"Divorce? Is this your idea, or his?" Mrs. Joseph asked when she realized how serious the situation was.
"It's my idea." Vivian wiped her tears, "He always wanted to marry Jessica, not me. I'm giving them what they've wanted."
"How could it be true? I'm not mistaken. It was you who Christian agreed to marry. What are you thinking? Are you jealous of your sister?"
Vivian hastily denied, "Mom, do you know Jessica is pregnant with Christian's child?"
Mrs. Joseph didn't see it coming. She murmured, "I had no idea about that."
"Why else would she come back from abroad? And she is living here, instead of our home. Have you ever thought about it?"
Vivian was too excited to care about how she looked like now.
"That's why, Mom, I'm getting a divorce. I've had enough, really!"
She had thought that her mother would have agreed with her. But Mrs. Joseph just said, "It's no big deal. Divorce isn't an option."
No big deal? Her head was spilling. Was she making a fuss? She had been betrayed by her husband and her sister!
"Nowadays most men are cheating on their wives. There are so many of them. Besides, a man of Christian's status is bound to attract many women." She tried to convince her daughter.
"Mom, how could you say that? It's betrayal!"
Vivian couldn't believe her ears. She felt even worse. She had never expected that her mother, a cultured woman, would have tried to talk her out of divorcing a cheating husband. How ridiculous!
"Take Mom's advice. The life of a divorced woman wouldn't be easy, especially women of our family background. Do you want to remain single for the rest of your life? It would be really difficult. At least you don't have to worry about money now."
There was a hint of doubt in her voice. She stared at Vivian and asked, "Have you already known your sister's real identity? And that's why you picked on her."
"What do you mean?"
With a faint sigh, she explained, "Actually, Jessica isn't my own child. Her birth mother was my best friend. Your father and I adopted the poor baby."
It turned out Jessica had such a tragic story. Maybe her parents had hidden the secret so well that Vivian had never suspected anything all these years.
"Vivian, she lost her parents when she was a baby. Why don't you give her a break, my dear? "
"Isn't it my fault that she lost her parents?" Vivian questioned in tears, "Why would I give Christian up to her? Do you know how sad I was when I heard she was pregnant? That's my husband!"
She was dead inside when she saw Jessica being intimate with Christian. She had loved him so much that she was deeply hurt by their betrayal.
She had loved Christian for many years. Though she had decided to get over him, she knew it was a lie.
"Isn't your sister a better option than some random woman, you silly girl?" Mrs. Joseph said, "I've raised you for years and I didn't realize you were so stubborn."
"Mom, I doubt whether I am your real daughter."
She was slapped in the face.
Mrs. Joseph was furious, "How dare you! You are such an ungrateful daughter! I've told you many times that you should be more kind to your poor sister."
Shocked by what her mother had done, Vivian took a few steps back in disbelief.
Why was she the only one to blame? She just wanted to live with dignity. That was all she had ever asked.
It was a mistake that she had married Christian.
It was even a bigger one that she had been born into the world!