Chapter : 841

“She overheard everything?” I asked, my chest tightening.

Cora nodded.

“Yes…” she said softly. “She accused me of ruining her entire life. She was hurt and upset and told me that I deserved to rot for what I had done. Then, she told me that if this baby were that powerful, she could restore everything that she had lost. She told me that she would keep my dirty little secret from my brother and those closest to me, and maybe even one day forgive me… if she gave me this baby.”

“And you agreed to it?” I asked.

She nodded.

“I was selfish and desperate to keep my brother from knowing that I was the reason we had no parents,” she admitted. “Plus, I wanted Ivy’s forgiveness… though our friendship was ruined after that night. I agreed to it. My grandmother told me that the baby with the power would be the third born… a girl. So, Ivy agreed to wait until that baby was born to make another appearance in my life. By then, she had somewhat redeemed her life. She married Arthur Churchill…”

I gasped at the name and looked at Gavin, whose jaw clenched.

“Levi’s father?” Gavin asked.

Cora nodded grimly.

“Yes, however, she already had a daughter with her former boyfriend, who held no title and, in her eyes, wasn’t good enough for her. She got pregnant with his baby and at that point had a little girl…. Megan…”

“Meg…” I whispered, tears filling my eyes. “My mother…”

Cora didn’t reply to that; she cleared her throat and continued.

Ivy married Arthur and joined the two families together. Arther had a couple of kids of his own, as you already know… one of them being Levi. He was a bit older, and he was mean as can be to Meg. They tormented her… they were cruel. The whole family turned their backs on her, even her own mother. Meg had run away many times, but the family had people drag her back time and time again… then she met someone. Someone who made her feel seen for the first time in her life.”

“My father…” I whispered.

She didn’t reply to that either; she continued as if I hadn’t said anything.

“They snuck around for a long while, and then they were found out by her family. They locked her up. She eventually escaped and tried to run away after she found she was pregnant. But once again… they were found out, and she was dragged back to their family home. They didn’t let him go, though… they killed him on the spot, right in front of her. She was devastated and later she ended up running away for the final time. This time, she managed to get far enough away, and she lived in hiding for many months. And then her baby was born, and she gave birth in neutral territory…”

I let out a breath; tears were pouring down my cheeks, listening to this tale, and Gavin’s arms tightened around me like he was trying to anchor me and keep me grounded.

“Ivy and Arthur eventually found her and came to this hospital… it was around the time that Selene was about to give birth as well… at the same hospital. It was her third child.. a girl. I ran into Ivy when she was heading to see her daughter, and that was when she reminded me of our deal…”

“To give her the baby?” I asked, my brows pinched together.

She nodded slowly.

“She figured if her daughter was to have a baby… she would want a powerful one. A child that could

make them stronger and restoret

everything that Ivy has

lost everything that I took from her when we were children. However, she didn’t know that I planned to take the powers out of the baby and put it in the family heirloom that my grandmother had given me. Taking the powers out of the baby would also make the baby untraceable… so I’d be able to hide her… but I knew Ivy wouldn’t stop looking for her. So, I did the only thing that I could think

to do…”

Cora closed her eyes, letting out a shuddering breath. I dreaded what she was about to say, but I knew I needed to hear it.

“What did you do?” I dared to ask; my voice barely came out above a whisper.

She opened her eyes to look at me.

“I switched the babies,” she said softly, more tears filling her eyes. “I gave them Selene’s baby… and in return… Selene had theirs.”

My heart fell deep into my stomach as reality came crashing down around me.

“Are you saying… Meg wasn’t my mother?” I asked.

She nodded slowly.

“Meg was not your mother,” she confirmed. “Your mother is Selene.”