Judy’s POV I stared dumbfounded at Cora, my heart heavy in my chest. I couldn’t believe what I was being told. My entire body was numb; I could hardly even feel Gavin rubbing my back, trying to soothe me, trying to bring me back to the present moment. Cora was quiet for a long while; she was staring down at her hands, tugging at her fingers nervously. She didn’t look like the confident witch I had expected, but a timid woman who had made a huge mistake in the past and had been hiding in shame for all these years. “That’s why you disappeared,” I said softly… it wasn’t a question, just an observation that made tears glisten in her eyes. “You were ashamed of what you had done.” She nodded slowly and wiped at her tear-filled eyes. “I couldn’t let my brother or his wife know what I did… I took away their baby and gave them a rogue's child. I killed our parents… I made some huge mistakes, and I will live to regret them for the rest of my life… the only thing I had to do was leave.” “You could have stayed,” I told her before I could think better of it. “From what you say… Zachary Blackwell loved you. You were his only family, and I know from Selene that he misses you dearly.” She shook her head and sniffled softly. “I’m sorry, I’ve been so rude. Would you like some tea? I invited you in and told you this long story without offering you anything.” “I’m okay,” I say before she could stand and rush to the kitchen; she was avoiding the rest of the story, and I wanted to know why. I was almost desperate to know what more she had to say… what she was hiding. “Please,” I say softly, reaching for her hand. “What is it? What are you afraid to tell me?” She looked between Gavin and me, and then she let out a shuddering breath. “My grandmother saw me switching the babies…” she told me after a beat. “I tried to explain why I was doing it, and as long as the baby had no magic, she should be safe. Her magic won’t get into the wrong hands as long as Zachary and Selene keep the Moon Gem safe… however, Esme didn’t want to think about such a thing. She didn’t believe me that the baby would be safe. She was furious and threatened to tell Zachary what I had done. She wanted to tell Zachary everything…” I swallowed the lump in my throat as she continued to wring her hands; I had a feeling what she was about to say, and I dreaded her next words. “What did you do?” I asked, my voice coming out breathy. “I used a spell to make her silent,” she said softly. “She was only not supposed to spill my secrets… that’s the purpose of the spell. But I somehow messed it up and made it impossible for her to speak at all.” I gasped. “That’s why she’s silent?” I asked, my brows furrowed. “You cast a spell on her to force her to be silent?”“Yes,” she confirmed. “I made her silent with my magic, and she hasn’t spoken a word in years.” “If you’ve been hiding for all these years, then how do you know all this information?” Gavin asked; I could hear the distress in his tone and the way his arm tightened around me. Of course, I didn’t blame him for not trusting her…she didn’t trust him either, and I wasn’t entirely sure why. She curled her lip up at him and practically hissed when she spoke. “Because I was cursed. Call it Karma if you’d like. But I was given full sight. I can see everything that has to do with Zachary and Selene… everything that has to do with your mate.” I blinked. “Me?” She turned her attention back to me. “Yes,” she replied. “And I know that you were given to a couple… because your magic was taken from you, the Churchills were never able to detect you. The Montgomery’s took you away, and the Churchills weren’t able to find you.” “What happened to my… uh… what happened to Meg?” I asked, my voice heavy as I asked that question. “She disappeared a long time ago,” Cora said softly. “I lost track of her over the years. Some say her family had her killed. Others say she ended her own life. Nobody really knows what happened for sure. I’d like to think she escaped that horrid life and started a new life. Maybe found a new love and started to live the life she had always dreamt of.” There was a whimsical look in Cora’s eyes when she spoke of Meg. She let out a breath and blinked a few times, bringing herself back to the present moment. “I’m sorry… the past his hard to talk about.” “You knew we were coming here… didn’t you?” I asked, my eyes remaining on hers. “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. I 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 makes you a target… 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. “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.