Chapter 76 Exposure

Nora collapsed onto the ground, having only intended to pave a path for her daughter without foreseeing these consequences. While standing beside Luke, Bill cursed venomously, but Nora, seemingly deaf to his words, pondered her next move. Then, her gaze turned pleadingly toward her daughter. Realizing the situation had reached a point of no return, she chose not to drag Floriana further into this mess and silently stood up. "I admit, I am responsible for these deeds. They have nothing to do with my daughter. Please, don't implicate her in this," Nora declared. Bill, seething with anger, retorted, "Nora, you've truly disappointed me! Charlotte is also my child, and your actions disregard my feelings!" "Your child?" Nora, no longer concerned about maintaining appearances, retorted. "Wasn't it you who adamantly accused her of infidelity, declaring you'd have nothing more to do with Charlotte? And now, suddenly, your paternal love overflows, and you remember you have a daughter?" Charlotte watched the family drama unfold before her, finding the scene bitterly amusing. The location was secluded, with few passersby. Daniel didn't appear, feeling it wasn't his place to intrude on family matters. Caelan and Sofia, standing nearby, found the situation unbelievable, wondering aloud, "How could there be such a father in this world?" Sofia, her expression cold, watched the chaotic family scene. "This is what Charlotte has endured. All these years, no one has understood her plight, suffering under the false accusations of her own father." Caelan, looking sympathetically toward Charlotte, who was standing beside Luke, commented, "She's truly strong." Bill lashed out at Nora fiercely. "So it was you stirring up all this trouble behind my back? I can't believe I fell for your lies. After all these years together, I'm finally seeing who you really are - full of deceit and malice." Nora, crumpled on the ground, burst into wild laughter, completely losing her composure. "Me, stirring up all this? You were the one who went to Frank's house. I didn't even know about it until you got back!" Bill, confident and convinced that others would doubt Nora's credibility, sneered, "Still denying your actions, huh? Would you have come clean if it weren't for Floriana's involvement? This whole mess is your doing, and my poor daughter has paid the price for it. I should've recognized your true nature much sooner." Floriana tried to help her mother but was forcefully pushed away. "Don't touch me!" "Mom." Nora was at a total loss for words, reflecting on how she had tirelessly plotted and planned for their family throughout her marriage, which led to this desperate situation. And now, to top it all off, Bill was attempting to pin the blame for Charlotte's supposed infidelity on her. 'It looks like coming to this dinner was a mistake. My desire for Floriana to marry into a more prestigious family led us here. But after this embarrassing episode, I doubt any reputable family would even think of accepting her now.' Determined to shield her daughter from the fallout, Nora kept pushing Floriana away, taking all the blame upon herself. Charlotte said, "Let's go." Luke nodded, and they began to leave. Behind them, Floriana called out, "Charlotte! It's all because of you that my mom is like this!" Bill, consumed by anger, struck Floriana sharply across the face. "Haven't you embarrassed yourself enough for one day? Just keep quiet!" Then, he turned his attention to Nora, who was still sitting on the ground. "I'm divorcing you tonight. I can't let someone like you destroy my life." Nora gazed at Bill, whom she had supported for over twenty years, now feeling like he was a complete stranger. In this critical moment, his priority wasn't to help her but to shield himself from any blame. "Dad, how can you talk like that? She's still my mom, no matter what happens." "If you keep defending her, you might as well leave with her!" Floriana, unwilling to give up her comfortable life and scared of making her father even angrier, chose to stay quiet. The dinner party ended in chaos. Daniel, the host, was filled with regret that such an incident had unfolded at his vineyard. However, Luke didn't hold him responsible. "This isn't on you. It's our family drama that we couldn't manage, causing a scene here. I'll make it up to you with a dinner invite another time." Daniel waved it off, "No worries. It was a miss on my part too. You should go back and get some rest. We'll catch up later." Luke nodded and left. In the car next to Luke, Charlotte asked, "When did you learn about all this? Why didn't you tell me sooner?" Luke answered, "I had Lawson look into it when the problems first started. I didn't plan on telling you, not wanting to burden you. But today, I had to come forward to protect you." Charlotte understood. "My dad wants to divorce Nora... she kind of deserves it. As a kid, Nora was two-faced; nice when my dad was there, but mean and hurtful when we were alone. She said I didn't belong in our family." Luke gently held her hand and kissed it. "That's all behind us now. With me here, you won't have to go through that again." Charlotte breathed deeply, looking at the road. "Yeah, I'm glad I have you now." The court day came, and Charlotte, despite not really wanting to go, was curious about what would happen to Nora, knowing that jail would be hard for her at her age. Luke accompanied Charlotte to court, where they watched from the public gallery as the lawyer detailed Nora's wrongdoings. Nora stood silently in the dock, unrepresented and appearing resigned to the charges. Floriana sat quietly, crying as she watched her mother stand there all alone. She wished she could help, but she couldn't. She thought if it weren't for all this, she'd still be living a happy life with her family. 'It's all Charlotte's fault! I'll make her pay for this!' The judge, after hearing all the evidence, asked coldly, "Does the defense have anything to say?" Nora, looking drained and much older, just shook her head. "I have nothing to say."