Chapter 20 Chapter 20 39 % Claudia struggled to maintain her fake , syrupy smile .
Sweetie , youve got it all wrong .
Thats not what I meant .
Im just so happy youre home .
If youd told me in advance , I couldve had the staff prepare some of your favorite dishes .
The way she kept calling Rosalie sweetie , as if she really thought of herself as Rosalies mother , made Rosalie sick to her stomach .
She didnt bother responding and simply stepped past Claudia , heading further into the hall .

Her gaze landed on the young woman seated on the sofa .
The girls complexion was unnaturally pale , her cheeks sunken , and her lips devoid of any color , a telltale sign of chronic illness .
This was Helena the illegitimate daughter Edward and Claudia had conceived behind Rosalies mothers back .
Rosalie had once pitied her .
As a child , she had genuinely felt sorry for Helena , thinking her little stepsister was unfortunate -fatherless , frail , and sickly .
She had even treated Helena like a real sister , showering her with care and affection .
But reality had proven her foolish .

Follow new episodes on the CrushnovelS.Com

Helena wasnt some helpless damsel in need of sympathy .
She wasnt even that much younger than Rosalie just a few months , in fact .
A detail that , in hindsight , should have made everything glaringly obvious .
Tonight , Helena was dressed in a pristine white cashmere sweater paired with a light brown knit skirt .
Her long hair cascaded over her shoulders , framing her delicate , sickly features , making her look every bit the fragile , pitiable beauty .
Helena could feel Rosalies gaze on her , unwavering and silent .
As she compared Rosalies radiant , stunning face with her own pale , frail appearance , a wave of envy surged within her .

She had long been consumed by jealousy toward Rosalie .
Helena envied Rosalies prestigious lineage , the fact that she was the legitimate daughter and not an illegitimate child .
She envied Rosalies beauty , how she was effortlessly alluring , a woman who could turn heads wherever she went .
Meanwhile , Helena , though also Edwards daughter , could never claim her rightful place as the heiress to the Graham family .
She was nothing more than a burden , an unwelcome afterthought , living in the shadows of her fathers world .
She thought bitterly , Why ? Just because her mother was Dads first wife ? Now , as Rosalie gazed at her with that detached expression , Helena felt like nothing more than an object being scrutinized , weighed , and dismissed .
Helenas deep seated insecurity , buried beneath years of resentment , surged to the surface all at once .