My Cousin Could See Through Every Lie We Told Chapter 10

My Cousin Could See Through Every Lie We Told Chapter 10

Tessa froze, her expression shifting into a mask of pure, 

unadulterated shock. 

“Dad, listen to me…” 

The veneer of a loving family dissolved instantly in the face of 

financial ruin. 

My father gritted his teeth so hard I thought they would 

shatter. 

“Explain it! Why didn’t you see he was a fraud!” 

Tessa’s eyes darted toward me for a split second before she whipped them away. 

She shrank into herself, trembling. “I… I can’t say.” 

My mother caught the look. She grabbed Tessa by the shoulders, shaking her. 

“Why are you looking at Emma?” 

“Answer us!” 

Tears welled up in Tessa’s eyes instantly. 

She looked at me once more, then hit the floor on her knees. 

“Mom, Dad… it was Emma. She wouldn’t let me tell you!” 

“I knew he was a crook the second he walked in, but Emma 

threatened me. She made me lie.” 

“She said if I didn’t trick you, she’d make sure you kicked me 

out of the house. I was terrified, so I lied.” 

She turned those watery eyes to me. 

“Emma, why would you help an outsider con Mom and Dad?” 

“If you know where he is, just tell the police so they can get the money back, please!” 

Before I could even blink, my father swung his hand. 

“You treacherous brat! I don’t know why you’re helping outsiders, but I know what you’re trying to do!” 

“You just couldn’t stand it that we adopted Tessa. You’re jealous because we have to rely on her gift when things go 

south.” 

“How did we raise a monster like you?” 

My mother looked at me with pure disgust. 

The impact split my lip, the metallic taste of blood flooding my 

mouth. 

I wiped the blood from my chin, my eyes dry and aching. 

“I actually wanted to see if you’d believe me for even one second.” 

“I see now that was a waste of time.” 

My father’s chest heaved, his face purple with rage. 

“The facts are right here! How could we ever believe you?” 

I stared him down. 

“Evidence? Where is the evidence that I conspired with an outsider? Where’s the proof that I threatened Tessa?” 

“You have absolutely nothing, yet you take her word for everything.” 

“Why?” 

“Just because she can detect lies, that makes her incapable of telling them?” 

My gaze grew icy, inch by inch. 

“You don’t have evidence. But I do.” 

The gala’s projector was supposed to show photos of Tessa. 

As I signaled, the screen flickered, and a video popped up: 

Tessa meeting with the fraudster. 

In the footage, Tessa was sliding a thick stack of files across 

the table. 

The man hesitated. “They’ll actually believe this?” 

Tessa just smirked. 

“Just say it. They’ll swallow anything I tell them.” 

Then, the audio kicked in: 

“Emma, he’s not lying. He can actually help the company.” 

My parents stood frozen, but the room erupted in gasps. 

“So the daughter they just brought home set the whole thing up?” 

“She was right, as long as she nods, the Vances will believe anything, even if the guy is a total fraud.” 

“And she blamed her sister? That is one cold–blooded bitch.” 

Tessa’s face went corpse–white. 

She crawled toward my parents, trying to grab their legs. 

“Mom, Dad, it’s not true! You have to believe me!” 

But when they looked at her, their eyes were blank, cold, and 

utterly foreign. 

“Tessa, why would you use our trust like this?” 

“Don’t you ever call us Mom and Dad again. You are not our 

daughter.” 

Between the bankruptcy and the betrayal, they looked like they’d aged ten years in a minute. 

They shook their heads, defeated. 

Tessa tried to plead, but Detective Carter was already standing 

behind her. 

He stepped forward, his badge flashing in the ballroom lights. 

“Tessa Thompson, we’ve found proof that you’ve been using your ‘ability‘ to help criminals evade the law for years. You’re 

coming with us.” 

Tessa’s world collapsed. She slumped onto the floor. 

I asked Carter for a moment alone with her. He nodded. 

“Did you implant those memories?” 

Tessa dropped the act. The look in her eyes was pure, 

unadulterated hatred. 

“Right. I wanted you to lose all trust in me, end up alone, and get dragged into the mountains by Bryce. Too bad you weren’t as stupid as I thought.” 

“I hate you. I hate that you have parents who love you, and I hate that you’re better than me at everything.” 

“I wanted you kicked out, starving on the streets, just like in the memories.” 

“But that wasn’t enough. You should’ve been sold into that compound to suffer until you broke.” 

Tessa was dragged away, and I finally let out a long, shuddering breath. 

We’d grown up together. 

Because of her gift, everyone always treated her better than 

me. 

I still couldn’t fathom why she hated me so much. 

After she was locked up, my parents began their attempts to repair our relationship. 

I responded by packing my bags and moving out. 

After that, my appearances were strictly limited to the holidays. 

The second they showed me they had zero trust in me, that thin thread of family faded to nothing. 

Later on, more people popped up online claiming they could “detect lies“. 

But they were just pebbles tossed into the ocean–no one cared. 

Never, ever trust anyone blindly. 

The only person you can actually count on is yourself.