Faux Vows, True Desires

Chapter 201

Lucinda couldn't quite catch what the people inside were yakkin' about, but she had a rough idea.

A couple and some old folks were taking a leisurely stroll around the mansion. Lucinda wasn't exactly familiar with Ascend Estate. She hadn't been living here for long, and the place was so big that it was easy to lose her way.

Janice spent most of her time cooped up in her room and rarely went out. Keith was too scared to let her out, fearing something might happen.

Lack of exercise meant that Janice tired quickly.

"Lucy, I need a breather. " Janice's voice was soft, almost pitiful.

"Sure, take a break," Lucinda said considerately. "Mom, let me hold the doll for you."

She reached out to take the doll from her mother's arms.

"No need," Janice hurriedly declined. "Baby's asleep. Holding her doesn't tire me. She's a good girl. Let me hold her while she sleeps."

Lucinda went quiet for a bit, then smiled again and said, "Alright, hold her. But if you get tired, let me take over."

Janice nodded, walking and talking. "Lucy, I heard your dad talking about how they found you in the house. It scares me. It scares me that my baby might get lost. There are always bad people trying to take my baby away. I can only feel safe when I am holding my baby."

"You heard all that?"

"I did. But I am puzzled. Why did my husband kneel with you, thanking your parents for finding you? What's the connection between you and my husband? Did my husband's sister get lost? I've been married to him for so long, I've never heard of it."

Lucinda and Stefan shared a look.

Stefan said softly, "Let's rest in the pavilion ahead."

The pavilion was built over a large lily pond and was surrounded by curtains. When drawn, they blocked out the sun.

When drawn back, they could see the lilies.

Summer was lily season.

Sitting here and admiring the lilies was a surefire way to lighten their mood.

But at this moment, Lucinda was far from in the mood to admire flowers. Once they were seated, she gently asked Janice, "Mom, when you heard my dad talking about how they found me, did you remember anything? Like, the baby you're holding is not your baby; it's a doll. The husband you're talking about isn't your husband; it's your son. I'm not the daughter you adopted; I'm your biological daughter."

Janice froze. Everyone was looking at her.

"No! My baby is still with me. She's here; this is my daughter! Ethan is not my son; he's my husband. My son's name is," Janice suddenly got confused.

Her son's name was also Ethan, but she remembered that the names of the father and son were not similar when they were named. But if her son was not named Ethan, what was his name? She couldn't remember; she was confused.

Because in the past, there was always a voice in her ear saying, "Your son's name is Ethan, and your daughter's name is Lucinda."

"Mom, think about it carefully. What's your son's name? Does your daughter have any special marks?"

"My son's name is. What's his name, what's his name? Why can't I remember all of a sudden that his name is not the same as his father's?"

Janice began to get anxious.

She said anxiously, "My daughter has a mole the size of a bean behind her left ear. Is it the left ear or the right ear? It's the left ear, yes, the left ear."

"I'm going to see if my baby's mole is still there."

She went to check the doll's ear, but of course, there was no mole.

"Where's the mole? Where’s my daughter's mole?"

"Mom, look at the mole behind my ear."

Lucinda stepped forward, letting Janice see the mole behind her ear.

Janice looked at it, touched it, and mumbled to herself, "What a coincidence. You're named Lucy; you call me mom. I love hearing you call me mom. It always feels like we're a real mother and daughter. But we're about the same age; how can my daughter's mole appear on you? It’s too coincidental."

"Mom, I am your daughter, your biological daughter; I am Lucy!"

Lucinda tried to awaken her, but to no avail. She couldn't help but hug Janice, and tears streamed down her face.

"Lucy."

Fiona wanted to comfort Lucinda, but seeing Stefan gently patting Lucinda's back, she held back.

"Lucy is my daughter; yes, Lucy is my daughter."

Janice pushed Lucinda away, hugged the doll tightly, and began pacing back and forth in the pavilion, continuously comforting the doll.

The scene made everyone's heart ache, and they didn't know when Janice would come to her senses. NôvelDrama.Org exclusive content.

Madison wiped her eyes and said to Mason Moore, "Let's go back to our room."

She then said to Stefan, "Stefan, my husband and I are old. We need to rest at noon. We'll go back to our room first."

They were old and easily moved to tears.

The old folks couldn't bear to watch Janice lose her mind anymore.

Stefan immediately took out his phone and called Nelson, asking him to arrange rooms for the two old people and to send someone to guide them back to their rooms so they wouldn't get lost.

Ascend Estate had a lot of servants.

Shortly after Stefan called Nelson, nearby servants came over.

"Stefan, Lucy, your parents should go rest too. They got up too early this morning."

Fiona didn't want to stay here either. She hoped Lucinda could spend more time with her biological mother.

With her around, Lucinda always had to consider her feelings.

Before she met Janice, Fiona had been thinking that, as her adopted daughter of over twenty years, if one day she left her to return to her biological parents, she would certainly feel jealous and feel pain.

But when she met Janice, she didn't have such thoughts anymore. She just hoped Janice would come to her senses sooner and really recognize Lucinda, not like now. Even though Lucinda called her mom, Janice still regarded the doll as her daughter in her heart.

Before Fiona left, she tried to console Lucinda, saying, "Lucy, chill out. Your mom has been sick for more than twenty years. It's not like she's going to regain her memory just after spending a few days with you. Take it slow, step by step, to jog her memory. If it hurts her or if she doesn't want to remember, don't push her."

"It'll be okay. Everything will be okay."

Lucinda nodded with tears in her eyes.

She was so desperate and hopeful that Janice could snap out of it.

The whole Moore clan followed the servant out.

Suddenly, Janice let out a piercing scream.

"Mom."

"Mom."

Lucinda and her husband rushed to Janice's side.

"Mom, what happened?"

Lucinda saw Janice's face pale as a sheet, her beloved doll lying on the floor, her hands and feet shaking.

They were ice cold.

"Mom, what's wrong?"

Lucinda was freaked out.

Just as she was about to tell Stefan to call Keith, Janice suddenly burst into tears. "My baby is gone; somebody stole her; my daughter."

Then she ran out like a mad woman.

"My baby, give me back my baby!"

As she ran, Janice kept screaming for her baby.