THE HABITAT

Who could have imagined that one day, I would witness my mom, JudyFuller, being kicked out of my family? The mastermind? My dear aunt, ErikaFuller.

To fight for custody of me, my mother gave up everything. Yet, at the age of eleven, I coldly declared, "I want to stay with my dad."

After all, the real drama was only just beginning.

1.

That year, Erika was twenty-four years old. Her beauty was so extraordinary that it was the talk of the town, with suitors lined up as far as the eye could see.

But what baffled everyone was that she never dated. No matter how exceptional the man, she wouldn't spare him a glance. Instead, she lived alone with a daughter of mysterious origins.

Perhaps fearing that her beauty would bring her misfortune, my grandparents, even on their deathbeds, made my mother promise to take care of her.

My mother took their words to heart and brought Erika, who was still young at the time, into our home.

Mom doted on Erika and cared for Erika like her own daughter, never expecting that Erika would one day steal her husband.

That day, when my mother walked in and saw Erika lying beside my father, caught in the throes of passion, she fainted on the spot.

When she regained consciousness, Erika was kneeling by her bedside, her face streaked with tears. "Judy, I couldn't help myself…"

"For so many years, your husband, Vergil Corbyn, and I have always been in love.

Judy, I've always idolized you since I was a child. Everything you loved, I envied and wanted for myself. But I've never fought you for anything. This time, though, I just…" Erika broke into another round of wailing, as if she were the one who had been wronged.

My mother sat there in stunned silence as Erika pulled out a paternity test and thrust it in her face. "For the sake of our sisterhood, for your health, I've kept this secret for far too long."

It turned out that my so-called cousin, whose origins had always been unclear, was actually the illegitimate child of Erika and my father.

The husband my mom loved most and the sister she cherished most had conspired to betray her together.

My mother's already fragile health deteriorated further, and from then on, she lived in a daze, relying on medication to get through each day.

Her hair seemed to turn gray overnight, and I, still a child, seemed to grow up in an instant.

I saw through Erika's seemingly innocent demeanor to the ruthless cunning hidden beneath.

Since then, Erika began visiting my mother every few days. Each time, she would bring up the same topic. "Please, for the sake of our sisterhood and the child, let it go."