Marilyn had dropped another bombshell of a news.
She had claimed that Renae Guzman, the child of the President's daughter Yuri, was not a part of the Guzman family's bloodline.
What was going on?
In Zaewora, women are often seen as inferior. Usually, only men would dare to be unfaithful. If a woman dared to cheat on a man, the consequences would be severe. At best, she might be publicly shamed. At worst, she could be beaten to death.
The fact that the Guzman family had not beaten her to death was already the epitome of benevolence and righteousness.
Yet, Yuri had the audacity to come out here and talk about defending women's rights.
Such irony.
“Impossible, you're slandering me!” Yuri paled as she faced the furious Marilyn. “I know you've never liked me, but you can't insult me—slander me— like this. I've never even had a boyfriend growing up, let alone had any contact with any man other than Yosef!”
“Yuri, why are you pretending to be such a pure woman?” Marilyn rolled her eyes. Contempt was written all over her face. “You cheated on the very night of your wedding!”
“I didn't! I clearly spent my wedding night with Yosef.” Yuri defended herself, “We are husband and wife. It's perfectly normal for us to be together.”
“Are you kidding me? You thought that man was my son? Let me tell you: he's not! By the time my son entered the room, you had already been defiled by that man!” Marilyn scolded harshly. “On the night of my son's wedding, you cheated on him and humiliated him. What a heartless woman you are.”
As she hollered, tears were streaming down her cheeks. “Everyone, tell me, what kind of lowlife is this? My son tried to stop that stranger, but what happened in the end? That man just fled!”
“How could that be possible?”
Yuri's mind was blank as Marilyn's shrill voice constantly echoed in her ears. “N-No, it can't be. It's not true... That man was clearly Yosef.”
“Do you really think you're pure and innocent?” Marilyn scoffed. “You found yourself a man out of wedlock, yet you still won't admit it, even after all these years. All this while, the Guzman family has been enduring the burden of humiliation, all because you are the President's daughter. We didn't hold it against you, but look at you, you even ran away from the Guzman family.”
After a brief pause, Marilyn concluded, “Renae, that daughter of yours, has never been my son's.”
Yuri swayed slightly as tears streamed down her cheeks. She slumped to the ground, kneeling in a state of total exhaustion. All the strength she had shown just a moment ago left her body.
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