The IVF Secret That Shook a Dynasty novel Chapter 473

It was true. Growing up, she had always been the invisible child in the Lynn family. Whenever the holidays rolled around, they would shower their son with new clothes, new sneakers, and new toys. For her, there was absolutely nothing. Even the snacks and fruit they bought were hidden away. She only got a pitiful handout when they were feeding their son and happened to toss a scrap her way.

When she was a little girl, she rarely wore anything brand new. At first, Evelyn would scrounge up hand-me-downs from neighbors or relatives, claiming that wearing used clothes built character.

As she got older, they just made her wear adult clothing. Sometimes it was Evelyn's old stuff, sometimes it was whatever oversized cast-offs they could beg from relatives. She had never known the thrill of going holiday shopping. All she knew was the humiliation of being mocked by her classmates for wearing ill-fitting, worn-out rags.

So, when she finally started making her own money, she went through a phase where she bought clothes obsessively. It was a blatant attempt to heal her inner child and make up for years of deprivation.

But then Zebulon and Evelyn aggressively berated her for being wasteful. They gaslit her so relentlessly that she eventually felt guilty for buying herself anything at all.

After getting married and having a child, all her focus shifted to her son. Naturally, she stopped spending money on herself altogether.

She never imagined that in her second marriage, a man would treat her like the cherished child she had never been. Right before the holidays, he purposely took her out to the mall, showering her with diamonds, clothes, and shoes—just because it was the holiday season.

Seeing her stand there frozen, her eyes red from just that one sentence, Joseph couldn't help but sigh softly. "There are people everywhere. Are you sure you want to cry right now? People are going to think I'm bullying you."

Joseph deliberately teased her to lighten the mood.

Vivica played along, forcing a laugh as she took a deep breath to suppress the rising tide of emotion. "You guys are so good to me, it honestly makes me question if I deserve it..."

"No, we're just doing what any normal family would do. The people you were stuck with before were just garbage," Joseph assured her.

Hearing his words, Vivica was struck once again by just how incredibly decent the Baird family was. They were just genuinely, thoroughly good people.

That evening, Joseph took her from the jewelers to the boutiques, from the clothing racks to the shoe salons, and finally to pick out gifts for everyone else. Roderic swung by halfway through the night just to haul their mountain of shopping bags out to the car.

They stayed until the mall was practically closing. Vivica had to physically drag Joseph toward the exit.

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