18 Floors Above the Apocalypse novel Chapter 399

Thinking about the tough times Stella went through in the orphanage, Daniel couldn't shake the guilt.

The truth was out in the open. Lillian, with tears streaming down her face, finally broke down, "I'm sorry, I did lie to you. When I was on that operating table, realizing the child had your blood, I just couldn't go through with it. I kept hoping you'd come back and help me through it, but you never did.

The Thompsons took me in and I couldn't bear to see the family fall apart. So, I had to agree to the arranged marriage. But the Rileys, the old guard, would never accept this child. I couldn't wait any longer, my parents kept pressuring me, so I had to secretly give birth and send her to the orphanage.

When you came back, I wanted to tell you the truth, but the Thompsons had already suspected something was up. If I told you, it would've blown everything. From the start, it was always you I loved, wanting to marry and have kids with you. But can you save the Thompson family?”

Her words were gut-wrenching, her tears showing her pain. But Daniel couldn't believe her anymore.

"You chose to hide it because you were scared I'd mess things up with the Rileys."

She knew he wasn't the type to cling, but she heartlessly left Stella to fend for herself in the orphanage to avoid any complications.

"I didn't, you've got it all wrong."

"Even if you feared the Rileys finding out, what about after the wedding?"

Her tears kept flowing, but they no longer moved him; instead, they fueled his anger. "You had thirty years to tell the truth. Why didn't you?"

Lillian was speechless, trying to speak but couldn't find the words.

She had chances, but how could she say it? Admit to Daniel that even after getting married, she couldn't forget him? If he knew she abandoned their daughter in an orphanage, would he think she was selfish, cold-hearted?

She was truly scared. The more she feared, the less she dared to speak.

Daniel's gaze grew colder. "Even a tiger doesn't abandon its cubs, yet you threw Stella into an orphanage. Why did you let Julia try to kill her?"

"Is that really what you think of me?" Lillian's voice was full of pain, her eyes blurry with tears. "I may have ignored Stella, but she's my flesh and blood. Why would I want to kill her? You haven't lived with her; you don't know her temperament. Back in Griffith, because Julia's alpaca spat at her, she beat her publicly and forced her sister to eat filth. How malicious must one be to push someone to the brink of death, never showing any family love?

From that point, they became enemies, and Julia held a grudge. At the base, she thought to give Stella a taste of hardship, so she hired some outsiders. Who knew they'd misunderstand and try to kill Stella to gain favor? You saw what happened today. Not only did she try to kill Julia, but she also dared to hit me..."

Daniel, seeing Lillian's selfishness, was shocked by her loss of humanity. The last flicker of hope in his eyes went out. "As her mother, you must have known what Julia was thinking, right?"

If this were thirty years ago, he might have lost control. But time had tempered his rage; it couldn't be expressed in simple violence anymore.

Facing a woman he once loved who had turned into this, he had to accept some responsibility. Learning that Stella was his biological daughter, Daniel took the chance to meet her. She was independent and strong, surviving the apocalypse and finding a life partner.

With disaster looming, he had his own duties and couldn't be the father Stella needed. Moreover, he knew Stella didn't need familial affection.

He hadn't decided whether to acknowledge Stella or how to handle Lillian when she showed such cruelty.

"Why treat them so differently?" Daniel asked, his disappointment clear, no longer giving her a chance to explain. "Lillian, should I bring out the evidence of your plot to kill Stella?"

Lillian, unaware Rosie had recorded a video, asked, "Did you install surveillance in the house?"