Chapter 4 Despite Mom saying she'd be back that evening , she still delayed for two whole days . Kai's funeral had already been hold when she finally showed up with Belle Cole . Belle was wearing a lustrous pearl necklace around her neck that looked particularly glaring in the dim light of the living room . Mom spotted me immediately , and before I could react , a sharp slap landed across my face . The burning pain spread instantly , making my head ring from the blow . " You little troublemaker ! " " I just took Belle out to have some fun and you start spreading lies ! " " How dare you joke about something like what happened to Kai ! " The slap left my cheek numb , my head blank . It took me a while to find my voice . " I didn't … " Belle stroked the necklace around her neck , looking at me with innocent eyes that were full of hidden smugness . " Mom , don't be mad . Don't get angry because of me . After all , Nina is your real daughter . Maybe she just missed you too much , so she … " Her words sounded like she was trying to calm things down , but every single word was like pouring oil on fire . " I wish I never had a daughter like you ! " Mom said through gritted teeth , as if I were some kind of plague she desperately wanted to avoid . Dad , who had been silent all this time , stepped forward and stood in front of me . " If you don't want this daughter , I do . You can go live your life with Belle . " Both Mom and I were stunned . Dad usually doted on Belle just as much as Mom did , but now he was acting completely different . " Ryan , what's gotten into you ? " Seeing this , Belle quickly stepped forward , weakly tugging at Dad's sleeve , her voice even more pitiful . " Did Belle make Daddy angry ? Belle doesn't want the pearl necklace anymore . Please don't be mad , Daddy . " Her eyes darted between me and Dad , with obvious traces of acting . ི ཥཱཾ བ ་ ཚ་ ྃ རྗ རྗེ She wanted to use her pitiful , understanding act to win Dad back . Dad shook off her hand , expressionless : " Don't call me Daddy . " " We don't share any blood . " Belle's face instantly turned pale , her body freezing in place , the tears in her eyes suddenly crystallizing . Grandma Cole finally couldn't hold back : " I don't know what kind of mother this is . Doesn't care about her own flesh and blood , but fusses over some outsider ! " I stood behind Dad , covering my burning cheek , watching as Mom got criticized by the whole family . Only this time , I wasn't the one getting yelled at . CLRurned It All Down ! Mom was completely confused and could mily vent her anger en mé Ninal What the hell did you tell them ?! What Des are you spreading new 70- She refused to believe that Kal was really dead , refused to believe that her actions had caused all t She only believed that I was stirring up trouble again , had nothing her behind her hack , causing discord Just as Mom was about to lose it completely , Grandma Hayes delivered a hard slap across Before Mom could recover from that slap , Grandma Hayes took a piece of paper she'd bean clutching rightly and threw it hard as Menda face " You've got some nerve blaming others ! Look at this ! Look at it yourself ! "