My Great Escape Led Me to You (Emily Blair) novel Chapter 956

Elizabeth Wilson was the kind of friend you could always count on. She didn’t hesitate to spill everything she knew about what happened yesterday, holding nothing back.

As Emily Blair watched, Elizabeth’s expression shifted from calm to a flicker of surprise, then to outright shock—her eyes wide, her breath quickening, disbelief etched across her face. She seemed to question if she was dreaming, half-tempted to slap herself awake, before finally going numb.

In the end, Elizabeth had to brace herself against the wall, waving Emily off as she bent over, face buried in her hands, silently reeling at the absurdity of it all.

The office fell into an uneasy silence that stretched for at least five minutes.

During that time, Emily took a few sips of water, her face unreadable, waiting patiently for Elizabeth to recover her composure.

Eventually, Elizabeth straightened up, gave herself a brisk pat on the head, then on the cheeks, as if to clear her mind. “Wait, wait… Did I just hear you right?”

Emily glanced at her. “I’m not my mother’s biological daughter…”

“Stop, just stop.”

Elizabeth pressed her forehead against the wall. “Give me another minute. I need to calm down. Just… let me process this…”

Another five minutes ticked by before Elizabeth, still covering her face, spoke up. “I’m honestly not sure if I heard you correctly. Can you say it again?”

Emily’s voice didn’t waver. “Isabella Austin is my mom’s real niece. I’m the biological daughter of Isabella Austin’s parents.”

Elizabeth clutched her head with a dramatic groan. “Oh my god, are you serious? How is this even possible? No, no way. Are you sure you’re not dreaming? Am I dreaming?”

“We’re both wide awake,” Emily replied coolly.

Elizabeth stumbled to the couch, threw herself face-down into the cushions, and raised her hand in surrender. “I give up. I’m done…”

Meanwhile, Emily sat behind her desk, back to work as if nothing had happened.

Elizabeth lay there motionless for several minutes before flipping over to stare at the ceiling, her face a picture of bewilderment.

Elizabeth frowned. “But why do I still feel kind of pissed off about all this?”

Emily looked up at her. “What’s bothering you?”

Elizabeth crossed her arms and gazed out the window. “Everything Isabella Austin has—her privileged life, her family name—that should have been yours, you know? She was supposed to be on our level, but because of the Austins’ influence, she kept skipping grades and graduated years before we did… Oh! And wasn’t Isabella’s ID a year older than ours? The Austins must’ve had it changed for her, right?”

“Maybe,” Emily replied.

Elizabeth shook her head, making a tsking sound. “Families like that really play by their own rules. You went through so much growing up—honestly, that was supposed to be Isabella’s life, not yours. Not only did she take your place, she bullied you for years. Looking back, it’s clear how much she stole from you.”

Emily lifted her head.

After a moment’s thought, she answered with unexpected fairness. “I wouldn’t say she stole it, exactly. We were both just babies back then—neither of us could change anything. If anyone did the stealing, it was Adelaide George. And honestly, the Austins aren’t exactly winning awards for parenting. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have raised someone like Isabella. If I’d grown up in that house, you might be hating me right now. I’m just glad I got to be raised by the parents I have. Really, I couldn’t ask for more.”