Chapter : 842
Judy’s POV
I stared dumbfounded at Cora, my heart heavy in my chest. I couldn’t believe what I was being told. My entire body was numb; I could hardly even feel Gavin rubbing my back, trying to soothe me, trying to bring me back to the present moment.
Cora was quiet for a long while; she was staring down at her hands, tugging at her fingers nervously. She didn’t look like the confident witch I had expected, but a timid woman who had made a huge mistake in the past and had been hiding in shame for
all these years.
“That’s why you disappeared,” I said softly… it wasn’t a question, just an
observation that made tears glisten in her eyes. “You were ashamed of what you had done.”
She nodded slowly and wiped at her tear-filled eyes.
“I couldn’t let my brother or his wife know what I did… I took away their baby and gave them a rogue’s child. I killed our parents… I made some huge mistakes, and I will live to regret them for the rest of my life… the only thing I had to do was leave.”
“You could have stayed,” I told her before I could think better of it. “From what you say… Zachary Blackwell loved you. You were his only family, and I know from Selene that he misses you dearly.”
She shook her head and sniffled softly.
“I’m sorry, I’ve been so rude. Would you like some tea? I invited you in and told you this long story without offering you anything.”
“I’m okay,” I say before she could stand and rush to the kitchen; she was avoiding the rest of the story, and I wanted to know why. I was almost desperate to know what more she had to say… what she was hiding. “Please,” I say softly, reaching for her hand. “What is it? What are you afraid to tell me?”
She looked between Gavin and me, and then she let out a shuddering breath.
“My grandmother saw me switching the babies…” she told me after a beat. “I tried to explain why I was doing it, and as long as the baby had no magic, she should be safe. Her magic won’t get into the wrong hands as long as Zachary and Selene keep the Moon Gem safe… however, Esme didn’t want to think about such a thing. She didn’t believe me that the baby would be safe. She was furious and threatened to tell Zachary what I had done. She wanted to tell Zachary everything…”
I swallowed the lump in my throat as she continued to wring her hands; I had a feeling what she was about to say, and I dreaded her next words.
“What did you do?” I asked, my voice coming out breathy.
“I used a spell to make her silent,” she said softly. “She was only not supposed to spill my secrets… that’s the purpose of the spell. But I somehow messed it up and made it impossible for her to speak at all.”
I gasped.
“That’s why she’s silent?” I asked, my brows furrowed. “You cast a spell on her to force her to be silent?”
“Yes,” she confirmed. “I made her silent with my magic, and she hasn’t spoken a word in years.”
“If you’ve been hiding for all these years, then how do you know all this information?” Gavin asked; I could hear the distress in his tone and the way his arm tightened around me Of course, I didn’t blame him for not trusting her….she didn’t trust him either, and I wasn’t entirely sure why.
She curled her lip up at him and practically hissed when she spoke.
“Because I was cursed. Call it Karma if you’d like. But I was given full sight. I can see everything that has to do with Zachary and Selene… everything that has to do with your mate.”
I blinked.
“Me?”
She turned her attention back to me.
“Yes,” she replied.
“And I know that you were given to a couple… because your magic was taken from you, the Churchills were never able to detect you. The Montgomery’s took you away, and the Churchills weren’t able to find you.”
“What happened to my… uh… what happened to Meg?” I asked, my voice heavy as
I asked that question.
“She disappeared a long time ago,” Cora said softly. “I lost track of her over the years. Some say her family had her killed. Others say she ended her own life. Nobody really knows what happened for sure. I’d like to think she escaped that horrid life and started a new life. Maybe found a new love and started to live the life she had always dreamt of.”
There was a whimsical look in Cora’s eyes when she spoke of Meg. She let out a breath and blinked a few times, bringing herself back to the present moment.
“I’m sorry… the past his hard to talk about.”
“You knew we were coming here… didn’t you?” I asked, my eyes remaining on hers.