Octavia's voice softened, but her eyes stayed serious. "I just don't want you to get hurt, sweetheart."
"I won't let anyone hurt me." Cindy tried to sound sure, shaking her head.
Still, a cold thought ran through her. What if Fallon had known the truth about her all along? What if every moment between them was just part of some bigger plan? Wasn't that the worst kind of betrayal?
"Mom, is all of this really true?" Cindy found it hard to believe.
Octavia didn't say another word. Instead, she pulled out a stack of old photos-
pictures of Latham and Fallon together, kept hidden for years.
"Fallon isn't who you think. I only just found out the truth myself, after hiring a private investigator to look into the baby swap at the hospital."
"If I hadn't, I'd probably still be completely in the dark."
"And so would you. You'd spend your whole life mistaking your enemy for your benefactor."
That last part stung more than Cindy would ever admit. How was she supposed to face Fallon now?
"I know this is hard and I know it hurts. I get it." Octavia put a hand on her daughter's back. "But I need you to stop seeing her."
"The longer you're around her, the more pain she'll cause."
"Think about it. She switched you and Claire. Why is she still so interested in you, huh?"
"What does she even want from you?"
Each sentence hit Cindy harder than the last. Could it really be true? The woman who had always seemed so kind was just using her as part of some twisted scheme? Even her parents' marriage might have been a target.
"Please, Mom, that's enough!" Cindy couldn't take it anymore. She pressed her hands over her ears, fighting back tears. "I just need some time alone."
Octavia watched her, torn between sympathy and resentment. Cindy had been her whole world, but now everything felt so warped. The idea of Fallon with her husband made her stomach turn. Hearing Cindy call that woman "godmother" was even worse.
Was her own daughter turning into a stranger? Would Fallon end up poisoning Cindy's mind against her?
That fear made Octavia doubt everything. Maybe Claire was the safer bet after all. Claire was headstrong and didn't even know Fallon, let alone trust her.
Actually, wasn't it Claire who first warned her that Fallon was back in the picture?
Octavia sighed, massaging her temples. "Go to your room and get some rest, okay?"
"Okay,” Cindy replied, all the fight gone from her voice.
She escaped to her room as quickly
as she could, unable to face either
Octavia or Fallon. But barely two
minutes had passed when her
phone started unging Fallon's name
flashed on the screen.
Cindy just stared at it, her heart pounding. She didn't want to pick up. But the ringing
wouldn't stop, and she didn't have the heart to ignore it.
Finally, she answered in a small voice. "Hello?"
She didn't say "godmother" like she usually did.
If Fallon noticed, she ignored it. “Cindy, are you home already?"
"Yeah, I'm home," Cindy mumbled.
"Everything's okay, right? You didn't get a chance to eat earlier, so don't forget to have something now."
"If I hadn't insisted on making those ribs, you wouldn't have ended up starving all afternoon."
“Remember to eat. You know how easily your stomach acts up.”
The truth was, Cindy's stomach problems weren't anyone else's fault. She was always giving away her own money to help friends in need skipping meals to make sure others didn't go without. She'd earned herself a reputation fo
kindness, but all that generosity
meant she often went hungry at
school. And now she was paying the price.
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