Chapter 8 The doors flew open , unleashing a gust of wind that sent cards spiraling through the air like confetti . ] ] One struck me in the face . It was a photograph : a young couple shielding a small girl beneath them , their bodies bearing the crushing weight of concrete and steel . ] ] The man's throat was impaled by rebar , the woman's face partially crushed , yet somehow they'd managed to create a protective pocket with their broken bodies , saving the little girl from certain death . ]] That child was Rosalie . ] My heart soared with relief . ] Willow must have discovered the truth and returned to expose Rosalie's lies ! I was right all along - she wasn't dead ! ]] As the wind settled , Mae stepped through the doorway alone . " Where's Willow ? " I demanded . [ ] The Blakes rushed forward , grabbing Mae's arms , frantically asking the same question . [ ] The calmer we grew hysterical , the more composed she became . Finally , she released a bitter , hollow laugh that sent chills down my spine . [ ] " Now you want to know where she is ? Where were you a year ago when she first said she wasn't feeling well ? Oh , that's right - you were all too busy taking your ' real daughter ' to Disneyland . Too preoccupied with beach vacations and buying her luxury cars with money WILLOW earned . " Her voice cracked with fury . " When Willow was diagnosed with stage four lung cancer , doctors said aggressive treatment might give her more time . But you controlled all her finances , didn't you ? Every time she asked for treatment money , you'd throw a few hundred dollars her way , terrified of upsetting precious Rosalie . " [ ] She turned to me . her eyes burning with hatred . " And you , Mr. Brilliant Mastermind - you came up with that ' fake illness ' plan , which meant that when Willow finally told everyone she was dying , not a single person believed her . You all just smiled and said , ' Good acting , Willow ! " " ] My head thundered as though I'd been struck . Every nerve ending in my body screamed with dawning horror . The terrible premonition grew stronger with each passing second . " WHERE IS SHE ? " I roared , grabbing Mae's shoulders . She slapped me with such force that my head snapped sideways , her rage nearly tearing me apart . ] ] " I will never tell you ! " she screamed , tears streaming down her face . " I came here today to tell Rosalie that her so - called abusive adoptive parents never abandoned her . They died protecting her in that earthquake ! They sacrificed themselves for a child who would grow up to slander their memory ! " [ ] Rosalie lifted her veil , snatching up the photos . " These are all fake ! You manufactured this evidence ! I'm the only one who knows what really happened back then ! " ]] Mae's laughter was devoid of humor as she gestured toward the massive screen behind us . The screen illuminated , playing intimate family footage . Rosalie was unmistakably the little girl being doted on . [ ] Unlike the still photos , the video evidence was devastating in its clarity . Crushing remorse flooded through me for everything I'd done to Willow . [ ] The Blakes lost their minds . They screamed at Rosalie , demanding to know why she'd fabricated such monstrous lies . [ ] Surrounded by wedding guests and media cameras , Rosalie slowly backed away before collapsing to the floor , covering her face as she sobbed . ] " I was terrified ! I thought if I didn't make myself sound pitiful enough , you wouldn't love me more than Willow ! I was just fighting for my happiness - is that so wrong ? " ] Mrs. Blake slapped her hard , tears streaming down her face : " We would have loved you without the lies ! But what did Willow do to deserve any of this ? What did her parents do wrong ? They DIED protecting you , and you repaid them with slander ! When I think of how I spoke to my daughter because of you , I just - " [] She broke down completely , then rushed to Mae , falling to her knees : " Please , we know we were wrong ! Let us bring Willow back - we'll find the best doctors in the world ! We can still save her !" ] Rosalie frantically grabbed her mother's arm . " Mom , don't abandon me ! Willow's faking everything ! I'm your real daughter ! " ] When her mother ignored her , she turned to her father . [ ] Dad , I'm your flesh and blood ! Tell Mom she's overreacting ! I just told one little lie - should she really hit me over strangers who've been dead for twenty years ? " They Chase Blood Over Love Now They Cry at My GRAVE 61N Chapter 8 " SHUT UP ! " he roared . " Because of you , we missed our chance to care for Willow properly ! If you hadn't been so pathologically jealous , we never would have hurt her like this ! " Rosalie snapped , jumping to her feet : " She's LYING ! She's not even sick ! " ] " ENOUGH ! " Mae's voice cut through the chaos like a blade . Her face contorted with grief and rage as she pointed at Rosalie . " You know exactly how real Willow's illness is ! Before they even concocted this ' fake illness ' plan , you accidentally found her medical file , didn't you ? I have your search history ! ' How long can someone live with terminal lung cancer ? Final symptoms before death from cancer . You know she was dying and you still took everything from her ! " ]]