I left before I could change my mind, before I could tell her the truth.
Cedar’s POV
Hearing him deny any feelings for me, I felt something hollow open
up in my chest–a dull ache that seemed to spread through my entire
body. In the span of one evening, my world had been turned upside
down twice. At least now I had something else to focus on besides the
sting of Ridley’s rejection. The shocking revelation about my biological family might be exactly the distraction I needed.
I returned to my room in a daze, the DNA test results clutched tightly
in my
hand. My mind was spinning with questions that had no
answers. The Pierces–one of Chicago’s most prominent families-
were my blood relatives? Ethan was my brother? And Emma?
When I opened my door, I was startled to find Aiden, Aria, and Oliver
sitting on my bed, their small faces etched with concern.
“Mommy, are you okay?” Oliver jumped up, wrapping his arms around
my waist. “You look sad. Did Daddy say something mean? I’ll tell him
off!”
1/4
Chapter 215
I steadied myself, not wanting to drag these children any deeper into
the mess between Ridley and me. “No, sweetheart. Your father
actually told me something very important.” I looked at Aiden, whose
usually calm expression had given way to apprehension. “Aiden, why
did you arrange a DNA test between me and Ethan?”
The three children exchanged shocked glances.
“How did you know?” Aiden asked, his face serious beyond his years.
“Your father intercepted the report,” I explained, sitting down on the
bed and drawing them close. “He showed it to me just now.”
Aria bit her lip. “Are you mad at us?”
“No, honey. I’m not mad. I just want to understand why.”
The children looked at each other, having one of their silent
conversations. Finally, Aiden spoke up.
“Last Saturday when we visited Uncle Ethan’s house, we saw a photo
of his mother when she was young,” he explained carefully. “We
noticed she looked exactly like you.”
“Like exactly exactly,” Oliver emphasized, his hands gesturing wildly.
“Same smile and everything!”
2/4
Chapter 215
“We wanted to help you find your real family,” Aria said.
Oliver nodded, his eyes wide and earnest. “The Wrights are meanies.
You deserve better family.”
My throat tightened as tears threatened to spill. These brilliant,
loving children had pieced together clues about my past that I’d never
even suspected existed. They’d orchestrated a DNA test and kept it
secret from both their father and me.
“Oliver got hair from your brush,” Aria admitted. “And I pulled several
hairs from Uncle Ethan.”
I gathered all three of them into my arms, overwhelmed by their love
and loyalty. “You three are the most amazing children I’ve ever
known,” I whispered, my voice breaking. “Thank you for caring about
me so much.”
As I held them, I realized that regardless of who my biological
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