Chapter 59: Elena Ward Suddenly Laughed

Elena Ward suddenly laughed. It started as a soft chuckle, then escalated into hysterical laughter. Tears streamed down her face as her body trembled uncontrollably.

"So that's it... That explains everything..." she murmured to herself.

Grace Cooper pulled Elena into a tight embrace, her voice shaking. "Elena, don't listen to her nonsense! You're my real sister, Mom and Dad's own daughter!" She clung to Elena desperately, as if letting go would make her disappear.

Vanessa Ward grew frustrated—this wasn't how she had imagined things would go. She had expected Grace to immediately kick this illegitimate child out of the house upon learning the truth.

"Second Sister, I'm telling the truth!" Vanessa stomped her foot in agitation. "I heard Grandma and Dad talking about it myself! Elena is the child of that urban service volunteer from back then. Her real mother died in childbirth. Even Amy Miller, the women's director, knows about this!"

Elena slowly lifted her head from Grace's arms, her gaze eerily calm. "Second Sister, I believe her."

Grace's heart clenched. "Elena..."

"All these years, I've known how Grandma and Uncle treated me," Elena said softly, each word cutting like a knife. "How many nights did I lie in that tiny shed next to the pigpen, breathing in the stench, listening to the pigs squeal, wondering—am I really a Ward?"

Grace burst into tears. "It's not like that..."

Vanessa yanked Grace away triumphantly. "See, Second Sister? She admits it herself! Why are you still protecting this ungrateful wretch?"

Henry Cooper, sensing the tension, quickly ushered the children out of the room.

"Get out!" Grace suddenly roared, shoving Vanessa away. "You're not welcome in this house!"

Vanessa staggered back. "Second Sister! I'm your real sister! How could you—"

But Elena stopped Grace. "Let her finish. I want to know the truth."

Grace looked at her sister's icy expression and felt her heart shatter. They had kept this secret for so long, all to protect her...

"Elena..." Grace's voice trembled.

"Sister, you can't hide the truth forever," Elena said calmly. "Even if you don't tell me today, I can just ask Amy Miller myself."

Vanessa seized the opportunity to stir the pot. "Second Sister, look at her! The moment she finds out she's not blood-related, she's already thinking about finding her real father! What kind of heartless—"

Elena smirked coldly. "Vanessa, save your theatrics. I've already died once—what else is there to fear?"

"Died once?" Grace grabbed Elena's shoulders. "What do you mean?"

Elena took a deep breath. "A few days ago, Grandma forced me to go work in the city. When I refused, she beat me half to death. The next day, I was so hungry I made myself a bowl of noodles, and she screamed at me for being a freeloader..."

She recounted the events of that day with chilling composure. By the time she mentioned jumping into the reservoir, Grace was sobbing uncontrollably.

"If Captain Stone hadn't saved me, you'd be looking at my corpse right now," Elena said quietly. "So trust me—there's nothing I can't handle."

Grace pulled her into a crushing embrace, weeping bitterly. "It's all my fault... I should have protected you better..."

Now she understood why Elena had changed. The timid, meek girl she once knew had died the moment she plunged into that water.

"We sent Grandma nineteen dollars every month!" Grace choked out between sobs. "Just so you wouldn't suffer... How could they... How could they..."

Elena gently patted her sister's back, but her eyes grew colder by the second.

So her origins truly were a lie.