Chapter : 843
“I did…” she replied, and then she looked at Gavin. “I also know your father stole what wasn’t meant to be stolen. Your family had cost mine a great deal.”
“My father’s crimes are not mine to bear,” he said sharply, his eyes narrowed. “How do we even know you are telling us the truth? You want us to blindly believe that Judy is actually a Blackwell?”
Cora looked at me, not paying him any attention.
“Are you saying you don’t feel the familiar ties when you are with them… perhaps have some strange dreams?” She asked, and at that moment, I knew that she already knew about everything I was feeling, and she knew about the dreams.
“Blood calls to blood,” I whispered without thinking, making Gavin look at me with a deep frown.
Cora leaned back on the couch; her lips tightening into a thin line.
“Indeed,” she breathed. “Do you believe me?”
I nodded without hesitation.
“I do,” I replied, and then I looked at Gavin, who was giving me a questioning look. “I believe her. She’s telling us the truth.”
Gavin gave me a soft look before tucking a strand of long hair behind my ear, allowing his fingers to linger on my cheeks for a moment longer.
“Then that would mean the Moon Gem actually belongs to you,” he said, his eyes searching my face like he was seeing me for the first time. My heart stuttered in my chest as realization dawned on me.
Gavin was right; if Cora truly was telling the truth, which I had the feeling she was, that meant the Gem belongs to me, as did the magic inside of it. I stared down at my hands, as if they were going to start doing magic on the spot.
Gavin took hold of my hands and gave them a gentle squeeze.
“That’s all the information I have for you,” Cora said after a long pause. “There’s nothing more for me to say.”
I nodded and stood to my feet; Gavin stood as well, his hand resting on my lower back, and I couldn’t help but lean into him.
“Thank you for speaking with me,” I said to her, reaching my hand out for her to grab. “It was very insightful.”
She nodded and sucked her bottom lip into her mouth.
“I hope you know that I love my brother so much,” she whispered. “One day I will return to him….. but for right now, it’s better if I just stay away.
“Better for who? You or your mother? I asked for my arms to be folded across my chest.
“Both,” she said without missing a beat. “You should get going, and I have a lot to do today.”
I nodded.
“Then, don’t let us keep you,” I replied, giving her a small smile
Not long after, we were saying goodbye for the final time. We reached Gavin’s car, neither of us saying anything for a long while. My
mind was whirling with all the
information I was given this evening. I wasn’t even sure where to start processing it couldn’t
even
imagine what Gavin must be thinking about me right about now.
I glanced over at him and saw his tightened Jaw, his flexing knuckles, and the way he was hyper-focused on the road before us. I knew he was lost in thought too; this was more than what he signed up for, and suddenly I had a nagging feeling in the pit of my stomach.
I placed my hands on the swell of my belly, feeling the light fluttering of my baby kicking, and my heart weighed heavily in my chest like it was made of stone.
“Are you upset?” I finally asked, breaking through the silence that consumed us.
He glanced at me briefly before returning his gaze to the road.
“Why would I be upset?” He asked.
“You’ve been quiet.”
He let out a breath, and I watched his jaw loosen slightly.
“I guess I’m just confused. I wasn’t expecting any of this,” he admitted. “But I’m not upset. I’m worried. This this means the Churchill family had been looking for you and the fact that they almost had you…” His voice trailed off, and I reached over to touch his arm.
makes your a target
“But they didn’t,” I reminded him. “I’m with you, and I’m safe.”
He nodded slowly, still processing my words.
“It makes me wonder if Levi knew about this all along,” he murmured. “He’s been cryptic about your identity, and now I’m curious more than ever about it.”
“Me too,” I admitted.
“This also means the Moon Gem is in the wrong hands. It’s burning Lila because it knows it doesn’t belong to her… it belongs to you.”
“Which means I’m the one who can break whatever hold Chuck has on Irene…”
Reality came crashing down, and I suddenly felt the weight of the world on my shoulders.