Swapping a Broken Heart for a New Start novel Chapter 1034

“We just couldn’t leave you there, all alone with the Adams family. That place would chew you up and spit you out. We wanted to take you with us. We went to their house and spent the whole day trying to see you, but they wouldn’t let us in. In the end, someone came out and told us you looked down on the Lane family for being poor and couldn’t stand the thought of living anything less than a pampered life. Honestly, at the time, we thought… maybe it was true. The Lane family really couldn’t compete with the Adams family, so we didn’t force it. We just left.”

As Maisie Lane finished, Larry’s hands curled into tight fists. Anger and hurt crashed through him. “I never said that,” he blurted. “Not once. I didn’t even know you came for me. Later, I wanted to visit you, but everyone at the Adams place told me the Lane family blamed them for my mom’s death. They said you all hated me too, because I was some illegitimate child. They told me not to bother looking for you ever again.”

Maisie stared, shocked. “That’s impossible. We never thought that way, not for a second.”

Tears slipped down Mrs. Lane’s cheeks. Her voice shook. “You’re Samantha’s only child. We loved you, we were never angry at you. How could we ever say something so cruel?”

As everyone compared stories, the truth started to click into place. Someone had lied to both sides. There was only one answer—this was all the Adams family’s doing.

Mr. Lane’s face turned red. He slammed his hand on the table. “Unbelievable. So we were both tricked by the Adams family. What a bunch of schemers.”

Larry finally saw it all for what it was. “They needed to keep me there. If I left, they couldn’t control me. They had to keep an eye on me.”

He took a long breath, letting the anger fade into something colder and more measured. He looked at the Lane family. “You came here because you saw the news about the Adams family, didn’t you?”

Maisie nodded. She’d wiped away her tears. “We saw Joseph Adams and that woman got arrested—for murder, no less. And you were the one who reported them. We couldn’t just stay away. Your grandparents wanted to come here themselves and find out what really happened. We’ve actually been in Cabinda for a few days, but we couldn’t get ahold of you. Your grandfather finally used some connections and found out you’d be here today, holding a funeral for your mother.”

Larry nodded, a little stunned, a little touched. He hadn’t expected any of this.

Mrs. Lane squeezed his hand, her grip gentle and warm. “Tell us, sweetheart. How have you been all these years, living with the Adams family? And how did you find out what really happened to your mom? Please, tell me everything. We never blamed you, not for a single thing that happened to Samantha. You’re her son, you’re ours. The Adams family’s sins were never yours to bear. You’re part of this family.”

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVerify