Reborn, Reawakened, Rekindled novel Chapter 628

Karina, to me, seemed devoid of empathy, or maybe it was because her mom had always shown her more love than she did to her sister, Kate. Growing up, Kate was treated more like a personal assistant than a sibling, which skewed Karina's perception of relationships. She grew up believing everyone owed her love without the need for her to reciprocate.

Her mom and sister, on the other hand, seemed to actually care about each other, unlike Karina, who appeared emotionally detached, even towards her own child.

Out of the blue, Karina pushed me hard, nearly causing me to fall. "Irene, it's all your fault!" she yelled, accusing me of ruining her life. "Did you think I wanted to adopt a child? Did you think I didn't want to have a child with Neil? It's because of you that I lost Neil and the chance to have my own child!"

I stepped back, my heart racing. "When I married Neil, I had no clue about your existence. How is this my fault?"

"If it wasn't for you, I wouldn't have had to fake my own death, almost die for real, get an infection, and lose my ability to have children. You know how happy I was when I heard you couldn't have children? I thought it was karma. But then, you got pregnant with twins! It meant you must have still been seeing Neil after your divorce. Why, did you want a child with him that badly?"

Karina's ranting drove me nuts.

I did want a child, but not necessarily Neil's. At that point, any child would have done because I wanted to be a mother, not someone's wife through their child.

And I hadn't known about Karina's hysterectomy. Her suicide attempt, though not successful, had clearly left her with serious consequences.

Neil obviously didn't know either; Karina wouldn't tell him, only revealing it now out of spite.

When Karina tried to hit me, I snapped, pushing her hand away. Just then, Neil appeared, grabbing her arm and pulling her away with a look of anger. "Karina, enough!"

"Neil?" Seeing Neil, Karina's jealousy flared. "You're back with Irene, aren't you? Despite knowing Hiram isn't your son, you never clarified things with me, just to keep her around, right?"

I felt like an outsider listening to them argue about a past I wasn't part of. But learning Neil and Karina had never been intimate, not even once, was news to me.

"Neil, even if Hiram isn't yours, it doesn't mean nothing happened between us," Karina tried to argue further.

But Neil had already lost his patience, cutting Karina off mid-sentence with a tone dripping with impatience. "You had a hysterectomy abroad, I've looked into it. Whatever the reason, you know it in your heart."

"You..." Karina was utterly taken aback, finding herself at a loss for words in front of Neil.

"And let's not forget about that guy named Dylan," Neil's demeanor had turned icy, a clear sign he was barely holding back his anger.