Chapter 239

“You really aren’t Sammie trailed off, his eyes full of uncertainty.

Norris stared at Claire, his skepticism clear. He didn’t quite believe her.

Claire smiled, trying to ease the tension. “No, I really am Melissa’s daughter. I’ve just never actually met my parents p>

Both Sammie and Norris lit up with hope, but confusion quickly took over.

“Why haven’t you ever met your parents?” Sammie asked, his brows knitting together.

Norris seemed to think of the worst possibility. “Did something happen to them? Were they in an accident p>

Claire shook her head. “I honestly don’t know what really happened. I just got back to the James family. When I was born, there was a mix-up at the hospital. Another girl and I were switched. She grew up in the countryside with my grandmother, and I grew up in Apex p>

She explained how she and Cindy had been switched at birth, then mentioned Pandora.

“Back in the village, everyone always said my real parents had died in some accident. Nobody talked about it, probably because they didn’t want to upset Pandora p>

“It wasn’t until Pandora found out I was coming to Cabinda for the competition that she finally told me about them. She said my mom was from Cabinda and gave me an address. She told me I could go see it if I wanted, but she didn’t push me or anything p>

Norris looked like he wanted to say something, but he stopped himself.

“Norris, do you want to ask me anything else?” Claire asked, still keeping her distance. She hadn’t called him brother yet; it felt too soon.

Norris looked at her, clearly moved by everything she’d been through. “Grandpa always believed Melissa and Agassi ran away together because he didn’t approve of them being together p>

Since it was an elopement, Padgett

hadn’t made a big scene at first. He was angry, sure, but he thought shed come back eventually. As the years went by and he heard nothing-first one year, then two, then three-regret started to creep in.

It wasn’t that he really wanted to break them up forever. His daughter just already had an engagement he thought needed to be sorted out first. Who could have guessed she’d be so stubborn and just leave, never looking back?

Padgett eventually helped her cancel her engagement and searched everywhere for her, but still, there was no news.

Five years passed. Then ten. He started to worry something terrible had happened. Otherwise, why would his daughter just disappear like that?

His anger faded over time, until all that was left was longing for his daughter and endless regret.

“I heard my parents got married in the village,” Claire said softly. “After I was born, they left me with Pandora

and left. Everyone in the village

thought they’d just goo

somewhere else, but then they vanished. People just assumed something bad had happened to them p>

She explained that this was the version of the story Pandora told outsiders. Until she knew whether the Churchills were trustworthy, she wasn’t going to mention any of Pandora’s other theories.

“So, you don’t know anything about your parents, either?” Sammie asked, disappointment clear in his voice. He’d hoped Claire might know something-at least whether Melissa was alive or not.

Norris felt the same way.

The Churchill family had been bracing themselves for bad news for years, so Norris wasn’t completely crushed.

“No,” Claire answered honestly, meeting Sammie’s hopeful gaze. No news was the best she could offer. She wasn’t about to make up a story.

Norris looked at her carefully. “Grandpa’s heard about you. He really wants to see you. Would you come home with me to meet him p>

He understood she’d grown up away from her family, and maybe she didn’t even want that connection. He didn’t want to pressure her.

“I told the family about you as soon as we met,” he added. “I just didn’t bring up Melissa and everything else because I was worried it might distract you from the competition p>