The Stolen Life- My Mother Gave My Fiancé to Her Favorite Student novel Chapter 8

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The plane touched down in Havenridge City.

Dr. Harrison Smith examined my leg and explained that the injury was severe. While I was lucky the limb had been saved in time, the road to recovery would be long and agonizing.

I wasn’t afraid.

I’d already cheated death once–I had nothing to fear from being alive.

Members of the Voss family came to the hospital to visit me.

Aunt Catherine didn’t say a word–she just pulled me into a tight, warm embrace.

I realized then that some love required no effort to earn.

Samuel Voss rushed over as soon as his meeting ended, accompanied by the twin boys he’d had with his wife, the product of their arranged marriage.

He told me not to carry any guilt.

Being born into this world was never my fault.

He admitted he’d never been a father to a daughter before, and that he would have to learn how to be there

for me.

I stayed quiet the whole time, listening calmly.

The two younger boys were endlessly curious about me.

“Elara, you’re so brave. How could you go to the Middle Eastern conflict zones all alone?”

“Someone filmed the bombing. Dad had the little girl you saved transferred to a relief organization in a

neighboring country.”

When Samuel noticed I was growing tired, he sent the boys home to do their homework.

The treatment was far more unbearable than I’d imagined.

My father hired a team of professional caregivers, nutritionists, and physical therapists to tend to me around the clock.

The family’s housekeepers cooked meals tailored to my tastes every single day, making all kinds of nourishing soups to help me recover.

Eventually, my father asked about my college years.

I couldn’t help but think of how Mom had never sent me living expenses, forcing me to get by on scholarships and part–time jobs.

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To save money, I’d limited myself to spending just twenty dollars a day.

Most mornings, I ate nothing but plain steamed buns and soy milk. For lunch and dinner, I’d bite my pride and

wait in the needy student line.

But I’d never even liked pasta or bread.

I hated the bland, oil–free vegetable dishes and the free seaweed soup that tasted of nothing.

My father let out a heavy, bitter sigh.

He’d never imagined Mom had fled while pregnant with me, nor had he guessed she could be so bitter and

unforgiving.

We had a long, honest talk about the past.

More than twenty years ago, Samuel had tried to bring Mom into his social circle.

But everywhere she went, she’d felt the quiet disdain and judgmental glances of the wealthy, and she’d felt

like a laughingstock.

Samuel wasn’t an irresponsible man. He’d begged her to give him time to convince his family to accept her,

promising they would live separately from the main household after marriage.

Mom refused to listen.

Her pride wouldn’t let her endure such humiliation. Her eyes had filled with tears on the spot. She’d thrown a

glass of water in his face and stormed away, never looking back.

My grandmother had come from a prominent, old–money family. She would never tolerate a woman with no family or status publicly humiliating her eldest son.

A few days later, she tracked down Mom and handed her a bank card.

“The position of Mrs. Voss is not for a girl from a small town like you,” she’d said coldly. “Be smart. Take the

money and leave. Don’t overestimate yourself.”

Mom’s pent–up frustration and rage boiled over at those words.

“Don’t think you can trample on other people’s feelings just because you have money! I’ll never marry, but I’ll never take your family’s tainted cash!”

The two argued fiercely, screaming at each other.

In her heightened emotion, Mom snapped and shoved my grandmother hard.

My grandmother had a heart condition. She collapsed to the ground, clutching her chest and gasping for air, begging Mom to call 911.

But terrified of getting into serious trouble, Mom grabbed the bank card and fled Havenridge City in the

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middle of the night.

She cut off all contact with Samuel, and not long after, she discovered she was pregnant with me.

I faintly remembered my grandmother on my mother’s side mentioning that after college, Mom had grown

extremely sensitive. Any mention of family bloodline and social standing would set her off in an instant.

Back on the Voss side, my grandmother hadn’t received medical help quickly enough, leaving her with severe,

permanent health complications.

A month later, she passed away.

Before she died, she left a final wish: Samuel was forbidden from ever marrying Mom. If he did, she would be

barred from being buried in the Voss family mausoleum.

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