CHAPTER 61: CHAPTER 61: THE TRUTH FROM YEARS AGO

Peter Sawyer thought I’d softened, and his eyes lit up.

To make him cooperate, I said deliberately, "You claiming you’re my biological father doesn’t prove anything. Unless... we do a paternity test. If the results show we truly are father and daughter, I’ll consider your suggestion. After all, blood is thicker than water—I don’t want to drive you to your death either."

Peter Sawyer’s joy showed all over his face. He seemed very confident and replied, "Zoe, you’re only old enough to be my child. There’s no way I’m wrong. But it’s fine to do one. That way, you can officially return to the family."

"Then let’s draw blood now. I think this hospital has a paternity testing center."

Peter Sawyer had no objections at all.

Just like that, I went with him to have our blood drawn.

The staff at the testing center told us there’d been a lot of requests lately, so no expedited service was available. They could only promise results within a week.

To confirm my suspicions—and clear my mom’s name—I talked Peter Sawyer into the test.

When we left, the worry had faded a lot from his face. He smiled and said, "Zoe, you really are as sensible as your mother. I’ll wait for the good news then. Don’t worry—the results will prove we’re father and daughter."

"Okay, take care. Don’t come lately, though. I don’t want my mom facing more attacks from your wife."

I couldn’t even stand to look at this "father." I held in my disgust just to get him out.

I’d thought at least Peter Sawyer would wait for the paternity results before making his next move.

But maybe because the attacks against him online kept getting worse, he was forced to act quickly.

What I didn’t expect was that the way he stepped up to "clear the air" was by apologizing for cheating during his marriage and admitting I was his illegitimate child.

"I’m sorry, everyone. When I was young and impulsive, I did some wrong things—Eleanor Thorne and I had an illegitimate daughter. From now on, I will abide by moral standards, return to my family, and make it up to my wife and daughter."

He looked devastated in the video, as if he deeply regretted his actions.

To my surprise, there were actually far fewer hateful comments in the replies.

"Admitting your mistake and going back to your family makes you a good man. Who hasn’t made mistakes when they were young? Professor Sawyer is a top research expert in the country—we have to give him chances so he can keep improving medical technology for us."

"It’s all Zoe Ellison and her mom. If the mother’s bad, the daughter can’t turn out good. The Sawyers have suffered enough! What guy could resist a filthy seductress who throws herself into his bed?"

"Our Serena hasn’t posted on X for days. She must be heartbroken. I could just cry! Zoe Ellison, that fucking bitch, is really her father’s illegitimate kid. Disgusting!"

These comments made me realize just how shockingly forgiving society is towards men.

Peter Sawyer’s short confession got him forgiven by most netizens.

Meanwhile, everything he said implicitly accused my mom of seducing a married man and having me out of wedlock.

Now, the entire Sawyer Family was cast as victims—while only my mom and I were still enduring vicious abuse and relentless attacks.

...

At the company, because Ethan Xavier had invested fifty million, they didn’t fire me outright.

Instead, they told me to get this settled before coming back to work.

So, these days I’d been staying at the hospital with my mom.

During this time, Katherine Sheldon also came by.

I thought she just wanted to see me. But after a little small talk, she hesitated, then finally spoke up.

"Zoe, Auntie Katherine wants to ask you for a favor."

She looked at me anxiously.

I said, "You want me to stay away from Ethan Xavier, right?"

Katherine’s face was knotted with worry as she said, "Ethan’s been running around everywhere because of you lately. Honestly, I don’t mind—after all, you’ve been friends since childhood. But this time he went to Aurelia to find Julian Sinclair for you, and Timothy found out. Now Timothy’s targeting his father’s company. We... are really at a disadvantage."

My heart sank hard and fast.

The hate and abuse online just made me angry. But Timothy Xavier kept invading my life from every direction.

Every time, he had to drive the knife in deeper.

He wouldn’t help me—but he wouldn’t let anyone else help me, either.

Katherine went on, "Back then, Ethan’s dad and your mother-in-law divorced, and he gave up everything. He’s struggled so much over the years to finally get back on his feet in the business world. All he can leave Ethan is what he has now. I’m really afraid Ethan, being rash, will offend Timothy."

"I understand, Auntie Katherine."

I nodded and assured her, "I’ll talk to Timothy and Ethan. Don’t worry."

...

Not long after Katherine left, Timothy Xavier arrived.

