Faux Vows, True Desires
Chapter 199

"Our lives are filled with laughter because of her. I'm so thankful that God gave us a daughter."

One named Lucinda, another also named Lucinda. They're both just half a year old, and they're both as cute as a pair of perfect doubles. For many years, the villagers had no clue that Lucinda was not the original Lucinda.

If it weren't for Lucinda's entry into the Anderson family, the Andersons, with their wealth and power and their vast network of information, wouldn't have found out that Lucinda wasn't actually a blood relative of the Moore family.

Perhaps Vincent was seen when he found Lucinda years ago, but he himself didn't notice it.

After hearing the story of the past, Keith got up, walked over to Vincent and Fiona, and knelt down.

"What are you doing?"

The couple was startled and hurried to help Keith up, but Keith didn't get up.

Lucinda also knelt beside her biological brother, both of them showing their gratitude to Vincent and Fiona.

Janice, holding a doll, was at a loss.

"Thank you for saving my sister's life, for raising her, and for teaching her so well. My dad isn't here, my mom's not in a good mental state, Lucy and I are twins, and as her brother, I'm representing my parents to thank you."

Keith thanked the couple.

Lucinda also tearfully said, "Dad, Mom, thank you for giving me a second chance at life. From what I can remember, you've always taken care of me, treating me even better than your own daughter. Even if I've found my biological parents, I'm still your daughter."

She joined her brother in showing their gratitude to their parents.

"It's a godsend; you don't have to say all this. You've brought us joy too; we should thank you."

Fiona helped Lucinda stand up.

Vincent pulled Keith up.

Janice, holding the doll, watched her children with a puzzled expression, but she wasn't sad. Even after listening to Vincent's recollection of replaceing Lucinda, she cried, but she couldn't remember her past. She would just hold the doll tightly, relieved that the baby was still in her arms and not taken by bad guys.

The children she gave birth to, no matter when, even if she couldn't see them for a day, felt like a part of herself had been cut off.

After a while.

Savannah looked at Lucinda and said, "So you're the daughter of the Blue family from Skywatch? I thought you looked familiar; I've met your grandmother a few times."

Keith said that Lucinda had inherited her grandmother's looks.

Savannah's maiden family and the Blue family from Skywatch, although not related by blood, shared the same surname. Decades ago, she had met Grace Blue, and because Grace's husband shared her surname, she felt a kinship with her and still remembered her.

That's why she thought Lucinda looked familiar the first time she saw her.

Similarly, Trenton had also met Grace, so he thought Lucinda looked familiar.

Trenton had been trying to figure out Lucinda's identity, so he sent people to investigate, but they were discovered by Keith's people. Once they confronted each other, Keith took his mother to Pinehurst, where he had the chance to meet Lucinda and recognize her.

If Janice hadn't run away from home, maybe Keith would never have had the chance to meet Lucinda.

After all, Trenton was not so kind-hearted; he wouldn't have voluntarily helped Keith and Lucinda recognize each other.

Even though Lucinda is now part of the Anderson family, and even though she gives the impression of being an ordinary girl without a background and only got close to Stefan through her brother and Stefan's school connections, in Trenton's eyes, Lucinda was still better than Ruby.

His own grandson was infatuated with Ruby, which he disliked, while Stefan can marry a wife with a clean background and a good personality. Trenton was unbalanced, feeling that Stefan was much better than his grandson.

If he knew that Lucinda was the biological daughter of the Blue family from Skywatch, Trenton might be sick with envy.

He can't compare with Patrick, and his grandson can't compare with Stefan.

Was the Martinez family destined to always be second-best?

He can't accept this reality!

Savannah asked Keith, "Is your grandmother well?"

With a serious expression, Keith answered, "She's fine!"

After all, she's constantly being instigated by Kayla and Ashley to cause trouble for his mother.

His mother was insane, and those people were bullying a mentally ill person. Didn't they have any conscience?

It seemed they didn't.

Seeing the resentment in Keith's words and the unhappy look on his face, Savannah and her husband exchanged a glance, didn't ask any more questions, and decided to ask them privately later. The Blue family and the Moore family were both Lucinda's relatives. With both of them here, the Anderson family naturally had to entertain them well.

After dinner, Lucinda and her husband accompanied their two mothers and Grandparents for a walk in the villa.

Keith didn't join them.

It was then that Savannah asked him, "Did your grandmother do some bad things after Lucy disappeared? Is your mother unable to remember what happened when Lucy was lost after hearing Vincent describe replaceing Lucy?"

Keith spoke in a deep, downbeat tone: "After my mom went nuts, she started treating that doll like it was Lucy, spending all day in her own world. She couldn't recognize me and kept thinking I was my dad. I even changed my name to something very similar to my dad's, just so she might remember me. Every time she called out my dad's name, I'd pretend she was calling for me. I kept telling myself she remembered me."

"She's been crazy for over 20 years. Occasionally, she'd recall a snippet of the past, but it would disappear in a flash, unable to stick in her mind. So when Vincent talks about the old times, she thinks it's someone else's story."

Keith noticed how tightly his mother was holding the doll.

He knew she was grateful that her baby hadn't been tossed into a ditch and that the baddies hadn't stolen her baby.

"I remember my grandma always blaming my mom. When I was little, my mom's mental state wasn't all that bad, but my grandma kept scolding her. My mom had lost her daughter, got no comfort, and had to endure criticism. It wasn't even her fault. The pressure was too much, and her mental state kept deteriorating."

"After my mom's mental health worsened, other women appeared in my dad's life, like Madeleine from the Porter family of Skywatch. She was only two years older than me, but she was always trying to marry my dad. Madeleine's arrival made my mom's life even harder. Despite my best efforts to protect my mom, sometimes she'd still get bullied."

A look of self-blame filled Keith's face as he said, "I may be the heir to the Blue family, but I'm not the one calling the shots. My dad still holds all the power. They never accepted me. I was attacked countless times growing up. I tried to make myself stronger, but while I can fend off overt attacks, it's hard to guard against covert ones. I was fighting alone while a whole group was stabbing me in the back. And my mom, she was out of her mind."