The Apple of My Eye novel Chapter 407

Cindy looked at her mother, considered for a moment, and then walked towards Abby. Fear was written all over her face. "Mom…" she called out.

Abby smiled at her little girl in encouragement. "Come. Don't be scared." She thought of what Cindy had been suffering through recently and felt guilty and sad. She held out her arms to the girl and hugged her for reassurance. Then she gently asked, "Can you tell me what Gina said to you?"

Cindy felt her heart pounding. She kept quiet, hesitant to answer her mother. Then she saw Autumn, who gave her an encouraging look while Abby kept repeating, "Don't be scared, I won't allow anyone to hurt you."

The girl shut her eyes for a moment. Clasping her hands together, she began, "She said you and Dad wouldn't like me anymore and would drive me away once the baby was born."

Just the thought of being sent away made Cindy break down and cry. Then she pleaded with her mother, "I promise to be a good girl from now on. Just please don't send me away."

Everyone who heard Cindy was aghast and felt pity for the girl in tears. Abby turned to Andy and said, "Look what you've done. You made Gina a part of our family, fed her, and let her stay in our home, but what did she do? She fed Cindy all this nonsense! Cindy is only a little girl and I won't let anybody hurt her." She hugged Cindy protectively. "If you don't ask Gina to leave, I will never go home with Cindy, " Abby threatened.

Andy was shocked at what Cindy said. He felt pain for his daughter after learning of her ordeal. He approached the girl, squatted in front of her and said, "Cindy, come."

She hesitated, and reached out to Andy. He looked at his daughter and saw the once cute and naughty girl gripped by fear after reliving Gina's cruel words. And she had suffered in silence, with no one noticing.

She stood quietly and then was hugged by her father. Cindy was still shaking inside. Andy gently asked, "Did she say anything else? Did she do anything to you?"

Cindy quickly bowed her head. "She…" Starting to sniffle again, she said, "She pinched me. And it was painful." Looking at her father, she went on, "Then she told me not to tell anyone about what happened."

Again, everyone was shocked by the revelation. They never thought someone so young could bear so much suffering. Abby felt her heart break as Cindy narrated what Gina did. She quickly pulled Cindy to hug her tightly and burst into tears.

And Cindy broke down into tears along with her mother.

Andy's face turned dark. Like any father, he would do everything to protect his children. He promptly called his so-called aunt and demanded she take Gina away immediately. If she did not leave, he threatened to call the police.

But instead of understanding the situation, the woman turned nasty, insulting Andy and blaming him for not rewarding her family even as he had benefited from their care when he was young.

Andy did not argue, and kept quiet until she finally got exhausted from talking. Then he spoke emphasizing every word. "You should be thankful I did not call the police to take Gina away. I don't know how much I benefited from you, but I am aware of every gift and the money you received from my family every year. You don't want me to lose my temper so you'd better do as I say."

Andy hung up, took a deep breath to calm himself and spoke to Abby. "Please stop crying. I've already asked Gina to leave."

Then he hugged Cindy again and reassured her repeatedly that she would never be abandoned no matter how many children they had. The little girl looked at her father and felt relieved.

Everyone was grateful that the problem was settled early on. Even if Cindy suffered, she would heal quickly. Had it not been discovered immediately, the outcome would have been more devastating.

Abby did not even dare imagine what would have happened to her daughter if they never found out what was bothering her.

Because of the drama the guests witnessed, no one wanted to continue playing the game and they all decided to go home. While watching TV in bed, Autumn thought about what happened to Cindy and again felt a bit distressed.