Chapter 12

Alaine stared at Rhoda, her gaze unfocused, all that was ringing in her ears were Rhoda’s words: ‘This is the kind your precious daughter lived when she was in Eve’s place. ‘

Tracy frowned as she could tell that there was something wrong with the woman, but she didn’t want to speak, believing that it wasn’t life-threatening.

What Tracy could tell Rhoda could do. She looked at Alaine, displeased as she wondered when her friend had become this weak.

She sighed as she started shaking the woman so as to wake her up, causing Alaine to jump in fright.

Seeing that it was Rhoda’s, she calmed down a little bit, but she was displeased with the woman’s actions.

“Why did you do that?” Her eyes were full of anger, but a hint of confusion.

Rhoda rolled her eyes at her and said, “You need to leave so that we can start the treatment.”

Alaine stared at her for a while, something inside her telling her that the woman was lying, but since she wasn’t in a good mood, she nodded her head.

She turned around to leave but stopped, turned, and looked at her daughter for a while, guilt in her eyes. She thought that if she hadn’t been so weak while giving birth, maybe she would have made sure that the kids weren’t swapped.

“I will be waiting for you outside. Is there anything you want to eat? I can go buy so that when you come out, you can eat,” she said.

Tracy nodded, “Just some beef burgers, please, uhm, and a mixed fruit juice.”

Alaine’s lips curled up as she had been afraid that the girl wouldn’t speak to her after everything that happened. What she feared most was her daughter blaming her for the harsh life she had lived in.

Upon seeing her friend smiling foolishly, Rhoda just shook her head, but she was really happy for her.

“Bring me the usual,” she said suddenly, just when Alaine was about to walk out of the room.

Alaine stopped, looked at her with disdain, and said, “Send me the money.”

“You!! You can’t even buy me lunch?” she asked as she placed her hands on her heart, pretending to be hurt.

“Oh, please. You want to use my money, but you refuse to give me a free subscription?” Alaine said with a mocking tone, but anyone could see from her eyes that she was really happy.

“You…” Rhoda said, but just as she was about to complete her words, she heard Alaine saying.

“Let’s do this. I buy you lunch and you Tracy a free spa. What do you think?”

Rhoda stared at her friend for a while, then looked at Tracy, who was standing at the side watching them.

She had already taken the towel and covered her body.

“Who said that she was going to pay? She is my goddaughter, so how can I take her money?” Rhoda said, stunning the two women.

Tracy stared at the woman so intensely. She had seen the woman at the Grants’ mansion but they never spoke. To be precise, every time she would be coming, Eve would cry, saying that she was afraid that her aunt Rhoda would like Tracy more than she liked her, and she didn’t want that.

Cause of that, Tracy would always be told to hide in her room, to only come out when the guest was gone. But if the woman cared for her as she portrayed right now, why didn’t she try reaching out?

Or…? Thinking of how vicious Eve was, she believed that there was a chance that the woman spoke ill of her, causing Rhoda to have a bad impression of her. From what she had seen today, she was someone who cared so much about characters.

“What? Are you going to say that she isn’t? Don’t forget what we said in school, when you get kids, I will be their godmother, and if I did, you will be my kids' godmother,” Rhoda said, a frown on her face and a judging look in her eyes.

Alaine couldn’t understand what was happening. Though the latter was so picky even when it came to choosing friends, she was very easygoing, but she never liked Eve. Why is it that she had just met Tracy, and she already wanted to be her godmother?

She looked at her suspiciously, believing that she was scheming on something.

“Why didn’t you agree to be Eve’s godmother?” Alaine asked. “I had asked you several times, when you came to see her at the hospital after I gave birth, on her first birthday, even months ago, I had asked you the same question.”

“She was never pretty, even when she was a kid,” Rhoda said as she shrugged, making them speechless.

Seeing their look, Rhoda pursed her lips, a serious gaze appearing on her face.

“When you were giving birth, I was waiting outside, the baby who was carried out and the one whom you showed me were different,” Rhoda said, startling them.

“Why…”

“Why didn’t I say anything?” Rhoda asked, looked at Alaine, then scoffed. “Emotionally, you weren’t stable. If I told you my suspicions, wouldn’t you have gone crazy?”

Alaine lowered her head, biting her lips, as she recalled how miserable she was during that time. If it weren’t for her finding out that she was pregnant, she would have committed suicide a long time ago.

“After that, I got used to the baby’s face and eventually forgot. However, deep inside me, there was something that never agreed to. I accepted Eve as my goddaughter. As she grew up, she started disappointing me with her character, and I thought that it wasn’t worth it. If I didn’t see Tracy and heard about the swap today, I would have completely forgotten what I saw back then.”

Tracy looked at her, pursed her lips, but she didn’t interrupt them. Looking at the two women, they seemed to be best friends.

“Anyways, Tracy is your flesh and blood and truly worthy of being my goddaughter. You won’t refuse cause I refused Eve back then, right?” Rhoda asked as she eyed Alaine suspiciously.

She knew that it was hard for the woman to have no feelings left for a girl she had brought up and stayed at her side for more than eighteen years. However, she was really worried that that might make Alaine’s relationship with Tracy turn sour.

Just the thought of it, her face paled as she started regretting asking the woman that question in front of the kid. What if she really refused her for that reason?