Chapter 624
Fallon furrowed her brows. “Then where would you like to go? I can come with you.” “Don’t you have to work?” Cindy asked, genuinely puzzled.
Octavia seemed to spend every day lounging in cafés, indulging in shopping sprees or pampering herself at the spa-yet she’d never once suggested taking Cindy out for some air. Funny enough, it was Fallon, whose job kept her busy, who was now volunteering to drop everything and take Cindy out to clear her mind.
“Work is never-ending,” Fallon said lightly. “I can always take some time off. Let me take you somewhere fun.”
“I just can’t relax knowing you’re sitting at home all day.”
Cindy fell silent.
“I just want to go out by myself for a bit,” she said at last. The idea of someone tagging along made her feel suffocated. All she wanted was to be alone, to have a little peace and quiet.
Fallon frowned again. “Cindy, how am I supposed to feel comfortable with you traveling alone? You’ve never even taken a trip by yourself.”
That stung. Cindy felt it acutely.
Of course. Claire could travel overseas all on her own, while Cindy hadn’t even been out of town solo. The farthest she’d ever traveled was that time she’d gone to Montara with her brother and York.
The memory of Montara shimmered in her mind—the breathtaking scenery, the genuine thrill of living like the wealthy. She’d stayed in the grandest lakeview suite, waking up to serene views of Verdant Bay flooded with sunlight. She could eat breakfast in the room, brought up by staff, or head down to the lavish dining hall. Every day had been pure bliss.
Everything had felt simple then. She hadn’t needed to think about anything.
But after her exam results were released, all that had changed. Suddenly, she was painfully aware of the widening gulf between herself and Claire.
It wasn’t only her parents’ disappointment that haunted her; she worried, too, that York’s parents would now see her in a different light.
“There’s a first time for everything,” she said quietly.
“Just because I haven’t done it before doesn’t mean I can’t do it now.”
“I’m an adult. I can take responsibility for myself.”
“Alright, alright, you can go alone,” Fallon interjected hastily, picking up on Cindy’s growing distress. “I won’t stand in your way. But wherever you end up going, please, just send me a quick text to let me know you’re safe.”
“If you really don’t want to message me directly, just post something on Facebook. I’ll check in just so I know you’re okay.”
“Does that work for you?”
With Fallon’s gentle compromise, Cindy simply couldn’t bring herself to be harsh with her. “…Alright.”
Across town, Octavia was boiling with frustration toward Cindy as she returned from another tedious round of small talk with the country club wives.
If her daughter hadn’t bombed those exams so badly, those women wouldn’t have felt so free to bring up Claire, so smug and unconcerned If things had gone differently, Cindy would have been the one they praised-Octavia would have been the envy of them all for having both an accomplished adoptive daughter and a capable biological one. .net But no-after Octavia refused to introduce Claire to their single sons, they’d begun making snide remarks all but accusing her of forcing Claire out of the family too soon.
Her own daughter was a letdown, and the shame of it ate away at Octavia.
Mulling all this over, she decided against her better judgment to call Claire.
Claire had already fielded so many calls that day she didn’t even check to see who it was before answering.
“Claire.”
Hearing Octavia’s voice, Claire finally registered who was calling.
“Is there something you needed?”
“I heard you’re Apex’s valedictorian this year. I just wanted to call and congratulate you.”
“Thank you.” Claire kept her reply courteous but detached her first thought was, naturally, that Octavia must have an agenda.
Her politeness never extended beyond the necessary; her tone was cool, distant.
Of course Octavia could hear it, and it only upset her more.
How ungrateful, she thought bitterly. Eighteen years raising her, yet Claire wouldn’t oblige her with even the smallest favor.
Selfish, through and through.
“Here’s the thing-Latham’s been talking about throwing a party in
your honor. If you don’t have any objections, let’s set a date, invite all your teachers and classmates, make it areal celebration.”
“What do you think?”