I looked at the face I’d known for twenty years, and for the first time, he felt like a stranger.

"So you’re just going to lie down and give up?"

He saw the bedding I’d laid out on the small sofa in my mom’s hospital room, and frowned. "How long are you going to hide?"

I looked him steadily in the eyes, voice calm but firm. "My mom and I haven’t done anything wrong. We don’t need to hide!"

Timothy’s lips curled with a hint of disdain. "Peter Sawyer has already admitted it. Why bother with useless denials? I didn’t come to verify anything—I’m only here because of our marriage. To give you a hand."

I had zero expectations of him now, but I still wanted to see how cruel he could get.

So I asked him, "And how exactly will you help?"

His expression was cold and controlled, as if this wasn’t even about me. "Take your mother and go abroad for a while. Wait for this to blow over, then come back."

I didn’t expect his request to be exactly the same as Peter Sawyer’s!

Who knew if he and the Sawyers had cooked this up together, or if it was just that as men who’d both cheated, they inherently shared the same rotten instincts!

Through clenched teeth, I said, "My mother and I aren’t going anywhere! Timothy Xavier, go take care of Serena Sawyer—I don’t need you here!"

I’d barely finished when his face darkened and he stalked toward me, cornering me against the wall.

His eyes glinted with an intimidating chill as he stared hard at me. "You ’don’t need’ me? So who do you need? Ethan Xavier? If he helps you, it counts, but if I help, that’s meaningless?"

I shot back sarcastically, "You really think you’re helping me? If you actually cared, you’d tell the public clearly what our relationship is. You can hold a press conference for Serena, but when I’m being vilified online, you join in with everyone else!"

Timothy gave a cold laugh. "In the end, you’re just jealous of Serena. Back in school, didn’t you hate Ethan? Now, just to get back at me, you cozy up to him. Zoe Ellison, you’re childish!"

I smiled faintly. "Yeah, I used to hate Ethan. But for someone I hated that much—even he trusted my mom, and me, at a time like this. Unlike you. People change. He changed. So did you."

Timothy stared at me in silence for a long time, then nodded. "Fine. Guess I wasted my time coming here."

As he was leaving, I said to him, "Ethan and I are just friends. Could you just leave him out of this?"

Timothy’s icy expression took on a touch of contempt. "You’re giving yourself too much credit. I’m going after Ethan, and it’s got nothing to do with you."

After he left, only the cold air remained, closing in around me.

Yeah, I was overestimating myself.

If Timothy was going after Ethan, it was because their fate as enemies was decided from birth. It had nothing to do with me.

The only person who could affect Timothy’s emotions was Serena Sawyer. I was irrelevant.

...

The next day, Ethan Xavier came to the hospital.

I remembered Katherine’s request, and said coldly, "Stop worrying about my business from now on. We’re not even that close."

Ethan just chuckled. "My mom talked to you, didn’t she?"

"No, she didn’t."

I kept my expression blank, not wanting him to sense anything.

Ethan stuck his hands in his pockets and drawled lazily, "Alright—if you say so, I’ll leave. I actually found someone who can help clear your mother’s name, but if you don’t want that, I won’t waste my energy."

With that, he pretended to leave.

I quickly said, "Wait—what did you just say?"

Just then, Jenna Sutton came in holding Madam Sinclair’s arm.

I stared in surprise. "Madam Sinclair?"

"Aw, look at how swollen your eyes are!"

Madam Sinclair gazed at me with compassion. "These days must have been so hard on you. Taking care of your mom, enduring all that horrible slander..."

If I could put on a strong front before, because of Madam Sinclair’s words, tears instantly welled up in my eyes.

She came over, gently holding my hand. "No more tears, child. I’ve come to help you figure this out. Trust me. Everything will be alright."

Jenna explained, "Zoe, Madam Sinclair really does have a way! Ethan and I found nothing at University of Aurelia, and she got in touch with Ethan herself. Turns out she knows your mother."

I helped Madam Sinclair sit down, shocked. "You know my mother?"

She nodded, her expression taking on a faraway look. "Remember at the party, when I heard you playing piano, I said your style reminded me of one of my students?"

I paused. "That student was my mom?"

"Yes. Your mother was my proudest student back then. She was incredibly talented with the piano. If she’d gone further, she might have become an exceptional pianist. Unfortunately, in high school, she met Peter Sawyer. In order to be with him, she hid her plans from me and gave up her audition for the conservatory."

