Sweet Divorce

As the photos and paper fell on the table, time seemed to stop.

Then almost at the same time, Amelia and Rita’s eyes were drawn to the photos.

Amelia could not make out the words on the paper due to the distance, but still, she got nervous.

Her heart beat fast, anxiety and fear magnifying inside her.

Her body acted fast than her mind. She scrambled up and reached for the photos and paper. “Bullshit! Who are you? You are trying to deceive my granddaughter, aren’t you?”

Amelia didn’t even spare a look on the paper, she just tore them into pieces and threw them on Michael. “Get out!”

Rita seldom saw Amelia to be so furious before, she squinted.

The fragments slapped on Michael’s face. But he didn’t get mad, instead, he smiled. “It’s just some paper, why do you get so anxious, Mrs. Amelia?”

Rita kept silent, her eyes fixing on Amelia’s face to catch every minor change of emotion on it.

Amelia had to yield under Rita’s stare.

She straightened her back after a few seconds and snorted. “Who told you that I am anxious? I just don’t want my granddaughter to get coaxed by you.”

She said toughly whereas in fact she was insecure.

She then grabbed Rita’s hand and then tried to leave. “Don't listen to him, Rita. Let’s go home.”

But Rita did not even move an inch.

Amelia paused, “Ri…Rita?”

“Grandma…if it’s not true, why are you so afraid?” looking Amelia in her eyes, Rita asked.

Her tone was rather neutral, but Amelia still sensed some coldness in it. That intensify her anxiety.

“Rita is right, why are you so afraid?” Michael said, “A straight foot is not afraid of a crooked shoe.”

Michael’s sarcastic tone irritated Amelia, her face sagged down gloomily.

Amelia chose not to answer, but Michael plucked out some more pieces of paper form his coat. “The ones she tore were copies, these are the originals. Originals of the paternity test.”

“Paternity test?” Rita pause, puzzled.

tone softened. “Have

her eyes at the

what the paper said, her

related to Noah Brown or Zoe Duncan by blood, the

dad and

She’s not a Brown.

the report, Rita’s

Rita, it’s not true, it is not!” when the hoarse

corner of the paper, she murmured. “SK hospital… Michael, if I’m not mistaken, you worked atSK hospital when you

“Right.” Michael nodded.

frowned.” Then it won’t be so difficult for you to forge a paternity test

her head to study Michael. She looked at him in a way that

a second at her gaze, then frustration

Rita doesn’t believe him.

believe me, ask your father to do the test with you. Then you’ll know I’m not lying to

struck her, Rita

Michael whirled to leave the

to remember something, he turned his head around and added. “I lied to Lillian, I lied to the Burkes,

conflicted looking at where Michael had

however, was relieved. “Rita, I knew you

was bewildered as she watched Rita

this afternoon.” She

was alone in the room, the calmness on her

the restaurant after he saw that Rita had

who her real parents are, and… and how her mother died in a car accident because of Liam Wilson.” Puzzled, Ralph looked at Michael through

He wanted to.

But…

Rita didn't believe him.

the point to tell

Liam were foes competing

would give it little credence if

he decided not to

believed that with the clue he just provided Rita, she would soon find out the

to do now was to

her

in her bed, looking

rang and jarred her back