What Separates Me and You

Upon seeing the test results, Nancy was equally shocked. But more than that, she found it incredibly hard to believe. She stared at Sierra in astonishment, her emotions swirling as if she didn't recognize her own daughter.

"How ... How is this possible?" Her voice trembled. Seeing Sierra in this state filled her with even more panic.

Angered by her reaction, Sierra demanded again, "Is it true? Are both Sophia and I your daughters?"

Lost in thought, Sophis was equally stunned when she heard Sierra's words. She rushed over and snatched the test report from Sierra. Her expression mirrored Nancy's disbelief.

"This is insane... How can this be?"

Nancy was losing her composure. She sat there, pale as a sheet. She trembled from suppressing her emotions.

Sierra maneuvered her wheelchair closer to Nancy. She gripped Nancy's arms and shook her violently. "Answer me! What's going on?"

"If this is true, why did I end up in the gutter while she became the wealthy family's heiress? Why didn't you tell me?"

Nancy was overwhelmed. Sierra's shaking had left her disoriented. Tears welled up in her eyes, and her voice quivered.

"Can't you speak?" Sierra was on the verge of a breakdown, her voice shaky due to her sore throat.

"That's enough!" Nancy suddenly raised her voice and pushed Sierra's hands away.

Sierra fell silent. She stared blankly at Nancy. Tears had soaked her mask.

In the presence of all the onlookers, Nancy covered her face and burst into tears. Her wailing echoed throughout the living room.

Sophia's expression was equally solemn. The situation had exceeded her expectations. Yet she didn't react as emotionally as Sierra. After all, even if she were proven to be Nancy's daughter, she would merely be transitioned from being the Yale family's heiress to the Alvarez family's heiress.

There wasn't much change or loss for her. All she wanted to know now was the truth.

Nancy cried for a long time. After a while, she finally cried herself out. Her eyes were red as she looked at Sierra with a heavy, guilt-ridden expression.

"Sierra, I didn't have any choice," she said tearfully, "I never thought that I couldn't recognize you, even after all the times we met..."

Her words were practically an admission.

Sierra sat in her wheelchair, completely stunned. Her mind couldn't process the situation.

At this point, even if Nancy didn't admit it, it wouldn't make any difference. Lewis had already presented all the evidence. There was another test report below. It was Sierra's and Lewis'.

The result showed no blood relationship between them.

Sierra's adoptive mother couldn't help but ask, "Madam Nancy, if both of them are your daughters, why did you abandon Sierra?"

Nancy struggled with her emotions. She seemed hesitant to speak.

"Because at the time, the couple next door only had one child, and she had twins. We had to make an exchange."

Hannah's voice came from the entrance, and everyone turned their attention in that direction.

She walked in calmly, looking more composed compared to her time at the hospital.

Nancy saw her and furrowed her brow. "Who are you?"

Sophia said, "She's my mom, the one you exchanged children with. Don't you recognize her?"

Feeling guilty, Nancy said, "There was no one in the nursery room back then. How was I supposed to know whose child it was?"

Sierra became increasingly irritated. "So why did you exchange her and not me?"

She was still resentful. If they had exchanged her back then, she wouldn't be in this miserable situation now!

Nancy sighed. "I just picked one of you randomly."

Sierra was frustrated. "There were so many babies. You could have exchanged me with someone else too. Why did you have to abandon me?"

Hearing this, even Sophia's biological mother gave her an odd look. It was as if she was silently celebrating the fact that Sophia was the one who got exchanged instead of Sierra.

Hannah said, "I suppose she kept you around for some other purpose, maybe for future paternity tests?"

Nancy hesitated and avoided eye contact with them. Her actions confirmed Hannah's statement.

"Considering how cautious Master Robert is, he wouldn't simply believe anyone who claimed to be his son. He would require a paternity test and would definitely carry out the test by himself."

"So, Madam Nancy took you to do the paternity test. By the time it was done, it would have been too late for her to switch you with another child since you grew bigger. She was worried her doings would get exposed, so she abandoned you."

Sierra stared intensely at Nancy. "Is that the truth?"

Nancy remained silent. Her silence served as confirmation.

Sierra forced a bitter smile. "So, I've been the one you abandoned from the beginning. Unbelievable."

Sophia suddenly realized something. "So, Mom, does that mean Lewis is your son?"

This statement drew everyone's attention back to Lewis.

He continued to sit there expressionless, seemingly detached from the entire situation.

Hannah wanted to say something, but she swallowed her words.

She walked over to the coffee table and picked up the stack of paternity test reports.

Since Lewis had thought of revealing Sophia and Sierra's true identities, he naturally wouldn't have omitted his own.

Hannah flipped to the last page containing the paternity test report between her and Lewis. Just like the others, he wasn't related to her.

Lewis was not related to any of the people in the room.

Sophia had been preoccupied with

her own test report earlier and

hadn't paid much attention. Surprised, she asked, "If he is not related to us by blood, then who is he?"

Hannah had a complex expression as she placed the papers back on the table.

"Actually, I couldn't conceive. Sophia, you were a gift from my best friend.

"She had already discovered that the child's gender was incorrect and later discovered who had swapped the babies. But she didn't take you back I had always wanted a daughter, so she gave you to me."

Nancy was also puzzled. "Why didn't she reclaim her child?"

Hannah explained, "Because she knew what you were planning. At that time, there was already a conflict between them and the Alvarez family over the inheritance.

"Someone was raising their son, and

Pnet

they hoped to use him to fight for the Alvarez family's wealth. What would be the point of taking him back then? She would have taken him back if you didn't marry into the Alvarez family.

"Plus, I didn't have any children of my own. So she gave me a daughter. Wasn't that a win-win situation for all of us?"

"You people..." Conrad heard this and was unexpectedly angry. They had treated their own children as tools for profit. All of them were ruthless.

He cast a concerned look at Lewis.

If it weren't for them, he and Josephine wouldn't have ... Unfortunately, Josephine was no longer here, and these revelations no longer had any meaning.

Conrad dared not imagine what Lewis was feeling right now.

Lewis had been silent all along, his face unreadable. No one knew what he was thinking.

"Who are they?" Lewis finally spoke, his voice low and suppressed.

Hannah looked at him apologetically. "I'm sorry, I can't tell you."

Lewis' lips twitched, and he suddenly laughed. It sounded bitter and self-deprecating.

Ignoring the onlookers, he slowly stood up from the sofa and walked away.

His departing figure appeared desolate and gloomy. His steps seemed unsteady. It was as if he could collapse at any moment.

Conrad quickly glanced around at the others and rushed after him.

He saw Lewis swaying and almost falling when he arrived at the courtyard. But Lewis managed to grasp the edge of a stone table to steady himself.

Conrad rushed to his side and supported him. "Chairman Alvarez, are you alright?"

Lewis chuckled pathetically. "Conrad, isn't it ridiculous?"

Conrad didn't know how to respond.

"Chairman Alvarez, Lewis Alvarez... Haha, what a joke." Lewis clutched Conrad's shoulder and spoke through gritted teeth. "Conrad, I'm just a joke! Don't you agree?" "Has anyone lived a more failed life than me?"

Conrad looked at him with concern. "Chairman Alvarez, this isn't your fault."

"Don't call me that. It's disgusting!"

Lewis laughed again. He seemed to be forcing the laugh. It carried an endless fury and a touch of madness.

As he laughed, he suddenly clutched his chest and spat a mouthful of blood.

"Splurt-"