“We should go back and ask the folks from our old village. They’ll definitely know where Dad’s grave was moved. Besides, I want to pay my respects, and maybe get some help from the people who knew us.” Isabella explained.
She told her mom and uncle about how Natalie had convinced the grandparents to air their dirty laundry online.
“Natalie’s planning all this, so I need to be ready to fight back. Everyone there remembers how they treated me and Mom back then. If this does blow up online, the villagers can vouch for what really happened. They all saw how heartless our grandparents were.”
“And honestly, those two aren’t exactly loved back home. They’ve made a lot of enemies, and their business is famous for ripping people off. If we show our faces around the village, I’m sure people will back us up if things get messy online.”
Cynthia just shook her head and muttered, “Natalie deserves everything that’s coming to her. You’re divorced from Ethan and she still won’t leave you alone. No wonder Jordan cheated on her. She’s just a terrible person, and karma’s going to catch up eventually.”
“If you want to go back, I’ll go with you,” Cynthia promised. “If you went alone, you wouldn’t recognize anyone. I’m different. I lived there for years. I know everyone in that village.”
Back when Cynthia was married into the George family, people in the village respected her. Her husband was honest and kind, always helping others. The in-laws used to scold them for being too soft-hearted.
After her husband died unexpectedly, the George family treated Cynthia and Isabella terribly. They even tried to sell them off, but the villagers rushed to warn her mother’s family. Cynthia’s parents had already passed away, so only her brother Zachary was left, working in another city.
The villagers worked really hard to track Zachary down and bring him back in time to save them. Cynthia never forgot their kindness and found ways to thank them later.
She put Laura in charge of the company for a few days and only told her about the trip. No one else knew. Not even Harold. If Harold found out, he’d definitely want to tag along, and with his status, the media would notice, which would blow their cover and alert the George family.
To everyone else, Isabella had Nana say she’d gone on a last-minute business trip. She didn’t say when she’d be back.
Almost twenty years had passed since Isabella had last left that little fishing village. She barely remembered anything about it, just that it was right by the sea and most people made a living from fishing or running seafood restaurants. When tourists flooded in during the busy season, business boomed and everyone made good money. But in spring and winter, hardly anyone visited, and things got really quiet.
Isabella had already booked a hotel online. She technically had a house in the village, but her grandparents and uncles had taken it over long ago. She and her mom were heading back, but even in their hometown, they didn’t really have a home to return to.

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