"Mom…" Rachel mumbled with a look of guilt and worry as she began to approach her shocked mother.
Cecilia's voice cracked, a dozen terrible thoughts clashing in her mind as she stammered, "Wha…What are you doing here?"
"You must know why she's here by now, Cecilia," Asher said, his voice calm yet firm.
Cecilia slowly turned to him, her gaze filled with a dawning horror as he added, "She's here to help you see the truth."
"No…no…this can't be happening…" Her eyes darted between Rachel and Asher, the puzzle pieces falling into place, forming a picture she couldn't bear to look at.
Rachel's introduction of Asher to her, the lingering glances, the secrecy—it all suddenly made an unbearable kind of sense. All those dots finally connected in her mind.
She looked at Rachel, her voice breaking, "Don't tell me this is true… Were you working with him all along? Since when? How could you do this to me…your own mother?"