With a sigh, but also some pride, Madam Sinclair said, "Good thing your mother was also excellent academically and got into University of Aurelia. I was angry with her for a long time over that. For all her university years, we had no contact. After she graduated, she came to the Sinclair home herself to invite me as her witness for her wedding."

Alarm bells went off in my head. "That wedding—was it to Peter Sawyer?"

"Yes, the groom was Peter Sawyer."

Madam Sinclair nodded with certainty, a trace of either sadness or regret in her expression. "I didn’t stay in touch with her those four years, but I kept an eye on her from a distance. Your mom’s talent in scientific research was no less than Peter Sawyer’s, but she got married straight after graduating."

I looked at my mother in her hospital bed, forcing a bitter smile. Our paths were surprisingly alike.

Both of us gave all our passion to someone—only to be let down by them in the end.

I asked, "Madam Sinclair, do you know why Peter Sawyer ended up marrying Faye Warren instead? What happened between him and my mom?"

Madam Sinclair sighed. "After their wedding, Peter Sawyer had no roots in Aurelia and came from an ordinary family, so he had to leave for a university in a smaller city to do research.

Your mother actually got a job offer to stay at University of Aurelia, but gave up her bright future to follow him to another city.

We were far apart. At first, your mom still called me sometimes, so we’d keep in touch. But then one day—I couldn’t reach her anymore. She just vanished..."

At this point, Madam Sinclair’s tears streamed down her face. She softly stroked my mom’s hair on the hospital bed, like she was her own child.

I felt awful, too, but I was worried about Madam Sinclair getting so emotional at her age, so I tried to comfort her for a long time.

After she calmed down, I asked, "When you went to my mom’s wedding, did you keep any photos or anything?"

If we had photos or invitations, that would prove Peter Sawyer was lying!

She shook her head. "I did get your mother’s wedding invitation, but at that time, my son—that is, Julian’s father—died in an accident. Both a wedding and a funeral collided, so I could only choose to see to my son’s funeral."

"I’m sorry, Madam Sinclair, I... I didn’t know..."

I felt terribly guilty for bringing up such a painful memory for her.

She said with grandmotherly warmth, "It’s okay, child. Now I’m just sad for your mother."

After what she said, I calculated Serena Sawyer and Miles Sawyer’s ages in my head.

I’m 25, and so is Miles.

Which means Peter Sawyer got together with Faye Warren while still married to my mom—they couldn’t have married after the divorce.

He was already with Faye Warren during his marriage—and already had Miles with her.

I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

My mom and I, Serena and her mom—the paths we’d walked really were just copy-pasted versions of each other.

The two of them stole someone else’s husband, then played the victims and positioned themselves as morally superior.

I was actually so disgusted I wanted to throw up.

"Thank you for telling me all this, Madam Sinclair."

I looked gratefully at the kind old lady in front of me.

She said, "From now on, you can call me Grandma, just like Ethan and Jenna do! Jenna only just met me but started calling me Grandma right away!"

Jenna giggled. "That’s because I never had a grandma growing up. The grandma in my dreams always looked like you, Madam Sinclair."

Ethan made a face and teased her for being a kiss-up.

But Madam Sinclair was pleased, and asked Jenna if she had a boyfriend.

Ethan clicked his tongue. "Grandma Sinclair, if you’d asked her two months ago, maybe she and Julian still had a chance. But now, someone’s already taken."

Madam Sinclair sighed. "How come all the girls I like are already spoken for? And my grandson still can’t find a match."

Jenna said with a grin, "Grandma Sinclair, if you help Zoe clear her name, maybe she and your grandson will end up together!"

Ethan and I spoke in unison, "What nonsense are you talking about?!"

Clearly, no one had told Madam Sinclair yet that I was actually Mrs. Timothy Xavier.

But she took it seriously, smiling as she said, "Jenna’s not entirely wrong! Don’t worry, Grandma will help you and your mom clear your name—no matter what!"

"Do you have any good ideas?"

The three of us juniors all listened attentively.

Confidently, Madam Sinclair said, "Even though I didn’t go then, your mom invited her old piano classmates from my lessons to the wedding. All we have to do is contact them. If everyone testifies, the Sawyers’ wretched lies will collapse!"

Her tone turned severe. "For all the filth they’ve thrown at you and your mother, I won’t just shut them up with evidence—we’ll have my grandson sue every one of them!"