<h4>Chapter 206: To Hold You Together</h4>


    The conversation Cammy had with her mother the night before was nothing like what she had imagined. She had prayed for calm, for closure, for a soft unraveling of the tangled questions in her heart. But instead, her world tilted—violently.


    She never expected Monica to look her in the eyes with trembling desperation and beg to return to the man whom her mother abandoned—her biological father.


    Sleep had evaded her. Her thoughts churned endlessly, too loud to ignore. So she left early, heading to Arlon Medical Center a full hour before the DNA test results would be ready—anything to escape the echo of her mother’s voice, pleading with a ghost from the past.


    She remembered Ric had mentioned he’d be attending the Children’s Month event at the center. Somehow, her feet moved toward the promise of his presence without much thought. And he was there, exactly where he said he would be—impossible to miss. The moment she walked in, her eyes found him.


    Ric stood like a beacon amid the crowd, glowing with effortless charm. People flocked to him near the buffet table he’d generously sponsored, hisughter light and maic, his smile disarming.


    He was the kind of man who made everyone feel like they mattered, even in a sea of strangers. His face was striking, his physiquemanding—but it was his warmth that truly drew people in.


    So different from Greg.


    Greg, with his cold edges and sharp stares, with the air of a man who wore authority like armor. His presence alone could silence a room. He didn’t invite conversation—he dared people to challenge him. Where Ric radiated light, Greg was a storm contained in a suit.


    Her breath hitched as her mind whispered his name. "Greg..." The sybles fell from her lips like a prayer covered in ache.


    She turned toward the towering window, eyes unfocused as she stared into the blur of the world outside. Her reflection wavered against the ss, just as her heart did.


    The truth Monica confessed still hadn’t fullynded. It hovered above her, waiting to strike. Maybe when she saw the DNA test results in ck and white—cold, clinical, undeniable—maybe then it would break through. Maybe then she’d finally ept the cruel truth:


    She and Greg were never meant to be.


    No matter how much her soul screamed otherwise.


    "A penny for your thoughts?"


    The low timbre of Ric’s voice pulled Cammy out of her storm of memories, like a hand reaching through the haze. She blinked, and when her eyes found his, a soft smile rose instinctively to her lips—fragile, but real.


    Ric’s face lit up with boyish charm. "Wow... that smile just made my day." He stepped closer, tilting his head slightly as if trying to read her unspoken emotions. "Are you here for the DNA test results?"


    She nodded slowly, her throat suddenly tight. "Yeah... I am."


    There was a pause—gentle, but full of unspoken things. She shifted slightly, pushing away the weight in her chest. "Have you had breakfast yet? I haven’t eaten a thing. Can you step away for a bit? Come with me. Let’s go grab something together."


    Ric let out a light, easy chuckle, turning to nce over the room bustling with guests. "Well, as you can see, I’m feeding half the city in here. You could just join in, you know. There’s plenty—and it’s free."


    Cammyughed, but there was a tremble underneath it. "Did I bruise your ego just now?" she teased gently, trying to lighten the tension inside her. "I know your food is amazing, Chef Ric—but I need a quiet ce. I need to talk. And... I need a favor."


    Something in her tone made Ric’s yful smirk soften into something more serious. He studied her for a beat, then gave a small, reassuring nod. "Of course. Just give me a sec—I’ll tell my staff and grab my things."


    As he turned to go, Cammy let her smile fall away. Her hands clenched at her sides.


    There was something heavy waiting to be said.


    And she wasn’t sure how to say it.


    They left the hospital behind, stepping into the crisp mid-morning air and heading to a quiet café tucked just beyond the bustling entrance. It was a small, unassuming ce—no crowds, no noise, just the low hum of distant conversation and the clink of silverware on porcin. Exactly what Cammy needed.


    "What coffee do you like?" Ric asked as they approached the counter.


    Cammy hesitated, her eyes lingering on the menu but not really seeing it. "No coffee," she murmured. "Just... orange juice. And a cinnamon roll."


    Ric gave a gentle nod and motioned toward the tables by the window. "Go on, find us a good spot."


    She walked off slowly, shoulders tense, while Ric ced the order.


    When he returned, she was seated by the window, staring nkly at the street beyond the ss. Her fingers lightly traced the side of her phone. She didn’t even notice when Ric sat down.


    "You’re nervous about the results," Ric said softly, watching her.


    Cammy didn’t even blink. "Yes... and no."


    He tilted his head slightly, his eyes narrowing with quiet curiosity. "Why is that?"


    Her voice was steady, but low. "My mother already told me the truthst night." She took a small sip of the juice, as if to wash the words down with it.


    Ric leaned in just slightly. "And...?" He needed to hear it. Needed confirmation of the ugliness he suspected had been hiding beneath Monica’s mask for years.


    "I’m Richard Cross’s daughter," she said tly. "Greg... is my half-brother." She let out a breath she didn’t know she’d been holding, then bit into the cinnamon roll without meeting his gaze.


    Ric watched her closely. There was no shock on his face. Just quiet eptance.


    Cammy finally looked up, her brows furrowing. "You’re not surprised."


    "I know..." Ric said gently.


    Her eyes widened. "What do you mean, you know?"


    He sighed, leaning back against his chair as the weight of truth settled in the space between them. "Monica told me yesterday. She said you’d be devastated... and she asked me toe with you today. To be here. So you wouldn’t face it alone."


    Cammy stared at him, her expression unreadable. Her jaw tensed, her eyes ssy but dry.


    Ric continued, watching her carefully. "But she didn’t have to ask. I was going toe either way. I knew this would crush you. And I didn’t want you to fall apart without someone to hold you together."


    Cammy slowly tore another piece of the roll, chewing in silence. Her eyes dropped to herp, but her voice was calm—too calm.


    "I don’t know how to feel. Part of me is numb. Part of me is just... humiliated. I like Greg so much. I imagined a future with him. And now..." Her voice cracked slightly before she steadied it. "Now I can’t imagine looking at him without hearing my mother’s voice confirming it."


    Ric reached across the table and gently ced his hand over hers. "You don’t have to figure it all out today, Cammy. You just have to breathe. One minute at a time."


    She didn’t pull away. But she didn’t look up either.


    The truth had finallynded.


    And it was heavier than she ever imagined.