Stolen Identity: Mute Heiress

Chapter 334: Time Apart

As Dawn sat in the living room with Josh watching cartoons, her phone buzzed.

She checked the screen and sighed when she saw it was Genevieve.

Dawn received the call. "Hi."

"Hey," Genevieve said in a tentative voice as though she was waiting to see whether or not Dawn was upset over what she had done.

There was a moment of awkward silence, but Dawn said nothing as she waited for Genevieve to speak.

She knew that Genevieve was probably uncomfortable, but she didn’t mind. It was what Genevieve got for making such moves without involving her.

"Can I see you?" Genevieve asked in a quiet voice. "Please. I... I want to talk to you. I know you’re probably upset over the video I released, but I meant no harm."

Dawn sighed. "I’m at Jamal’s. You can come over. I’ll send you the location since I don’t know how to direct you here on my own."

"Okay," Genevieve whispered. "Thank you."

They hung up, and after sharing her location with Genevieve, Dawn let out another long, heavy sigh and patted Josh, who was snuggled close to her.

She thought about Ryan and wondered what his funeral plans were and whether anyone would be interested in handling it, though she had no desire to take part.

When her phone vibrated with a message notification, she picked it up to check it, and her face broke into a grin.

Bella had added her to a group chat called "SOUL SISTERS"

Bella sent a message: "Everyone online, please welcome Dawn! And those who haven’t met her yet, introduce yourselves!"

Almost at once, messages flooded in with stickers and emojis.

"Welcome, Dawn! I’m Zoe Jonas. My parents are Jade and Harry Jonas. We were at Uncle Tom’s house the other day, but we couldn’t meet you. And I was hoping to meet you at the barbecue on Sunday, but you couldn’t make it."

Mila responded to Zoe’s message with a laughing emoji. "Must be your bad luck." She added, and others responded with a laughing emoji.

"Can’t wait to meet you in person! I’m Miley Perry. Aunt Lucy is my Dad’s twin sister."

"Hello, Dawn. I’m Nora Jonas, and the badluck girl is my sister. And you should know I absolutely adore Josh."

"Yessssss! Josh is an absolute delight. How’s he doing, Dawn? Missing me?" Bella asked, and Dawn giggled as she read the messages.

"Yikes! So many message notifications! What’s going on here today, girls?" A new person asked.

"Dawn joined the group," Brenda informed her.

"Dawn! Oh, my! I’ve heard a lot about you from my Mom. I’m Roxie Hank. My parents are Bryan and Sonia Hank. You’re so gonna love the welcome party! I’m looking forward to it!"

As Dawn responded to each message, she felt something warm rise in her chest. It was soft, deep, and a quiet kind of joy.

"Thank you so much. I’m happy to be part of this family. I can’t wait to meet everyone in person."

Her private messages from them also began popping up, kind words, excited greetings, and friendly emojis.

Dawn leaned back on the couch, her eyes misty, her heart full.

Although from what Lucy and Jamal had told her, she knew she was older than everyone in the group, apart from Mari, she felt like she had found her tribe.

She spent so much time laughing and getting to know the girls, both privately and in the group chat, that she didn’t notice when Josh fell asleep or how much time had passed until the doorbell rang.

She gently laid Josh on the couch before going to answer the door. It was Genevieve.

"Come in," Dawn said as she stepped aside for Genevieve to enter before shutting the door behind her.

Genevieve looked around. "The neighbourhood is nice. And the house looks really good, too."

"Yeah," Dawn said as she led her to the living room. "What can I get you? Water? Juice? Wine?"

"I’m fine. Thanks," Genevieve said, and Dawn did not bother to press her.

Dawn sat down beside Josh, who was fast asleep, while Genevieve sat on the adjacent couch.

Dawn picked up the remote controller and muted the television, then turned off her data so she’d stop receiving message notifications from the girls, before focusing on Genevieve.

"How are you doing?" Genevieve asked, looking at Dawn like a big sister would a younger one.

"I’m fine. You?"

Genevieve smiled. "I couldn’t sleep last night. I guess exhaustion knocked me out two nights ago. Last night I couldn’t. I kept seeing Dad’s face in that final moment as he pulled the trigger."

Dawn sighed softly. "It’s a natural response to trauma. You’ll be fine."

Genevieve nodded. "I know that. When I witnessed what happened to your mom and grandparents, I had nightmares for a long time."

Dawn frowned. "You did?"

