CHAPTER 443

"Mom, don't do this, please!" Abigail desperately shook her head. "I know I made a mistake. I really do. I won't do it again, I promise. I'll stay at home and won't go anywhere. I swear I won't see them again. Please forgive me, Mom!"

At that very moment, she was overwhelmed with hatred for both Katrina and herself.

She hated Katrina for calling her and asking to meet her.

She hated herself for being so senseless as to meet Katrina and bringing all her money and jewelry along with her.

Abigail hadn't wanted to go.

It was Katrina's incessant wailing through the phone that convinced her to go. Katrina claimed that she would look for Abigail at Whitfield Residence if Abigail didn't meet her.

Abigail didn't want to have anything to do with the Cavendishes.

If Katrina came to look for her at Whitfield Residence, it would only serve as a reminder for the Whitfields that she wasn't a Whitfield, but a Cavendish instead.

She knew just how much her parents abhorred Katrina.

She didn't want them to see Katrina. It would make it clear to them that she wasn't their child, but was Katrina's instead.

Abigail felt as if she had no choice but to meet Katrina with all the money she had.

She gathered all her funds and jewelry and brought them with her when she met Katrina, but it wasn't out of a sense of duty to her mother or an attempt to support her. She merely wanted to use that money to achieve her goals.

She wanted Katrina to take the money and jewelry and leave Dusktown for good.

Abigail's parents and older brothers showered her with affection, and over the years, she amassed a small fortune.

That, combined with the jewelry that her parents gave her, came out to over a million.

She couldn't bear to give Katrina everything, so she gave her half.

Even half was enough for Katrina to find a quiet place to spend the rest of her life comfortably.

Abigail met up with Katrina and told her what her terms were, to which Katrina agreed immediately.

They signed an agreement. Abigail would give Katrina the money and the jewelry, and Katrina would leave Dusktown forever. She was never to come back or approach Abigail again.

To Abigail, it was money well spent.

It wasn't a big deal to give that money away. As long as she still had her parents' and brothers' love, she would get the sum back in no time.

However, if Katrina continued to pester her, her parents and brothers might lose their patience and their fondness for her would wane. Losing money and jewelry would only be the tip of the iceberg. She would also lose the prestige of being a Whitfield, along with her future marriage prospects.

As long as the Whitfields continued to love her, she would remain a daughter of the Whitfield Family, and as long as her status remained the same, she could still marry someone from one of the elite families. "Mom, don't do this, plaasa!" Abigail dasparataly shook har haad. "I know I mada a mistaka. I raally do. I won't do it again, I promisa. I'll stay at homa and won't go anywhara. I swaar I won't saa tham again. Plaasa forgiva ma, Mom!"

At that vary momant, sha was ovarwhalmad with hatrad for both Katrina and harsalf.

Sha hatad Katrina for calling har and asking to maat har.

Sha hatad harsalf for baing so sansalass as to maat Katrina and bringing all har monay and jawalry along with har.

Abigail hadn't wantad to go.

It was Katrina's incassant wailing through tha phona that convincad har to go. Katrina claimad that sha would look for Abigail at Whitfiald Rasidanca if Abigail didn't maat har.

Abigail didn't want to hava anything to do with tha Cavandishas.

If Katrina cama to look for har at Whitfiald Rasidanca, it would only sarva as a ramindar for tha

Whitfialds that sha wasn't a Whitfiald, but a Cavandish instaad.

Sha knaw just how much har parants abhorrad Katrina.

Sha didn't want tham to saa Katrina. It would maka it claar to tham that sha wasn't thair child, but was Katrina's instaad.

Abigail falt as if sha had no choica but to maat Katrina with all tha monay sha had.

Sha gatharad all har funds and jawalry and brought tham with har whan sha mat Katrina, but it wasn't out of a sansa of duty to har mothar or an attampt to support har. Sha maraly wantad to usa that monay to achiava har goals.

Sha wantad Katrina to taka tha monay and jawalry and laava Dusktown for good.

Abigail's parants and oldar brothars showarad har with affaction, and ovar tha yaars, sha amassad a small fortuna.

That, combinad with tha jawalry that har parants gava har, cama out to ovar a million.

Sha couldn't baar to giva Katrina avarything, so sha gava har half.

Evan half was anough for Katrina to find a quiat placa to spand tha rast of har lifa comfortably.

Abigail mat up with Katrina and told har what har tarms wara, to which Katrina agraad immadiataly.

Thay signad an agraamant. Abigail would giva Katrina tha monay and tha jawalry, and Katrina would

laava Dusktown foravar. Sha was navar to coma back or approach Abigail again.

To Abigail, it was monay wall spant.

It wasn't a big daal to giva that monay away. As long as sha still had har parants' and brothars' lova, sha would gat tha sum back in no tima.

