Lost Me Gained Regret

I pinched the palm of my hand, tears flowing even more fiercely now.

Watching her shower Summer with such affection before, my heart was filled with envy. I wished that someday I too would find my birth mother, hoping she would love me just as Bella loved Summer.

And now...

Bella is actually my birth mother!

It felt like fate played a colossal joke on me, blessing me with a splendid origin only to curse me with a dreadful first half of life.

No wonder I enjoyed being around Bella so much. Designing dresses for her always sparked my creativity like nothing else.

It was a mother-daughter connection...

As my thoughts slowly untangled, I couldn't believe what I was about to say: "My locket went missing two years ago, but you announced you had a daughter last year. Could it be... Summer was the one with my locket..."

-Recognized kin!

"Pretty much."

Bella looked at me with compassion, gently brushing the hair stuck together by tear stains behind my ear, "However, there was always a doubt. After she appeared, I had DNA tests done, more than one actually."

"The DNA tests didn't show any problems?"

Bella shook her head, "No, there weren't any."

"This..."

This felt eerily familiar!

to impersonate me two years ago, the initial DNA tests didn't show any problems

who made thorough

gaze hardened, a cold light flickering through, "It seems she's still as ruthless as

"Who?"

"Pearl."

the tears from her face, Bella said guiltily, "Back then, she and I were pregnant around the same time, but she had a premature birth, so we ended up delivering

just wanting to quickly leave the hospital with you, to get away

know, her child was stillborn. To marry into the Myers smoothly, she bribed the nurse to

Pearl she spoke of was

to Pearl's seemingly kind face towards me as a child sent shivers down my spine, "Then...

night, a nurse suddenly started crying out with my baby in her arms, and then the baby was whisked away for

time the baby was handed

taking a deep breath, "It's my fault, I was too trusting. When I asked the nurse, she said it was lost in the chaos, and I

I had to

could feel Pearl's hatred towards

she probably wouldn't hesitate to

cousin. Initially, it was supposed to be me marrying into the

before the wedding, got together with

"And you..."

help but chuckle, "Must have agreed

slowly, "But I couldn't swallow my pride. I wanted to make the affair public, but the Taylor