Unmasking Her Deceit, Reclaiming My Life

wenty years, their house was my home, and their son, Brock, was my bro

s beautiful, charming, and immediatel

g me a freeloader with an incestuous

the only locket I had of my de

ike a spoiled br

tranger over me, believing her poison. The family th

"sick obsession" and ruin my family's name. She thought I would crumble. Bu

I said. "And have

pte

eigh

ered with a sweet smile to a circle of her friends, just loud enough for me to hear over the clink of champagne flutes at my own graduation party. But

Kenneth Sampson' s real estate empire. It was all clean lines, glass walls, and manicured lawns that r

Geneva Sampson, the woman who was my mother in every way that mattered, ca

ing down my bo

g with my brother, Brock, in the living room, their deep voices a fami

e doorb

e. He ran a hand through his sandy blond hair, t

' d described her as beautiful, charming, and smart. When he opene

pressive blue eyes, and a smile that could disarm armies. She was dressed i

n and stepping forward with a welcoming smile. "It' s so lovely

id, her voice smooth and practiced. "And please, ca

on a recent article about his company in Forbes, asked Geneva for her lemon chicke

erfect. T

blend into the scenery. Her smile didn' t falter, but something in her eye

?" she asked, her h

rm around my shoulders, pulling me into th

ical thing, a warm blanket against the

ate program for architecture," Kenneth added, beam

best friends. They' d died in a car crash when I was six, and without a moment' s he

it landed with the weight of a stone. "Brock mentioned he

in the air, shar

mfortably. "Fi, i

eath it. "Calleigh is our daughter. Period. The circumstances of how she came to us don' t cha

reach her eyes. Those clear blue eyes were fixed on me, an

ld, hard glin

lf against his side. It was a clear act of possession. "Well, that' s j

upy, but the insin

just fine," Kenneth said, hi

how people talk. A beautiful girl like Calleigh, living in such close quarter

rom comfortably warm to ic

confusion and annoyance. "Fion

mile was gon

"Fiona, I' m not sure what you mean by 'unconvent

was danger

argument. "Calleigh is my daughter. Brock is my son.

God, Geneva, I am so sorry! That' s not what I meant at all. I just... I' ve heard whisper

. "I can' t imagine how hard it must be, having to constantl

illed with sympathy. They were filled with a

d... I' d never heard them.

into our perfect garden. This wasn't a misunderstanding. Thi

rled into a f

nd Geneva long before I was born. The Sampsons had loved me my entire life, not out of pity, but out of a deep, abidi

lked into our home and, in less than ten minutes, tried

ese rumors e

say such

ock, baby, I think I' ve made a terrible impression.

blatant, so textbook,

ce soften with concern for her, I

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