and Dad let out a breath too.

"You two work things out and build a good life together. Dustin's a decent man. If you really divorce him, you'll regret it."

"That's right. Dustin's a wonderful son-in-law, and he's sure to change. And the two of you mustn't shortchange the child."

Of course they knew Dustin was a good son-in-law.

After all, Dustin had taken the money I'd worked so hard to earn and used it to give their beloved younger daughter a good life.

Laura shot Dustin a meaningful look.

"Dustin, Kay must have gotten quite a shock today. Keep a close eye on her feelings."

"She's sensitive and tends to overthink things. You should buy her a little gift to cheer her up."

Dustin nodded in agreement.

Before, I'd never thought there was anything between them.

Now it looked exactly like a mother reminding the father at home to take good care of their child.

Sapphire turned her head to remind me too.

"Cel, be angry all you want, but the child is still so young. Something like today can easily leave her with psychological problems."

"You should sit down and talk her through it later. I'm her godmother, after all. I'm really worried about her."

Kay jumped in to speak up for me.

"It's okay, I'm strong!"

"I know it's Daddy's fault. I won't blame Mommy."

"And I won't cause trouble for Daddy and Mommy. I'll be good."

Everyone's attention shifted to her, and they fell over each other praising what a sensible, good child she was.

They even said how lucky I was to have adopted a good, sensible child like Kay.

It was such an irony.

Laura had won the love of every one of them.

And even her daughter could win everyone's love just as easily.

I said nothing. I took the chance to collect hair samples from Kay, Dustin, and Laura for a paternity test.

Before the results came back, Dustin really did change, just like he'd said.

Kay was sweet and well-behaved, terrified of upsetting me.

Laura envied our happy, quiet life.

Seeing our family so harmonious, Mom and Dad were greatly relieved too.

Only I knew none of it was real.

They only wanted to squeeze every last drop of use out of me.

The day the paternity results came in, I called the whole family together for dinner.

Dustin wouldn't let me tire myself out and bustled around the kitchen, with Kay helping beside him.

My mom saw it and said with a smile, "Look at that father and daughter, getting along so well."

My dad nodded along beside her.

Laura hugged my arm. "Sis, you're so lucky, finding a husband like Dustin! And raising such a cute, sweet daughter!"

Sapphire teased, "If only he had a younger brother, then he could marry Laura, and the families would be doubly tied together!"

I let out a cold laugh.

And tossed the two paternity reports onto the table.

"Dustin doesn't even need a brother. He's already doubly tied to my sister! If he had a brother, would the two of them both have kids with her?"

Everyone in the room froze at my words.

Laura's smile vanished in an instant. Puzzled, she asked, "Sis, what's that supposed to mean?"

I looked at her coldly, and smiled faintly. "Exactly what it sounds like."

"You already have a child together, you're already married. What are you putting on this act for?"

Mom and Dad stared at the paternity reports, stunned. They'd never imagined I would find out.

My mom opened her mouth to explain, and a knock at the door cut her off.

I walked over and opened it. Police officers stood outside.

"Excuse me, who filed the report? Is the amount involved in the fraud one point six eight million? Are there any suspicious persons here?"