Cindy's stomach problems had never been too serious, but thank God for Fallon noticing when she did. Fallon had started cooking for her, even packing up meals so she wouldn't skip out or eat just anything. Back then, Cindy was honestly so grateful. If not for Fallon, her condition would have gotten much worse, and she might have totally crashed.
For years, she had loved eating Fallon's cooking. Pandora, bless her heart, just couldn't cook at all, and Patti couldn't exactly stop by every day to help out. Well, Patti would always come over if Pandora called, but Cindy hated the idea of troubling people. That was just her way—always trying to seem strong, not wanting to bother anyone.
"I get it. Thanks... Fallon," she said, her voice quiet, almost unsure. Calling Fallon "godmother" didn't come naturally.
"Did your mom say something to you?" Fallon asked out of nowhere.
Cindy hesitated, not sure what to say.
When she stayed silent, Fallon went on, "Cindy, maybe your mom has really misunderstood me."
"She and your dad met in college. He was an upperclassman, the kind everyone admired."
"So many girls liked him. I was no exception. I was drawn to how capable he was.'
“I admit it, I used to like him a lot, but he graduated, I got busy with my own life, and we barely saw each other."
"I don't want to hear this..." Cindy tried to cut her off. The last thing she wanted was a rundown of her dad's romance with another woman.
But Fallon wasn't about to stop. "Cindy, just hear me out. You're an adult now. You should decide what to believe for yourself."
"Once you know the truth, you'll be able to judge who was right and who was wrong."
Cindy didn't want to listen, but with Fallon putting it that way, what choice did she have? She just sat quietly.
Fallon's story sounded plain and soft, but every word landed heavy. She said she'd lost control just
once-a drunken mistake, a brief et
mix
with betham, was never her plan to ruin his marriage with Octavia, but Latham had gone behind both their backs, making promises to Fallon while getting Octavia pregnant again. That left Fallon feeling completely hopeless.
"I was like a foolish girl in love for the first time. He had me wrapped around his finger."
"Over and over I told myself to let go, to move on because I couldn't break up your family. But I just couldn't do it."
"Women are so helpless when it comes to love sometimes."
"It took everything to finally quit my job and plan to go back home, and that's when I found out I was pregnant."
"Your mom found out, too."
er breath catch in her
Cindy felt her
throat. She knew whatever was
coming next wouldn't be easy to
hear, but she couldn't stop helgene
now. She needed to get the whole truth, straight from Fallon. The problem was, Fallon's story was so different from what her mother Octavia, had told her. Cindy bonestly had no clue who was telling the truth anymore.
"Your mom freaked out when she found out I was pregnant."
"She wanted me to get rid of the baby, and I can't say I blame her."
“I didn't really want the child either, because everything about me and your dad felt wrong from the start."
"But I couldn't just end the pregnancy. The doctor said my body was too weak. If I went through with it, I might never be able to get pregnant again."
"So I decided to have the baby in secret."
At this point, Cindy couldn't help but interrupt, “So what happened in the end.....”
She already knew Fallon had lost a child. People said she'd loved
wrong person, and after that, net
she'd
buried herself in her work and stopped believing in love altogether.