Chapter 541

“I’ll think about it,” Octavia said before hanging up.

She stood there for a second, debating what to do next. Finally, she decided to head straight home.

Over the past few days, Cindy had been out with friends, letting herself forget, at least for a little while, about the pressure of her upcoming college entrance exams.

When Octavia walked through the front door and realized the house was empty, she immediately reached for her phone and called Cindy.

She had no way of knowing that Cindy was already at Fallon’s place that evening. They’d made plans for dinner together. Cindy picked up, surprised to see her mom’s name flashing on the screen.

“Hi Mom, what’s up?” she answered. Fallon was in the kitchen at that moment, busy cooking Cindy’s favorite: braised short ribs. Cindy was hovering nearby, helping wherever she could.

The moment Cindy called out “Mom,” Fallon paused, mid-chop, and glanced over. It was obvious who was on the other end of the call.

“Cindy, where are you?” Octavia asked.

“I—” Cindy started, but before she could say anything else, Fallon interrupted.

“Cindy, can you taste this? See if the ribs are seasoned enough.” Fallon already had a piece of rib held out to her.

Cindy was out of excuses and took a quick bite. “They’re perfect,” she said, mouth still half-full.

“Cindy, where are you? Who are you talking to?” The irritation in Octavia’s voice was impossible to miss.

Cindy didn’t realize that Octavia was starting to get worked up, especially after heating Fallon’s voice in the background. The sound was unmistakable Back when Octavia was pregnant with Cindy, that exact voice had haunted her for what felt like forever. If anyone was capable of being ruthless, it was Fallon.

“I’m at my godmother’s place. She’s someone I got close to a long time ago and she’s always been really good to me,” Cindy explained. Since she’d@lready been caught, there didn’t seem much point in lying. Having dinner at hengodmother’s place shouldn’t be a big deal anyway, right?

She’d always worried about hurting her mom’s feelings, but she had been back with the James family for six months now. And didn’t they have an adopted daughter, Claire?

“Godmother? When did you get a godmother? What’s her name?” Octavia’s voice was sharper than usual, making Cindy flinch a little.

Cindy tried to explain, “I met her when I was little. She came to our town as a volunteer teacher. We’ve been close ever since. She’s helped me so much over the years. I wouldn’t be who I am without her.”

What Cindy didn’t see was how her loyalty to Fallon only made things worse for Octavia.

“I asked what her name is,” Octavia snapped, making it clear she wasn’t interested in a backstory.

Only then did Cindy realize how angry her mother was. She lowered her voice, “Mom, you know her. It’s Fallon-the one who helped me organize my study guides. Dad said she used to go to college with him, remember?”

mom

That connection was exactly why Cindy felt comfortable telling her om about Fallon. She hoped here maybe even be grateful, that someone like Fallon had been looking out for her all this time. Honestly, what would she have done without Fallon?

mother would understand er

“I knew it,” Octavia muttered under her breath. The second she heard Fallon’s voice, she’d had a bad feeling. She’d hoped she was just being paranoid, but now, hearing Cindy confirm it, she couldn’t pretend anymore.

“Why her, Cindy? Why didn’t you say anything before?”

Cindy glanced nervously in Fallon’s direction. She finally realized her mom wasn’t just uncomfortable with Fallon-she actually disliked her, maybe even hated her.

“Mom… Can we talk when I get home?” Cindy really didn’t want to have this conversation in front of Fallon. She felt completely stuck in the middle. She never expected her mom to feel this strongly about Fallon.