My Great Escape Led Me to You (Emily Blair) novel Chapter 1018

Emma couldn’t think straight. Mrs. Austin’s words hit her so hard she almost forgot how to breathe. All she could manage was, “No, really, it’s not like that…”

Mrs. Austin glared, her voice sharp and unforgiving. “What, you think now that Isabella’s gone, I’m so desperate that I’ll believe anything you say? If you tell me Emily Blair is my daughter, I’m just supposed to accept it? Treat her the way I treated Isabella? Just hand everything over to her like it means nothing?”

She leaned in, her eyes blazing. “Do you honestly think I’m that gullible? That I’ll just swallow whatever you feed me?”

Emma’s lips felt painfully dry. Her voice barely came out. “Emily Blair really is your daughter. I swear I’m not lying.”

Mrs. Austin’s anger only grew. “Are you so heartless that you won’t stop until our family is completely destroyed?”

Emma’s face turned pale. “That’s not true,” she whispered.

She looked desperately at Emily standing behind Mr. and Mrs. Austin. Emily’s face was calm, almost cold, as if none of this had anything to do with her. She didn’t try to help. Emma felt even more lost, panic making her mind go completely blank. She glanced at Emily, then back at the Austins, but their eyes were full of so much hatred she couldn’t meet their gaze.

Mrs. Austin let out a bitter laugh. “This is just ridiculous. Absolutely ridiculous.”

Emma tried to speak, but nothing came out.

Mrs. Austin pressed on, her words like knives. “You know, if you’d picked literally any other woman, maybe I’d believe you. But you had to say Emily Blair. That just shows how greedy you two are. As if pushing Isabella to her death wasn’t enough, now you’ve set your sights on everything the Austin family has. It’s disgusting. Are you even human? You’re not even as decent as animals.”

Emma was shaking, stung by every word. She finally forced herself to speak. “That’s not true. I’m not lying, I’m telling the truth. Please, you don’t have to insult us like this…”

Emma’s eyes darted away. She didn’t answer.

Mr. Austin narrowed his eyes, clearly picking up on the truth.

Mrs. Austin spoke again, her voice final. “I’m telling you now. I will never make peace with Emily Blair. I will never forgive her. And I will never accept her as my daughter.”

Emma refused to give up. “But she is your real daughter. Why can’t you believe me? If you don’t, you can do a DNA test with her. The results will prove I’m telling the truth.”

Mrs. Austin and her husband exchanged a long look. Something unspoken settled between them, heavy and strange.