Chapter 88

Chapter 88:

Elaine and Glenn arrived at Kristine’s hospital room just as Josie started complaining loudly, “Mr. and Mrs. Johns, you arrived just in time! Madisyn just pushed Kristine to the floor and walked away! Even after everything, she still wouldn’t leave Kristine alone!”

Elaine’s expression darkened, her usual gentle demeanor now cold and serious. “Is this true?” she asked, her voice filled with disappointment.

Kristine felt a small wave of satisfaction. Maybe her parents were finally siding with her again. “Yes,” she replied, her tone weak and filled with fake sorrow. “Madisyn wanted me to lie and say she hadn’t hurt me, but when I refused, she pushed me down.”

Josie chimed in, “If I hadn’t come in, who knows what would have happened!”

Glenn’s face remained emotionless, but his piercing gaze filled the room with a tension that made Kristine nervous. For once, she thought she had finally won—Madisyn was about to face the consequences.

Then, Elaine spoke again, her voice unusually calm but chilling. “Kristine, you’ve really let me down.”

The words hit Kristine like a blow. Confusion clouded her expression as she stared at her mother in disbelief. “W-What?” she stammered.

Elaine continued, “You need to reflect on your actions. Until then, you cannot come home.” The coldness in her voice left no room for argument.

Kristine’s smug satisfaction drained away in an instant. She had never expected her mother, who had always been supportive, to turn against her. Glenn’s silent but disapproving stare was even worse.

Without saying another word, Elaine and Glenn turned and walked out of the room, leaving Kristine in utter shock.

“Elaine Johns!” Kristine shouted, her voice filled with desperation. Elaine paused at the door but didn’t turn back.

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“I know I’m not your real daughter,” Kristine said, her voice trembling. “But you always promised to treat me like I was! Ever since Madisyn returned, you’ve favored her. And now, after she hurt me, you blame me? How is that fair?”

Elaine finally turned to face her. “Is that really what you think? Kristine, we know what you’ve done.”

“What have I done?” Kristine spat, her voice bitter. “Everything I do is wrong to you, while everything Madisyn touches turns to gold, doesn’t it?”

Elaine’s eyes filled with sadness, and Glenn’s face hardened even further. “Kristine,” he said with finality, “we’ve allowed this behavior for far too long. Take care.”

And with that, they left.

Josie was visibly upset. “Their favoritism is outrageous!” she fumed.

Kristine felt a mix of anger and despair. They were supposed to take her side. How could everything go so wrong? Tears streamed down her face as she lay in bed, feeling utterly defeated. Just then, her phone buzzed with a trending news alert.

Kristine, too upset to care at first, absentmindedly glanced at the screen. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw the headline: The Truth Behind Kristine’s Fall?

Her hands shook as she unlocked her phone and opened the article. What she saw made her blood run cold—a live stream from the hospital had exposed the entire conversation between her and Madisyn. The world now knew that Kristine had tried to frame Madisyn.

“No, no, no…” she whispered in disbelief, tapping on the video. As she watched the footage, it felt like her entire world was crumbling. Everything she had schemed, everything she had planned, was now laid bare for everyone to see.

Josie, noticing her distress, peeked over Kristine’s shoulder and saw the video too. Her expression shifted from anger to unease as she watched Kristine’s cruel and manipulative words play out in real time. “Kristine, is this real?” she whispered, horrified.

Kristine couldn’t respond. Her mind raced, her breath quickened. How had Madisyn managed to stream the entire conversation? She hadn’t noticed anything unusual.

Madisyn set me up! Kristine thought, seething with rage. But there was no denying the truth now. Everyone knew she had tried to sabotage her sister.

Josie, feeling deeply uncomfortable, quietly left the room.

“Bang!”

The sound of objects being smashed echoed through the hallway as Kristine, overwhelmed with anger and despair, began throwing things in her room. Her carefully constructed plan had completely fallen apart. Now, all she could do was scream into the silence.

Why had everything gone so wrong?

Meanwhile, Elaine and Glenn had likely seen the live stream too, and Kristine now understood why they had treated her so coldly.

Her real nightmare was just beginning.

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