Chapter 1006:

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His voice grew heavier. “She seemed different that day, much quieter than usual. Still, she had dinner with me like nothing was wrong and left afterward as usual.”

Adrian paused briefly. “But I had a bad feeling about it. So I told my mother. She stayed silent for a long time before telling me not to worry. She said she’d handle everything.”

His eyes turned cold. “Not long after that, news broke that Etta had suffered a stroke. Recently, after uncovering the truth about my identity, I followed that lead and investigated further.”

Then he continued in a low voice, “After returning from Dranland, Etta secretly arranged for a paternity test. But the report never made it into anyone else’s hands. I believe my mother intercepted it.”

The air grew heavy with silence. “To keep my identity hidden, my mother chose the most extreme solution and silenced Etta. But Mike witnessed everything and confronted her. During the struggle, she was pushed down the stairs.”

Adrian slowly clenched his fists. “Afterward, the whole incident was disguised as an accident. Since both of them died on the same day, nobody ever suspected there was more to the story.”

“Yeah, I did it. So what now?” Mike sneered, every word laced with contempt.

𝗦𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗳𝗮𝘃𝗼𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗲𝘀 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗴𝗮𝗹𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹𝘀.𝗰𝗼𝗺

Since they were so desperate for the truth, he might as well lay everything bare today. He had swallowed these thoughts for years, letting them rot inside him. Now that the lid had been blown off, he no longer cared about holding back.

“Wasn’t I good enough for Carole? I bought her flowers, jewelry, threw birthday parties, I gave her everything I could! But that—”

Before the insult could fully leave his mouth, Luca’s and Adrian’s icy stares struck him like blades. The unfinished curse jammed in his throat, forcing him to change his wording through clenched teeth. “She was always cold toward me. I thought that was just her personality. A distant beauty, impossible to warm up to. Fine. I accepted it.”

His expression twisted with resentment. “But in the end, it was because she couldn’t forget you! In her heart, you were the man who took her parents’ money, disappeared overseas, and never once came back to see her again. And me? No matter what I did, I still couldn’t compare to you.”

The more Mike spoke, the more worked up he became, as though years of bitterness had finally found a crack to spill through. “For the longest time, I couldn’t understand why she suddenly lost control and tried to kill my mother. I thought it was just another ugly fight between a mother-in-law and daughter-in-law. Or maybe she’d found out about the drugging incident from back then. But now I get it…”

His breathing grew heavier. “It was because my mother discovered her secret.”

He laughed bitterly, though there wasn’t a trace of humor in it. “And thinking about it now, my mother’s stroke was probably her doing too. She even volunteered to move into the hospital and take care of her personally. I actually believed she’d changed. I thought she finally wanted to make peace with me.”

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