Chapter 319 The Breaking Point
She was done with this life.
Finished
Given any chance at a decent existence, Renee wasn’t about to let it slip away. She clung to the possibility like a drowning person clutching a lifeline, determined not to let go.
Hailey looked at Renee with a flicker of worry. “But look at us. We’re in this mess because of that woman. Can we actually trust her? Your brother ended up like this because he trusted her too much. If we believe her again, I’m afraid we’ll lose the very clothes off our backs.”
The thought that Yvonne was the reason for their downfall made Hailey want to strangle her. Trusting her again felt impossible, especially since Yvonne was still under observation and a prime suspect in a criminal case.
But Renee wasn’t listening. She sobbed, her voice high and desperate. “Didn’t you hear Yvonne? Tracy just got lucky. I don’t care about anything else. I want my life back. I don’t want to be squeezed into this shitty rental with you anymore!”
“Mom, this isn’t a life. Ordering takeout for every meal, living in a damp room with rats running around and mosquitoes everywhere… I’ve had enough.”
Having grown up pampered in the Gaunt family, this sudden plunge into poverty was driving her insane.
Yvonne curled her lip into a smirk and placed a hand over her flat stomach. “For the sake of the baby, I’ll overlook how you treated me today. But you can’t just let Tracy get away with this. She’s the one you should be going after.”
It was nine in the evening by the time Natalie got home. She had stayed out on purpose, waiting for Rosaline and Lana to leave.
Between her overbearing grandmother and her unreasonable aunt, she knew showing up earlier would have meant a guaranteed lecture. She wasn’t afraid of them, but she didn’t want the drama, and she certainly didn’t want to make things harder for her parents.
As she walked in, the lights were blazing. Her parents were sitting on the sofa, clearly waiting for her.
The moment Marie saw her, she hurried over to take Natalie’s things. “Natalie, where have you been all afternoon? We kept calling, but you wouldn’t pick up.”
Natalie kicked off her shoes and pulled out her phone, tapping the screen before showing the black display to Marie. “I was out shopping with Tracy. My phone died, so I didn’t see any calls.”
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Chapter 319 The Breaking Point
Finished
“Mom, did something happen? Why were you calling so much?”
She knew exactly why they were calling, but she wasn’t about to admit she’d turned it off on purpose. She was sick of the nagging from Rosaline and Lana; she’d heard enough of it growing up to last several lifetimes.
She had shut it down the second Marie’s second call came through, finally giving her and Tracy a peaceful afternoon of shopping. If she hadn’t, they would have dragged her back for a family interrogation.
For years, her grandmother and aunt had stuck their noses into everything she did. They would take the smallest issue, blow it out of proportion, and then whisper poison into her parents’
ears.
If her parents tried to defend her, Rosaline would immediately pull the “family matriarch” card, accusing them of being ungrateful or saying they didn’t want her around anymore now that their “wings had grown.”
Whenever Ethan got genuinely annoyed, Rosaline would snap at him. “I slaved away to raise you, and this is how you talk back to me? You have a wife and daughter now, so you don’t need your mother, right? Fine, let me just die then, so I’m not an eyesore in your house!”
Her parents were often left helpless. Rosaline’s blatant favoritism toward Lana and Nina always came at Natalie’s expense. Even though Nina and Lana were the ones constantly causing trouble, Natalie was the one who ended up being the scapegoat.
She was exhausted by it.
Marie turned to Ethan with a resentful look. “See? I told you Natalie didn’t ignore the calls on purpose. Your mother wouldn’t believe it and insisted on staying until she got back. It was totally unnecessary. Hurry up and call her! Tell her Natalie’s phone died and shut off automatically.”
Marie hated the way the family operated. Rosaline’s relentless, unforgiving personality was a constant headache. It was a minor thing, but Rosaline and Lana had refused to let it go, claiming Natalie was showing them zero respect.
To prove their point, they had even stayed for dinner. They only left because Rosaline had to take her medication on a strict schedule.
Marie had seen enough of their behavior over the years. They targeted Natalie at every turn, constantly comparing her to Nina. On the surface, it was a comparison of who was more accomplished, but in reality, it was just Lana bragging. Even though Nina’s character was garbage.
When Natalie had left with Leon years ago and cut ties, they couldn’t wait to send Nina over to
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