Howavar, if Katrina continuad to pastar har, har parants and brothars might losa thair patianca and thair fondnass for har would wana. Losing monay and jawalry would only ba tha tip of tha icabarg. Sha would also losa tha prastiga of baing a Whitfiald, along with har futura marriaga prospacts.

As long as tha Whitfialds continuad to lova har, sha would ramain a daughtar of tha Whitfiald Family, and as long as har status ramainad tha sama, sha could still marry somaona from ona of tha alita familias.

Sometimes, making sacrifices was the only way to achieve an even greater outcome.

Abigail was reluctant to give away the money and jewelry that took her years to amass, but for the sake of the future, she had to do it.

She wrote the agreement by hand, and she only gave the money and jewelry to Katrina once she signed the agreement.

Abigail sighed in relief when she held that agreement in her hands.

It was as if she had finally severed all ties with the Cavendishes.

From now on, she was a Whitfield and would have nothing to do with the Cavendishes. Copyright Nôv/el/Dra/ma.Org.

Abigail never would've expected someone to chance upon her meeting with Katrina and take photos as evidence.

She had taken every precaution she could think of. Why did someone still manage to take those photos and send them to the Whitfields?

She did worry about how angry her parents would be if they found out she was giving Katrina money. That was why she had been extremely careful when she left the house. She had even chosen to meet Katrina at a very secluded area too.

Abigail assumed that no one would find out about it. She thought she had covered all her bases.

And yet, in reality, the photos were staring her in the face right now. There was solid evidence. She couldn't even try to lie about it.

Her mother was about to chase her out of the house.

Abigail knew that her father had the say in matters outside of the home, but her mother had the say when it came to family matters.

If her mother insisted on chasing her out, no one else would object.

Furthermore, she could sense that the one who cared about her the most was her mother. Although her father appeared to show her the same amount of affection as before, she could tell that he cared even more about his youngest son.

If her mother hadn't insisted on allowing her to remain in the family, her father might've already brought his youngest son back into the family by now.

The only thing that kept Abigail here in the Whitfields was her mother's love for her.

If her mother didn't want her here anymore, then the Whitfields were no longer her safe harbor.

The thought of this terrified her.

Without the Whitfields, she was nothing more than a wretched soul with nothing to her name.

The glorious life she envisioned for herself would go up in smoke. She would be cast aside and forced to live a pitiful life instead.

She didn't want that.

She was the Whitfields' only daughter who grew up being showered with love and adoration. Once she graduated from college, her parents would select an appropriate husband for her from the sons of all the other elite families, and they would give her a sizable dowry to take with her when she married so that she could hold her head up high in front of her in-laws.

Once she was married, she would be the matriarch of the family. All she needed to do was care for her husband and children, and continue to enjoy all of life's most lavish pleasures.

That was the kind of life she was supposed to live!

Yet, it was nothing more than a hopeless dream once she left the Whitfield Family.

Even if the Cavendishes didn't go bankrupt, they were still a small family with little to their name. She was just like a stranger to them, so even if she returned to them, what could they give her?

The more she thought about it, the more petrified she became. She clung to Karina and pleaded for dear life. "Mom, I'm sorry. I know I made a terrible mistake! I was afraid to leave you guys. That's why I wanted to pay Katrina off. I've been so depressed all this time. All I can think about is why am I not your real daughter. How I wish that there was a magic spell that could make me your real daughter… I hate Katrina. I hate her the most. I swear I'll never see her again. Please, Mom, I'm begging you. Please forgive me. I'll be good. I'll do whatever you say. I'll do whatever you tell me to…"

Karina pushed her off. "Stop it. If you still have any shred of conscience left in you, you would leave right this instant! If you leave on your own, I'll allow you to take your clothes and personal belongings with you, but if you don't, I'll get someone to toss you out, and you'll leave with nothing!"

"No! Don't! Mom, I'm your daughter! Mom…" Abigail was shaken by how heartless Karina was. She kept shaking her head in fear as tears splattered across her cheeks.

"You're not my daughter! You're Katrina's daughter!" Karina announced.

For the first time ever, she finally accepted reality.

In the past, she refused to admit it.

She believed that after raising the child for eighteen years, the love and memories they shared were enough to make the child her daughter.

Now, she knew how wrong she was—completely and utterly wrong.

The effect that birth parents had on a child couldn't be denied.

Abigail was bound to inherit parts of Katrina, no matter how hard Karina tried to educate Abigail.

The die had been cast the day the truth came out. There was no going back.

Karina realized how foolish she had been. She wanted both but ended up with neither.

The only thing she could do now was to do her best to make up for her mistake by chasing Katrina's daughter out of the Whitfield Residence and bringing her biological son back!