Nathan Shaw's car pulled into the courtyard. When Shen Siyi saw him return, she thought he was here to back up her mother. Ecstatic, she ran over.
“Dad, you're back! Grandma and Uncle, and Aunt—they're all bullying Mom! Go in and see for yourself!”
Nathan Shaw said nothing, his eyes cold as frost. He barely spared her a glance before looking away, and Shen Siyi immediately fell silent.
In the living room, Shen Wenting had finally reined in his emotions. He was still angry, but he knew that anger wouldn’t help right now—he had to think about how to resolve the situation.
Yancy Shaw was right: at least they’d found out before it was truly too late.
Mandy Snow was still denying everything, insistently claiming she was being slandered by Yancy Shaw and that all the talk of a paternity test was a lie.
But the moment she saw Nathan Shaw step in the door, her spirits soared as if she'd seen her savior. She rushed over and threw herself at him.
She was certain that for the sake of nearly twenty years of marriage, he would come to her defense.
“Nanfeng, you have to help me. They—they're all accusing me of things I haven't done!”
As she spoke, tears slipped down her face, looking the picture of aggrieved innocence.
Nathan Shaw glanced at her coldly, his gaze devoid of all emotion.
She tried to grab his hand, but he dodged her. Trying to keep her composure, her voice choked with emotion, she pleaded, “Nanfeng, I'm your legitimate wife! I've given my everything to this family for eighteen years...”
She poured out her memories of these years—if not for merit, then surely for her effort. She refused to believe that he'd truly be so heartless.
“Are you done performing?”
His tone was harsh, slicing through the silence of the living room like a knife—mocking, in a way.
Mandy Snow stared at him, shocked—her eyes shifting from wounded to utterly disbelieving. She let out a bitter scoff, stumbling back a few steps and shaking her head as if to say something, but no words came.
Suddenly, she laughed. The sound was sharp, almost shrill. Her laughter soon gave way to tears.
Eighteen years—she’d spent eighteen years and never managed to warm a frozen heart. How ironic.
Her fists clenched by her sides, she pressed her fingernails deep into her palms, but she felt no pain. Instead, everyone in the Shen family regarded her with nothing but contempt.
She gave a bitter, broken laugh. “So what if Siyi isn't your daughter? In these eighteen years in the Shen family, did any of you ever truly treat me kindly? Nathan Shaw, did you ever see me as your wife?”
She raised her head slightly, staring at him—only she knew what those years had been like.
Back then, when Nathan Shaw was drunk, Xue Wenchang had taken advantage and sent her to his bed. In truth, nothing happened that night, but afterward she sought him out, claiming to be pregnant with his child.
For eighteen years, Nathan Shaw had never touched her—even a single hair on her head.
Her life had been exhausting. Now, finally, she felt a strange sense of relief. She wouldn't have to go on living burdened by secrets.
Nathan Shaw’s expression remained impassive. She was used to that coldness—he had never smiled at her, never shown a trace of affection.
“Isn’t this the position you wanted all along? I gave it to you—so you have to bear everything that comes with it.”
He had never loved her, and because there was no love, even Siyi—he could never truly accept her as his daughter.
He’d always known Mandy Snow had married him for a purpose, but at the time, believing the child she carried was his, he agreed to the marriage.
“So, what, you’re just going to let them trample me? All of you look so dignified on the outside, but you’re despicable hypocrites beneath it—so selfish it makes me sick!”
Mandy Snow screamed, her hysteria peaking when she glanced at Lauren Shaw, hate written plainly in her eyes.
“It’s all your fault! If you hadn’t shown up, I would’ve had a perfectly good life! Why did everything change when you came to the Shen family?”
She shrieked, completely losing control, as though she wanted to strip Lauren Shaw to the bone.
Lauren Shaw looked at her unflinchingly. “Mandy Snow, there's an old saying: too much evil will bring about your own destruction.* Haven’t you learned this? Everything you’ve done in this family—do you think no one noticed?”
(*Chinese proverb: 多行不义必自毙—when someone’s wrongdoings pile up, they will bring about their own downfall.)
You embezzled company funds, incited the executives to form cliques and sow discord—all so you could profit from Shenmei’s infighting. But you forgot that if the Shen family’s foundation has withstood all these years in Ancheng, there’s good reason for it.
Back then, the family let things slide only because they thought you raised Nanfeng’s daughter. That doesn’t mean they were fools, or that you could do whatever you pleased.
At that, Mandy Snow’s legs gave out and she collapsed onto the floor.
Shen Wenting seethed with anger. “Send the paternity test results to the Snow family. I want them to give us an explanation! And as for her—she’s not welcome here anymore.”
Outside the door, Shen Siyi rushed in, and when she saw Mandy Snow crumpled on the floor, she hurried to shield her mother and demanded, “Why are you treating my mom like this? What did she do wrong?”
Her eyes blazed with anger as she glared at everyone, then she shot a hateful look at Lauren Shaw and pointed at her. “You’re nothing but a jinx! Ruining Cousin Eva Snow wasn’t enough for you—you have to destroy my mother, too!”
“You’ve lived in this family all these years and learned nothing, except how to be a shrew—now that, you’ve mastered beautifully!” Mrs. Chen’s gaze was sharp and cold. No wonder she’d never felt close to Siyi; she’d always thought the problem was with herself. Now she understood—Siyi wasn’t even family by blood.
If at least she'd been well-mannered and gentle—but she lacked even that. Mrs. Chen couldn't imagine how Mandy Snow had raised her.
Seeing her mother so defeated, Shen Siyi ignored Mrs. Chen’s scolding. All she knew was, surely they had bullied her mother just now.
She stared Mrs. Chen down, her tone aggressive. “You’re always picking on me—is it because I’m not your real granddaughter? Is it because Dad isn’t your real son, so you make things hard for me?”
“Slap!” Before she could finish, Nathan Shaw struck her viciously across the face. A bright red handprint instantly flared on her delicate cheek—he had not held back. Shen Siyi stared at him in disbelief, clutching her face.
Mandy Snow cradled her protectively, screaming, “How dare you hit my daughter? So what if she’s not your biological child, you have no right to lay a hand on her!”
Mandy Snow’s words detonated in Shen Siyi’s mind, like a thunderbolt out of the blue. For a long moment she was numb, unable to process what she’d just heard.
After a long silence, her voice was hoarse as she asked, “Mom, what did you just say? Whose daughter am I not?”
Mandy Snow’s eyes darted away—she didn't dare meet her gaze.
“You’re not my daughter.” Nathan Shaw’s voice was calm, as if none of it mattered to him. Whether Shen Siyi was his true daughter—he simply didn’t care.