"Brooke" Antoinette held on to her sisters arm. Brooke didn't say a word or even look back at Antoinette as she was still in shock from seeing Bellami.
"Is she okay? She's basically paralyzed" Bellami frowned.
"That's sort of what happens when you see the daughter you thought had died at birth twenty years ago" Mallory said as she looked at her mother.
"This is Brooke Merka, Mother's sister. My aunt and your biological mother to be precise" Mallory smiled at Bellami who frowned as she thought it was a joke especially because nobody was saying anything.
"Mallory it's not for you to tell, you don't know anything" Antoinette said to Mallory as she began tightening her grip on Brooke's arm.
"Just like it wasn't for you to steal a baby or lie to it's mother. I asked you for the truth and since I didn't get it from you or father I asked my aunt and she herself answered everything I needed to know" Mallory said with a serious face to her mother.
"You make a fool out of yourself every time Mallory but you're really outdoing yourself this time" Bellami said to Mallory.
"Am I? That was sort of the point. Now ask MY parents if what I'm saying is true." Mallory pointed to Antoinette and Roman. Bellami looked at them but waited for an answer from Antoinette.
"Tell her" Brooke said so softly as she raised her arm and removed Antoinettes grip.
Antoinette looked at Bellami with her eyes watery. The tears were already beginning to overflow. Bellami realized that Mallory wasn't lying and looked at her father in hopes that he'd say it wasn't true. Bellami looked at everyone before standing up. She began clapping, "it was a great joke, now your unprofessional actress can leave" Bellami said to Mallory as she walked towards Brooke.
"I'm sorry for this uncomfortable scene my sister has made you be a part of but you may exit now, she'll send you your check if she hasn't already" Bellami pointed towards the exit so Brooke could leave.
Brooke turned to look at Antoinette to see what she would say but just with the look in her eyes she was begging her to leave.
Mallory was getting annoyed at the silence from her parents and rolled her eyes, "grandpa do you have anything you want to tell Bellami like for example the truth?" Mallory smiled at her grandfather.
"Mallory shut up! There's no truth to be told now get this women out of here because if you haven't noticed everyone here is uncomfortable with her presence" Bellami raised her voice at Mallory but Mallory only smiled back at her.
"I think what's making them uncomfortable is the fact that you're about to find out that you're only part of the Kline Dynasty because they stole your from your biological mother who in this case is my aunty Brooke, mother's sister who she has hid all her life from us and us from her so that they could keep you. Now that I've said the truth I think it's time mom and dad say it to you very clear although I think I'll say it for them then let them confirm it to you. In short, you're not their daughter or my sister" Mallory smiled.
Bellami looked at Antoinette.
"Bellami" Brooke said with a shaky voice getting her attention. "I can explain how things happened"
Antoinette wanted to yell and looked over at Roman who was remaining calm and did the same herself. "I'll tell her. I raised her, so I think it's best she hear it from me" Antoinette said to Brooke.
"I think she should hear it from her actual mother, mother" Mallory said to Antoinette.
"Can we speak in private" Brooke said to Bellami.
Bellami shook her head no then stepped back, "this is ridiculous but if you want to say something, go ahead. Say it in front of my family" Bellami said to Brooke who looked at everyone seated on the table but especially at Benjamin who she had been very close friends with and was the reason as to why Antoinette was now married to Roman.
"Okay. Antoinette and I are sisters, she's, older than I am by two years. When I was pregnant with you I was just a teen but that didn't mean I would give you away. My partner was very understanding and wanted for us to be a family. My parents didn't want me to be with him or even have you because I was ruining the family name so I had the option to stay and abort you or leave and have you but my trust fund and my family would be taken away. I chose you." Brooke said and Mallory could tell she was shaking.
"However a few months later when I was almost about to give birth Antoinette looked for me and said that as my older sister she'd help me and be there for me because she thought that what my parents had done was wrong. I wanted the love of my family so I trusted her. I had always trusted her. A month before my due date I had my monthly check up where they did an ultrasound, an ultrasound that I now know was fake. They said there was a very faint heartbeat and they said they had to do an emergency cesarean to see if they could deliver you in time before your heart could stop beating. Once you where delivered they said you weren't breathing, they let me see you no longer than two seconds and I actually believed it, I actually thought you were dead because you weren't moving." Brooke said as a tear rolled down her cheek.
"You were healthy during the ultrasound but you were dying when you were delivered because you still had a month left before the due date. You were premature and the risk of birth at your stage was high. It's a risk they took. A risk of killing you, however you fought until they got you to the ICU. I didn't know that. They told me they couldn't let me see you because I would put myself at risk, they diagnosed me with preeclampsia which was false. Everything was false." Brooke said.
Brooke then turned to Antoinette, "Then you still had the audacity to convince me to cremate my supposed dead baby and make me move to a different country for my well being. I cried for years while you were having the time of your life with my child!" Brooke raised her voice.
"You accepted the money didn't you? What about the house? Or your entirely new life in Spain?" Antoinette answered back.
"Antoinette" Roman said as he got up.
"So it's true?" Bellami frowned with watery eyes. "We've given you a great life haven't we?" Roman said to Bellami.
"Sometimes people just want a simple answer like, 'I'm sorry' for example" Mallory said to her father.
