The Best Revenge It Wasn't Even Your Child novel Chapter 7

Before anyone in the living room could react, footsteps echoed down from upstairs.

Lance’s mother, Belinda, hurried down the stairs. Even though she was nearly fifty, she looked incredible, like someone in her thirties. She had just a red shawl draped around her shoulders, completely unfazed by the freezing temperature outside as she made her way to the door.

The blinding car headlights finally switched off, letting Catherine see clearly at last. Lance had arrived, and right beside him was Adelina.

Belinda, who had always kept her distance from Catherine, was now letting Adelina loop her arm through hers. The two of them looked close, almost like family. Lance was smiling, pulling shopping bags from the trunk, just waiting while the women caught up.

Catherine felt a sharp pang in her chest. The scene made her squirm. She looked away, suddenly wishing she could disappear. He had brought his new girlfriend home, so what was she still doing here? She had no idea how to act in this moment.

But leaving now wasn’t an option. She was stuck right where she was, and meeting them head-on was unavoidable.

“Has Lance not been taking care of you? You look like you’ve lost weight,” Belinda called out as she got closer. “If he’s treating you badly, how am I supposed to explain to the Green family?”

The sound of high heels clicked on the floor as Adelina laughed softly. “My mom only worries I’ll distract Lance from his work, she doesn’t care if I lose weight. Honestly, it’s like we were switched at birth. You two never pay attention to your own kids, you only care about each other’s!”

Belinda burst out laughing and patted Adelina’s hand. Their lighthearted chitchat filled the air, but it stopped the instant they stepped into the living room.

Lance followed behind, shopping bags in hand. The moment he saw Catherine, he froze, his brow knitting together. The happy, relaxed mood in the room vanished all at once.

It was obvious. Catherine was the only one who didn’t belong here. She was the interruption.

“Grandpa, Grandma, Lance and I just got back from Apex. I brought gifts for you,” Adelina said, standing up and handing out shopping bags to each member of the family.

Sophia barely glanced at Adelina as she accepted her gift. She just muttered, “Thanks,” and set it aside.

Ableson and Fiona, as the elders of the family, and with Adelina being practically their future granddaughter-in-law, exchanged a few polite words with her.

“I knew you’d like these,” Adelina said brightly. “Looks like I picked the right things. I’ll be traveling abroad with Lance a lot more, so I’ll keep bringing you back souvenirs.”

She handed the last shopping bag to Belinda.