Chapter 460

The look on Grace’s face suddenly froze, like she didn’t see Allison’s question coming. She looked a bit startled, a bit flustered, and she didn’t turn away immediately, as if she couldn’t bear to look at Allison directly. She stammered, “What are you talking about, Allie? Why would you ask me something like that?”

Allison looked at Grace’s face. “Mom, don’t you think you’re a bit too fond of Penelope? Even when we lived with the Flanagan family, you were always looking after Penelope. And now, we’ve left the Flanagan’s, you don’t work for them anymore, so we have nothing to do with them.”

“Allie, I just…” Grace didn’t expect Allison to pop the question. She tried to explain, but she couldn’t find the right words.

Allison sighed, but instead of avoiding the topic as before, she asked, “Mom, am I really your daughter?”

This was a question she’d doubted for a long time. Deep down, she already knew the answer. But she wanted to hear it from Grace herself.

Grace’s face turned an even paler shade, looking quite odd. Her lips moved, her body shook violently, and she looked deep into Allison’s eyes as if she wanted to say something but couldn’t. A sharp pain shot through her heart. She clutched at her chest, gasping for air and bending over.

Allison immediately went to support her, “Mom, are you okay?”

Grace held onto Allison’s hand tightly. “Allie…”

“Mom…” Allison looked at her mother’s pale face, guilt and torment filled her heart. “I’m sorry, Mom. I was too impulsive today. You must rest.”

“Allie, it’s my fault. I’m sorry.” Grace held onto Allison’s hand tightly. “Allie, please don’t blame me. I’m sorry.”

As Grace spoke, tears slowly trickled down her face. Then she said something that left Allison frozen. “I didn’t want to keep it from you, but you’re not my biological daughter.”

Allison stiffened, and her face turned pale. She had mentally prepared for this answer, so she didn’t show too much shock. Still, when she heard Grace admit it, she couldn’t hide her heartache and despair.

Normally, Allison would’ve asked who her biological mother was. Grace was ready for that. But what Allison asked instead was, “Then what’s your relationship with Penelope?”

Grace’s pupils contracted, and her lips were dry. “I… am her…”

She felt guilty and heartbroken, facing a secret she had hidden for more than twenty years. And she was revealing this secret to Allison.

Grace thought that this secret would depart with her. At this moment, facing Allison, all past lies were exposed. Her guilt towards Allison reached its peak because it was her impulsive decision back then to switch her own daughter Penelope with Leah’s daughter Allison.

She seemed to age a decade in a moment; already thin and pale from illness, she now looked even more haggard, and her lips lost their color. She looked at Allison, tears in her eyes. “I’ve been living with guilt and torment these past twenty years, Allie, I’m sorry.”

Allison opened her mouth but didn’t know what to say.

“Twenty-three years ago, Christopher married Leah, but at that time, I still had a secret relationship with Christopher. I was married to Joshua, but we lived in the same mansion, so it was inevitable that I would meet Christopher. I hated Leah. She stole Christopher from me. Christopher and I were in love for many years, and if it weren’t for Leah’s interference, Christopher and I would be a happy family now.

It could be said that I acted out of vengeance, I secretly hooked up with Christopher, and I got pregnant, at which time Leah was also pregnant, and because I gave birth prematurely, our pregnancy times coincided.”

Allison seemed to have guessed what was coming next. She was shaking uncontrollably.