Chapter 70
Once her makeup and hair were done, Marissa excused herself to the restroom.A dull ache stirred in her abdomen,reminding her that her monthly cycle was close.
Heading back toward the dressing room,her phone started ringing.Lillian's name flashed on the screen,and she was just about to
answer.
"Marissa?Why are you here?"
The voice,sharp and edged with irritation, echoed from nearby.
"What's the matter?"Marissa asked while picking up the call,her eyes lifting toward the direction of the voice.
There stood Susanna on the landing between the second and third floors,her
expression a mix of surprise and disapproval. Evelina stood beside her,looking no less unsettled.
Marissa's eyes passed briefly over Susanna before settling on Evelina,whose glare was filled with open resentment.
"Let Garry know I won't be coming tonight. And wish them both a happy birthday for me,"Marissa said calmly,ending the call before turning away to leave.
"Don't move another step!"Evelina's voice rang out as she hurried down the staircase, cutting Marissa off just before she reached the corner of the hall.
The two had come hoping to have their makeup done by the famous Lottie,aiming to dazzle everyone at the evening's gathering.
Unfortunately,Lottie's appointments were packed,forcing them to choose another stylist recommended by the staff.
Jenna,a frequent visitor,wasn't fond of
Lottie at all.She preferred her regular artist and had already begun her session.
On the other hand,Evelina had chosen to wait.She overheard that Lottie was currently attending to the lover of some influential figure,and a plan began forming in her mind —to persuade that woman to yield a bit of Lottie's time.
Everyone in their circle knew Lottie's reputation.Her work was quick and flawless, her hands capable of producing what others needed hours to perfect.
Neither Evelina nor Susanna had imagined crossing paths with Marissa in this place.
What on earth was Marissa doing here? Could it be that she had also come for a makeup session?
Then again..was it possible that she was the so-called lover of that influential man the staff had whispered about?
Evelina's eyes widened at the idea,her mind
reeling in disbelief.
No matter how she tried,envy clung stubbornly to her thoughts.
If Marissa truly had become someone's lover, Evelina hoped the man was the worst sort imaginable—short,bald,with a protruding belly.
Susanna's gaze swept over Marissa with thinly veiled scorn before her voice turned sharp."How did you know we were here? And what business did you have visiting Bryson at the hospital this afternoon?He's Evelina's husband now.Do you have no decency,trying to steal your sister's man?"
Stepping closer,Susanna positioned herself to block Marissa's path.
Not a flicker of emotion crossed Marissa's face.She met their hostility with calm detachment,her eyes briefly skimming over them before moving on,as though they were nothing more than strangers.
Susanna's hand shot out,aiming for Marissa's shoulder."Have you forgotten who raised you?You ungrateful child!"
Marissa tried to put distance between them, but Susanna trailed closely,her anger driving every step.
"Why haven't you gone back to your parents?What are you still doing here in Ozreka?Phil has already issued a statement. From this day forward,Evelina alone carries the Fletcher name.You're nothing now!Don't think I'll let you linger here!"
Evelina misunderstood,also believing Marissa had come to plead with them to let her stay.She slipped her hand through Susanna's arm,her voice dripping with contempt."Considering you once cared for my husband,I'll overlook your pestering him at the hospital.But don't think you can keep pretending to be a Fletcher."
Lifting her chin,Evelina stared down at Marissa as if gazing at something beneath
her notice.
Without a flicker of emotion,Marissa met her glare,her silence sharp enough to cut. Speaking to either of them,she decided, would be no more useful than talking to the wind.
Still fuming,Susanna wasted no time and dialed Phil's number to air her grievance.
The moment he answered,she said breathlessly,"Darling,you won't believe this. We just bumped into Marissa at the makeup studio!"
Her words caught Phil completely off guard. For a moment,he stood frozen.
"Didn't she already return to her parents?" he asked,his voice edged with concern.
The public announcement confirming Marissa's true identity had already been released.He feared she might have seen it and was heartbroken.After all,they had cared for her for more than twenty years,and cutting that tie wasn't as simple as it sounded.
What he truly wished was for Marissa to move back to the countryside,somewhere far from gossip and the reach of the internet —where time might dull her pain.
However,now,releasing that statement while she was still around felt like grinding her pride into the dirt.
Because of Susanna's insistence,the statement hadn't even referred to Marissa as their adopted daughter.Instead,it coldly described her as someone who had been mistakenly taken into the family,as though two decades of shared life meant absolutely nothing.
Like a fading dream at dawn,those years seemed to scatter,drifting away one by one like fallen leaves carried off by the wind.
I doubt she ever planned on leaving!" Susanna sneered,switching her phone to speaker mode,her eyes flashing with open contempt as they landed on Marissa.