She Outshines Them All (Athena and Matthew)

Chapter 492

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Catherine finally lost control, her voice rising in a desperate, frantic shout, "I didn't!" Her face drained of color, her body trembling as she fought to hold herself together. "My sister is the best person in the world to me. I would never betray her! If I had done something like that, do you think the whole Donovan family wouldn't have noticed?

"Athena, if you don't like me, fine, I'll leave and never come back but you can't slander me like this! Do you understand how malicious it is to ruin a woman's reputation like this?"

Athena remained unfazed, her expression cool and composed. "That's the thing about you. You understand men too well. My father-he's a typical straight-laced guy, honorable, devoted to my mom. If you'd so much as shown any interest in him, he would've called you out, maybe even kicked you out."That's why you've been so careful."

Catherine's breath hitched. "Careful how?" she asked, voice trembling.

Athena's tone took on a sharp edge. "When no one's around, maybe it's a subtle touch of your fingers, or walking around in your nightgown. Or maybe you'd pretend to cry, just enough for him to notice. Or, perhaps, you'd 'accidentally' fall and land right in his arms. But the sad part is, to my father, you were just another relative.

any of it."

Athena pressed on, her voice cold and cutting. "It must have been so frustrating for you, right? You must've thought, 'Why did my mom end up with such a great guy when I'm just as good, if not better? Why can't I find a man like him?""

"He didn't see you the way you wanted him to-no matter how many hints you dropped, he couldn't sense

just guessing-she'd heard the stories about Claire, and Jaden's words only confirmed it. He had told her that the whole family loved Catherine, but he didn't. He couldn't explain it, but something about her felt off. Jaden had sensed something that Athena only now understood-he was ten when she

tried to control-her anger. "You're slandering me! You're trying to destroy the reputation of a woman older than you!" she snapped, eyes blazing with

them up, one by one, and ask them if they ever saw you in front of my dad-wearing that nightgown, drinking, crying, or

at the Donovan family, you've got to know

would've noticed. But no one said anything because they're all too honest to

as she seemed to

as a knife. "You can deny it, but if you do, I'll call everyone in here to verify. If I'm wrong, I'll apologize, and you can stay

the right. You can check all you want." But the words never left her

from the past, any little hints she'd dropped with

dad, do you? You were probably just bitter

treasures, while she wasn't neglected or discriminated against, how could you not be envious? How could you not think, 'Why can't I find someone

before the fire, you hid away, brooding and frustrated, missing

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Chapter 492

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this on something a nurse recalled. That night, you weren't asleep. You were wandering around the nursery and then disappeared

bring herself to meet Athena's gaze. Her head hung low, eyes

calm but firm. "That's why I've been working with the police. Through my connections, I managed to get access to the fire case files. The investigation found that the fire started in the trash bin near the stairwell of the nursery. But why did the trash