Renee Jennings said slowly, "Zoe Morgan told Zachary Morgan about this today."
"She told Dad?" Vincent Morgan’s brow furrowed. "How did he react?"
Renee Jennings stood up and said calmly, "I’m not going to say any more about it. If you want to know, you can ask him yourself."
Then, she turned to Faye Wyatt. "Faye, I’m going to head out. Are you coming?"
Faye Wyatt grabbed her purse and stood up too. "Since your mother is all right, I’ll go with you."
She patted Vincent Morgan’s shoulder. "Take good care of your mother, and make sure you comfort her."
"I will." Vincent Morgan nodded and walked them to the elevators.
The elevator doors slid shut. There were other people in the car, so it wasn’t until they were in the parking garage that Faye Wyatt finally let out a long sigh.
"I’m suddenly realizing I don’t know her at all."
She was, of course, referring to Zoe Morgan.
Renee Jennings glanced at her and offered a quiet word of comfort. "Don’t feel too bad. There have always been good people and bad people in this world."
"I just never imagined that someone so horrible was the friend I treasured for so many years," Faye Wyatt lamented.
"Okay, don’t dwell on it." Renee Jennings stopped and gave her a hug. "Go home, take a shower, and get a good night’s sleep."
"I’ll try." Faye Wyatt hugged her back.
The two women then drove away from the hospital in their separate cars.
Renee Jennings set her GPS for her favorite bakery and bought a few boxes of small pastries and a loaf of bread.
When she got home, only Rhea Dempsey and a few furry children were in the living room, watching a variety show.
"Mom." Renee Jennings sat down on the sofa and put the bags on the coffee table. "Is my sister putting Zane and Jasmine to bed?"
"She is." Rhea Dempsey glanced at her, then at the bread on the coffee table. "I’ll send Zane a message so she knows she doesn’t have to get up early to make breakfast tomorrow."
Renee Jennings came back after washing her hands and asked, "Where’s Dad?"
"He took a few of his old buddies out for a drive," Rhea Dempsey said, amused. "He’s getting on in years but still loves to show off. Honestly, there’s no helping him."
"As long as he’s happy." Renee Jennings smiled and scooped up Cici, who was clinging to her leg.
"Thirsty?" Rhea Dempsey poured a glass of water and handed it to her. "When you left this afternoon, didn’t you say you wanted to talk when you got back? What was it about?"
Renee Jennings took the glass and downed it in one go.
She set the glass down on the table and said softly, "I went to see Aria Sinclair and her son today."
Hearing this, Rhea Dempsey instinctively swallowed. Her hand holding the remote tightened, and she started flipping through channels, trying to sound casual. "How did that go?"
She didn’t even dare to look at Renee Jennings.
"I wasn’t there to have a family reunion," Renee Jennings explained. "I went specifically to tell them about something shocking I stumbled upon today."
"What was it?" A spark of curiosity started to show in Rhea Dempsey’s evasive eyes.
Renee Jennings said, "Yvonne Morgan’s birth mother is Genevieve Hayes, the woman Zoe Morgan is in love with."
Rhea Dempsey was stunned. "She likes women?"
"Yes."
"I’ve got it!" Rhea Dempsey slapped her thigh, her tone sharp. "So does that mean Zoe Morgan was the one who switched you with Yvonne Morgan?"
Renee Jennings raised an eyebrow and gave her a thumbs-up. "Not bad, Rae. Quick on the uptake. You’re not old yet, I see."
"Wrong. This is what they call ’the older the ginger, the spicier the flavor.’"
"Wrong again. Your last name isn’t Jiang. Mine is."
Rhea Dempsey burst out laughing at the unexpected deadpan joke.
Renee Jennings’s lips curved into a smile before she continued, "Mom, I’m not done yet."
"There’s more tea?" Rhea Dempsey immediately craned her neck and leaned in. "Spill it. Quick."
"This Yvonne Morgan... she’s the child of Genevieve Hayes and Zachary Morgan."
"What?" Rhea Dempsey’s eyes went wide with shock. "She’s... their child?"
"Yep," Renee Jennings said. "Zoe Morgan set up her brother and Genevieve Hayes to have a child. Zachary Morgan only found out about it today himself."
"Oh my god." Rhea Dempsey shook her head in disbelief. "She couldn’t have a baby herself, so she had her brother have one for her?"
Renee Jennings: "..."
’So that’s how it is!’
The Slider couldn’t help but exclaim, "OMG, is this what they call ’keeping it all in the family’?"
Renee Jennings turned to look at the terrarium. "You’re here for the tea too?"
Slider: "Heh heh. Ever since I met you, this turtle has developed a taste for tea."
Renee Jennings looked thoroughly amused.
Eager for more gossip, Rhea Dempsey pressed, "So, Aria Sinclair must have gone ballistic when she heard, right?"