The Mighty Mage
Chapter 346: Victim

Chapter 346: Chapter 346: Victim

Mr. Gu’s expression darkened, his eyes blazing with fury.

"So it’s true," he said, his voice low but filled with anger. "You’re not our daughter."

Aihan stepped back in panic, shaking her head.

"No! It’s wrong! There must be some mistake!" she cried desperately. "I—I’m still your daughter!"

But Mr. Gu wasn’t listening. His anger boiled over, and he slammed his hand on the table.

"You deceived us! You lied about being part of this family!" he roared. "And worse, you tried to drive out Jin’er, our true daughter!"

Before anyone could stop him, Mr. Gu lunged toward Aihan, his hand raised as if to strike her. Aihan dropped to her knees, crying out,

"Please! Don’t hurt me! I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to—please forgive me!"

Mr. Gu stopped just inches away from Aihan, his hand frozen mid-air.

His chest rose and fell with heavy breaths as he glared down at her.

The entire room was silent, the tension so thick it felt like the walls themselves were holding their breath.

Aihan trembled on her knees, tears streaming down her face.

"I didn’t mean to deceive you," she sobbed. "I just... I just wanted a family! Please, believe me!"

Mrs. Gu’s hands shook as she gripped the edge of the table for support. Her gaze was fixed on Aihan, her mind racing.

"You... you lied to us this whole time?" she whispered, her voice breaking. "All those years... all those memories... were they fake?"

Aihan shook her head violently. "No! I swear, I thought... I thought I belonged here! I didn’t mean for things to go this far!"

Gu Jin stood silently, her cold gaze fixed on Aihan.

Her expression gave away nothing, but her ruby-like eyes seemed to pierce through Aihan’s every word.

"Thought you belonged?" Gu Jin finally spoke, her voice as sharp as ice.

"Or did you make yourself belong? There’s a big difference."

Just the mere thought of how many years of love from her mom and dad she had missed, Gu Jin felt a hint of heartache.

Aihan looked up at Gu Jin, her face twisted with desperation.

"You don’t understand! I didn’t have anyone! I didn’t have a home! I was just trying to survive!"

Mr. Gu’s anger flared again.

"So you chose to steal someone else’s family? To take what wasn’t yours? You’ve humiliated this family and betrayed our trust!" His voice boomed through the room, making everyone flinch.

Aihan’s cries grew louder.

"No! I didn’t steal anything! I just... I just wanted to feel loved!" She turned to Mrs. Gu, her hands clasped together in a pleading gesture.

"Mom! Please! You’ve always cared for me... doesn’t that mean anything?"

Mrs. Gu’s face twisted with pain, her heart torn between the betrayal and the memories she couldn’t let go of.

"I don’t know what to feel anymore," she admitted, her voice trembling. "You were like a daughter to me... but now, I don’t even know who you are."

Aihan’s sobs filled the room as she collapsed further onto the floor. "I’m sorry," she kept repeating, her voice cracking. "I’m so sorry..."

"I wasn’t trying to hurt anyone! I just wanted to feel safe... to feel like I belonged somewhere. Is that so wrong?" she asked, her voice breaking.

Turning toward Mrs. Gu, she continued,

"Mom, I was afraid...afraid that once Gu Jin comes back I will lose all of you. At first, I wanted to bring Gu Jin to you all right away.

But by then, my and Gu Jin’s relationship had already reached a dead end! I knew that she would kick me out once she returned.

For me, you both are my parents. Even the chicks who see first person after hatching take them as their mother.

I on the other hand have lived with you all for 21 years, how can I leave you all? I was just being possessive."

Mrs. Gu’s expression softened slightly, her hand lifting as though to reach out to Aihan.

Mr. Gu’s face, though still stern, showed hints of doubt as he looked at the girl he once thought of as his daughter.

Even Gu Jin faltered for a moment, her usual icy expression wavering.

But she quickly caught herself. She clenched her fists, forcing her emotions back under control.

She couldn’t let her parents fall for this act.

"Enough," Gu Jin said sharply, her voice cutting through the room like a blade.

Aihan flinched and looked up at her, tears still streaming down her face.

