Chapter 1279: Cassie, why are you crying?
Cassie's face went from soft to stone-cold real quick.
Ever since that whole mess with Sophia getting snatched, she couldn't stand Isabella. Actually, she kinda hated her guts.
But hearing that Olivia had spiked her food? That threw her for a loop.
Joseph had been the one to suspect it and gave her a heads-up. Cassie had just mentioned it in passing, not really buying that Olivia would pull something like that on Isabella.
Declan gave her a serious look and said, "The doc found some illegal stuff in her blood, usually given to folks after surgery or those with mental issues. Long-term use can mess you up—insomnia, brain fog, mood swings, anxiety, even addiction and hallucinations. She's in the hospital now."
Cassie was floored. After a beat, she wiped Joseph's head and said, "When Olivia was taking care of him, she used similar drugs. But he already had mental issues, and it just made things worse. He'd forget stuff, get all extreme, and see things that weren't there."
"And later, did he get better?" Declan asked, all anxious.
"We found a top shrink overseas and got him sorted. That was Megan. She was good at her job, but she was also his ex and a total snake. She messed with his memories and left him with some serious side effects. She turned him into what he is now." Cassie's eyes burned with hate as she talked about it.
Declan was quiet for a bit, rubbing his temples. "You've got a lot of enemies."
"What I'm saying is, Megan's a big name in psychology. If anyone suggests her to you, steer clear. I think she's been in cahoots with David for a while." Cassie warned him.
"Alright, actually, I know an even better psychologist," Declan said, staying cool. "But Isabella doesn't really have a mental illness; it's the drugs that messed her up. With Olivia gone, I can't figure out what exactly she was giving Isabella. The doc said treating the symptoms would be best."
Cassie just gave a noncommittal "hmm" and dropped it. She clearly didn't care about Isabella.
Declan, though, felt all kinds of conflicted. Isabella felt super guilty about her daughter, but Olivia had played her.
And Isabella's real daughter had drifted away.
"Do you really hate Isabella? You haven't spent much time with her. She's not like this. When she was younger, she was smart, wise, and calm, just like you. That's why I fell for her. Other women chased me, but she never got violent. She always had a way to make them back off."
Declan said, looking torn, "She's not a bad person. The drugs messed with her head."
"Declan, do you really think she's smart, calm, and wise? Sorry, I don't see it. If she couldn't spot a schemer right next to her, then yeah, it's no surprise she got played. But if you're used to wrecking other people's lives and almost taking a kid's life, I can't forgive that."
Cassie's face turned icy. "Sophia is my line in the sand."
Her words were sharp, but Declan didn't lose his cool. "How do you know she didn't see through Olivia's schemes? I think she did, but with a daughter she just reunited with, she couldn't fix Olivia's issues overnight. She had to take it slow. Plus, she felt super guilty about her daughter. When she was rescued at sea, she had lost her memory. She tried so hard to find her family, searched everywhere for years with no luck."
"Then Everett brought Olivia, saying they looked alike, and the paternity test confirmed it. Olivia talked about her past, family, and siblings. When checked out, she was indeed Isabella. After coming back to Madison, her brother and sister-in-law showed up, and everyone said Olivia was her daughter."
"Even if she thought Olivia's behavior was off, Olivia said she was kidnapped as a kid. As a mom, she'd feel guilty. She thought if she had been there, her daughter wouldn't have gone through so much. If she had raised her herself, she wouldn't have turned out so vain."
Cassie's heart softened a bit.
"You're a mom now too; you should get where she's coming from." Declan's words hit her hard. "Would a loving mom hate her own kid? No, if the kid's messed up, she'd only blame herself."
"But she shouldn't have let Olivia get away with everything," Cassie said, struggling to hold back.
"Do you think she was fully aware when she was letting Olivia get away with stuff?" Declan shot back.
Cassie was at a loss for words.
"Let's head back."
Declan saw her confused look and sighed. "Actually, I get it now. When Isabella first came back to Silverwood, she told me she had some fragmented memories. But later, she couldn't find that familiar feeling again. Olivia must have started drugging her slowly, scared she'd get her memory back. I, as her husband, was also careless."
"If she had gotten her memory back, she would've known she named her daughter Cassie, not Olivia." Cassie laughed bitterly.
Declan just looked at her silently.
"Forget it, you don't really believe I'm her daughter anyway." Cassie opened the car door, ready to leave.
"I believe it now. The Robert couple is super shady. We've all been played by them. Unfortunately, my men are all gone. Otherwise, they'd be the first ones I'd go after." Declan said coldly.
"Olivia is their real daughter. They wanted to take over the Peace Group, but my grandma refused because she believed it was left to me by my mom. So, the three of them killed my grandma. I fought hard to take back the Peace Group."
Cassie looked back at him. "Declan, you should get her out of Madison ASAP."
She said this and then left with Joseph.
Cassie had been holding it in, but now, thinking about Declan's words, her eyes welled up.
Isabella probably loved her real daughter, but she loved Olivia and hurt her.
"Cassie, why are you crying?"
Cassie suddenly heard Joseph's worried voice. "Did Declan make you mad? I'll go beat him up."
Log in with Google Account
Chapters
Favorite
Settings