"Yes. It was a horrifying incident for me. I can only imagine how traumatic it must have been for you. Yet I was so mean to you. I know I’ve said this before, but the more I remember the past, the more guilty I feel. I’ve been a very terrible person, and there are no excuses for it." Genevieve did not meet Dawn’s gaze now. Her eyes were downcast, as if she were too ashamed of herself to look up.

"I’d like to give everything back to you. Every single penny I got from being you. I want you to take it all—"

"I don’t need it," Dawn cut in.

"Please. You can give it to charity or do anything you want with it. I know I don’t deserve it, but please help me start afresh. You can still punish me however you choose, but take it all."

Dawn looked at her for a long moment, then breathed in slowly and out. "Genevieve," Dawn said, her voice calm and clear, "I don’t want your money. I don’t want to punish you either. I just want everything to be behind me. Behind us."

Genevieve’s head snapped up, her eyes wide and confused.

Dawn continued, "Giving me all you own won’t wipe what you did away. And I don’t want your life to fall apart just because you regret what you did."

"I don’t deserve to keep any of it. I stole it. I—"

"You survived," Dawn said quietly. "We all did what we needed to survive. Ryan raised you. He shaped you. You became who you had to be. I can be upset about what you did without wanting to destroy your life. I can’t imagine a broke Genevieve."

Something inside Genevieve crumbled. Her breath hitched. Her lips wobbled. She pressed a hand to her mouth as tears filled her eyes.

Dawn didn’t move closer to comfort her. She sat still and steady, letting Genevieve feel whatever she needed to feel.

Josh shifted in his sleep beside her, curling into the couch. Dawn brushed a thumb across his hair.

After a moment, Genevieve wiped her eyes with the back of her hand.

"I want to work. I want to learn to live with my own hands. I want to start clean."

Dawn nodded. "Then do that. You don’t need to hand me all you have to do that."

"But I want to," Genevieve insisted, her voice soft but firm. "I want to let go of everything tied to the lie."

"Fine," Dawn said, her tone calm. "You can hold on to it for me. I’ll let you know what to do with it after I think about it."

Genevieve let out a shaky breath, relief flashing briefly across her face. "Alright. Thank you."

She hesitated for a moment, then reluctantly asked. "What about us?" she asked in a small voice. "Can we ever be okay? Can I be your sister? Or friend? Can I remain in Josh’s life?" She swallowed hard as she glanced at Josh.

Dawn looked at her, feeling sorry for her. Unlike her, Genevieve had no one but Stefan.

"Despite how you treated me, I’ve always thought of you as my sister. That hasn’t changed. You were particularly helpful in the last couple of weeks, and I appreciate all you did and the love you showed Josh," she said simply.

Genevieve’s lips parted.

Dawn added, "But right now our emotions are still a bit raw, so I think we should take some time away from each other. I’ve forgiven you, but I still feel a little resentful towards you, and even if I appreciate your remorse, your guilt towards me makes me uncomfortable. So, let’s take some time apart and heal. Let our healed versions meet again next time."

A choked sound escaped Genevieve’s throat as her tears spilt. She covered her face with her palms, shaking as she cried in silence.

Dawn waited quietly.

When Genevieve finally lowered her hands, her makeup was smudged and her eyes were red.

"Thank you," she whispered.

"For what?" Dawn asked.

"Everything. For not hating me entirely," Genevieve said. "And for still being willing to have a relationship with me despite everything."

"Let’s look only forward. So, what’s your plan now?" She asked, and Genevieve told her what she planned to do.

"You’re leaving? What about Stefan?" Dawn asked with a slight frown.

"I’ve not told him yet. I’ll tell him tonight. I made up my mind on my way here," Genevieve said, letting out a deep breath.

"What about Ryan’s funeral? Any plans for it?" Dawn asked, and Genevieve smiled.

"I went to the hospital before calling you. They said Callan’s mom said she would handle it. They gave me her number, so I called her. She said it’s on Wednesday. So I’ll leave on Friday."

Dawn nodded but said nothing.

Genevieve fixed her face, then they spent some time chatting, and Genevieve waited until Josh woke up, and they ordered pizza and ate together, watching a movie like they’d done the last night at Ryan’s mansion.

When Genevieve was ready to go, Dawn saw her off to the Uber outside and hugged her, silently praying that the next time they met, they would both be healed.

The moment Dawn returned inside, she picked up her phone, turned on her data and resumed her chat with the girls.