"You’re not the only one who’s had a hard life," Gu Jin said coldly.

"You think you’re the only one who knows what it’s like to suffer? Let me tell you something."

Gu Jin’s gaze shifted to her parents, her expression hard but her voice steady as she began to speak.

"I grew up in an orphanage," she said, her tone flat but her words heavy.

"Not a nice one with caretakers who actually cared. No, this was the kind of place where the older kids bullied the younger ones and the staff turned a blind eye."

She paused, her ruby-like eyes glinting with a hint of pain as memories flooded back.

"I was small and quiet, so I became an easy target. They called me names, stole my food, and even locked me in dark closets just to hear me cry. For years, I wondered if I was cursed... if I was just meant to suffer."

Her words hung in the air, the weight of them pressing down on everyone in the room.

Mrs. Gu’s hand flew to her mouth, tears welling up in her eyes. Even Mr. Gu’s stern expression softened into something resembling guilt.

"And then," Gu Jin continued, her voice lowering, "there was mana. Everyone around me awakened their mana before they even turned ten. But me? I waited until I was thirteen. Do you know what it’s like to watch everyone else grow stronger while you’re left behind? To feel like you’re nothing?"

Her cold gaze locked onto Aihan, who now looked pale and uneasy.

"It wasn’t just the other kids who tormented me after that," Gu Jin said bitterly. "Even the adults treated me like I was defective. Useless. They said I wasn’t worth wasting resources on."

She clenched her fists tighter, her voice trembling slightly as she continued.

"But that wasn’t the worst part," she said, her tone growing even colder.

"When I finally did awaken my mana, it caught the attention of the wrong kind of people. There was this man... an older man who pretended to be kind, who said he wanted to help me."

Her voice cracked slightly, but she pushed on.

"He tried to take advantage of me. I was just a kid, and he saw me as an easy target. If I hadn’t fought back... if I hadn’t managed to get away..."

Her words trailed off, the unspoken horror hanging heavily in the air.

Mrs. Gu let out a choked sob, tears streaming down her face. Mr. Gu’s fists tightened, his knuckles turning white as anger and regret filled his eyes.

Gu Jin straightened, her expression hardening once more as she looked back at Aihan.

"So don’t you dare sit there and act like your life is the only one that’s been hard," she said coldly. "You had a choice, Aihan. You chose to lie, to deceive, to hurt people who took you in. I didn’t have a choice. I survived because I had to."

Her final words were like a slap to the face, silencing the room completely.

Mrs. Gu stood shakily, tears streaming down her cheeks. She walked over to Gu Jin and wrapped her arms around her tightly.

"My poor Jin’er," she whispered, her voice trembling. "I’m so sorry... I’m so sorry you had to go through all of that."

Gu Jin stiffened at the embrace, unused to such warmth, but she didn’t pull away. Instead, she allowed herself a brief moment of vulnerability, her icy mask slipping just slightly.

Mr. Gu stepped forward, his voice firm but filled with emotion. "Jin’er," he said, his eyes shining with guilt.

"From this day forward, you will never have to face anything alone. You’re our daughter, and we will protect you."

Gu Aihan who was silent till now suddenly asked, "Then...what about me?"

The silence was deafening until Mr. Gu took a deep breath, his voice breaking through the tension.

"You," he said slowly, each word heavy with disappointment, "have already done enough damage."

Aihan’s head shot up, her eyes wide with desperation.

"No! Please! I didn’t mean to hurt anyone! I just wanted to stay with you... with this family..."

Mrs. Gu’s tear-streaked face softened slightly, but the pain in her eyes remained. She hesitated, her hands gripping the fabric of her dress tightly.

"Aihan," she said softly, her voice shaking, "we gave you everything. We loved you like our own. But... you lied to us. How can we trust you now?"

"I didn’t mean to lie!" Aihan cried out, her voice cracking. "I was just scared! I didn’t know what else to do! I—"

"Stop," Gu Jichun interrupted, her voice cutting like a blade. "Don’t play the victim, Aihan. You knew exactly what you were doing."

Search the lightnovelworld.cc website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.