Husband With Benefits-Chapter 798: You Are Not Her

"Mom? What are you doing here?"

Her mother’s eyes blazed with fury as she stepped closer. "What am I doing here? What are you doing here, Lily?" she spat, her voice rising, filled with accusation.

Lily flinched, her mind scrambling to find an explanation, but the words felt trapped in her throat. She opened her mouth, trying to make sense of the situation, but all she managed was a stammered, "I... I wasn’t doing anything wrong..." freēwēbnovel.com

Her mother scoffed, her expression filled with disbelief. "Not doing anything wrong? Is that what you’re telling me right now?" She stepped closer, her voice dropping dangerously low. "What did you say when you left us, Lily? That you were tired of living in Jasmine’s shadow? That even though Jasmine was gone, we wished it had been you? That you were sick of being her replacement?"

Lily’s heart clenched painfully at the mention of her older sister, Jasmine. The wounds of the past were ripped open in an instant. She bit the inside of her cheek, trying to hold herself together.

Her mother wasn’t done. She jabbed a finger toward her, her voice sharp and venomous. "And now look at you. Look at what you’re doing just now! That was Caius Frost, wasn’t it? Jasmine’s boyfriend!" Her mother’s voice dripped with disgust. "How could you—your own sister’s boyfriend—go out with him and then make out like some shameless girl in the streets? Is this how you honor your sister’s memory?"

Lily’s heart pounded in her chest. The guilt, the anger, the pain—it all surged up at once. She could feel her pulse in her throat, her mind whirling with everything her mother had thrown at her.

Her voice wavered as she finally found the strength to snap back. "Jasmine’s gone, Mom! She’s been dead for years!" She glared at her mother, the weight of those words choking her. "I didn’t go out with Cai when Jasmine was alive. She is dead! He’s moved on—and so have I!"

For a brief moment, silence hung in the air, thick and tense. But her mother just laughed—a cold, hollow sound that cut through the night air like ice. She turned to Lily’s father, her lips curling in a cruel smile. "Do you hear this, Richard? Do you hear how she’s talking about her sister now?"

Her father simply continued to stare at her, silently agreeing with her mother. She felt broken then. He had always been like this! Never standing up against her mother, even if he thought she was wrong. But she had never blamed him. However, today, when even now, he refused to stand up for her, she could only stand there and defend herself.

She clenched her fists at her sides, trying to keep her voice steady. "You’re twisting everything!" she shot back, the frustration bubbling up uncontrollably. "Jasmine’s not coming back, Mom! And it’s not wrong for me to live my life. I didn’t do anything to hurt her, but you—" she pointed accusingly at her mother, her voice shaking with emotion, "you’ve never stopped trying to make me live as if I’m a replacement for her!"

Her mother’s eyes narrowed, a sneer pulling at her lips. "Oh, poor you. The poor forgotten sister who has to live in the shadow of the perfect Jasmine," she said mockingly, her tone cruel and dismissive. "Don’t play the victim with me, Lily. Jasmine was everything you’re not. You’ll never be half of what she was. And you think running around with her ex makes you special? Pathetic."

"I’m not trying to be special!" Lily snapped, her voice shaking. "I’m just trying to live my life. Cai and I—what we have has nothing to do with Jasmine!"

Her mother scoffed, a bitter, mocking laugh escaping her lips. "Nothing to do with Jasmine? Oh, Lily, how can you be so naive? Haven’t you looked in the mirror?" She folded her arms across her chest, her eyes gleaming with cruel satisfaction. "Do you really think it’s a coincidence that he’s with you of all people? You look just like her—just like Jasmine. Don’t kid yourself."

Lily shook her head, feeling a growing pit in her stomach. "No, it’s not like that. It’s not about her..."

How can it not be about her? He was loyal to your sister to the very end. He loved her, Lily! Or have you forgotten that too?" Her mother leaned in, her voice a harsh whisper. "Don’t you know the myth in his family? The Frosts love only once—and when they do, it’s for a lifetime. He said it himself, back when Jasmine was alive. He’s probably only with you because, deep down, he still wants to be with her."

Lily’s throat tightened, her hands trembling. "No..."

"Face it, Lily," her mother continued, relentless. "You’re just a stand-in. He’s with you because you remind him of Jasmine. It’s pathetic that you don’t see it."

Lily’s heart pounded in her chest, every word her mother said stinging like salt in a wound she didn’t even realize she had. Her breaths came out shallow, and the walls seemed to close in around her. She wanted to scream, to deny it all, but her voice faltered under the weight of her mother’s cruel words. Doubts began to creep in—doubts she had buried deep but could no longer ignore.

Her eyes filled with tears, and she could barely hold them back. "Just... leave me alone," she choked out, her voice shaking with both anger and pain. "I don’t want to see you again. Either of you."

"Lily! We came to bring you back home...", her father tried to speak but her mother was not done, pushing the kinfe in," Yes. Come back home! At least we know you are not Jasmine and cannot be. There is no need to make him confused and then be disappointed that you are not the woman he cared for and loved."

Lily couldn’t take it anymore. Without another word, she turned and bolted, her feet pounding against the pavement as she ran.