Chapter 530

Irene sneered, "Did you hear that? Yorick and I were childhood sweethearts. We grew up together, completely devoted to each other. Your mother, flaunting her money, thought Yorick would fall for her, but he never gave her the time of day."

Sanford, disbelief written all over his face, demanded of Liora, "Mom, is she telling the truth?"

Liora nodded and said, "It's true."

Sanford still couldn't believe it. Gripping Liora’s shoulders, he said, “Don’t be afraid, Mom. All the suffering and injustice you’ve endured over the years, I’ll get justice for you. That over 3 million dollars from back then would be worth at least 30 million in assets today. We should take back what’s rightfully ours.”

Liora shook her head and said, "I gave that money to Yorick willingly, for his treatment. But more than that, it was my self-imposed punishment, the price I paid for trying to come between them."

Sanford, still refusing to believe it, jabbed a finger at his own face and demanded, "What about me? Then who on earth am I the child of?"

His question was what everyone was most concerned about right now.

Liora lowered her head, unable to meet Sanford’s gaze. In the heavy silence, she nodded and said, "Sanford, you are Yorick's flesh and blood."

Irene snapped, "Nonsense. That's utterly impossible. You're twisting the facts again. Yorick told me himself he had nothing to do with you, and I trust my husband."

Liora said, "I drugged Yorick back then. I just wanted to have his child before I left. Even if I never told him, I was prepared to raise this child alone for the rest of my life."

"Outrageous," Irene shrieked, completely losing it. She buried her face in her hands, sobbing, then suddenly lunged at Liora like a madwoman, clawing at her. Irene shouted, "Why did you do this? Yorick was never yours to begin with. Did you think that secretly having his child would get you everything you wanted? I was the one who knew him first. Why did you have to give birth to my husband’s child? Who the hell do you think you are, Liora? What gives you the right? Why do you have to ruin my life all over again?"

Irene’s emotions had completely spiraled out of control. After Jonathan pried her away, she collapsed limply to the floor, utterly drained.

Liora offered no resistance the entire time, simply letting Sanford check on her condition.

Jonathan steadied Irene as he helped her up from the floor and settled her into a chair. Then he fixed his penetrating gaze on Liora in the hospital bed. He demanded, "Since you deliberately schemed to get pregnant back then, does that mean my dad was completely unaware of it?"

Liora glanced at Jonathan, noting how much he resembled Yorick, yet carried himself with even more poise and determination, his eyes deeper and more resolute. She let out a faint hum of acknowledgment and nodded.

Jonathan said, "So if my father was completely unaware, then he couldn’t have ‘abandoned his wife and child,’ could he? And as you just admitted, the money was given willingly. So there was no extortion by my mother, either. Is that so?"

Faced with Jonathan’s calm yet piercing words, Liora pressed her lips together.

Sanford snapped, "Jonathan, don't you dare threaten my mom."

Jonathan sneered, "Exactly which part of what I said was a threat to her?"

Liora reached out and tugged at Sanford's hand, then gripped it lightly. Looking at Jonathan, she said, "You two have to fight out my doing. I was the one at fault from the very beginning. All of this is my doing.”

Liora looked at Irene with pleading, tear-filled eyes and said, “Do whatever you want to me, I deserve it. But please, don’t take it out on Sanford. He truly knew nothing about this, and I never imagined he’d cause such a storm online. For Yorick’s sake, please, just spare Sanford.”

As she spoke, Liora turned to Jonathan, her tearful gaze growing even more piteous and vulnerable, silently pleading for his sympathy.