Chapter 40

Francis wasn't the only one who was stupefied—both Sheila and Rachel were speechless, too. A sense of defeat sank in. It was both a shock and something they had seen coming. From the moment they saw Shannon, what little flicker of hope they had been holding onto instantly disappeared. Shannon was truly the Jensens' daughter. After getting over the initial shock, the women felt an overwhelming sense of jealousy—especially Rachel. All along, she knew that Shannon was beautiful. Thus, whenever they used to attend events together, Rachel would force Shannon to wear plain outfits to avoid letting Shannon outshine her. Because Rachel had "kindly" picked those outfits for Shannon, Sheila would force Shannon to wear them. It didn't matter how reluctant she was. She either had to wear what Rachel chose or go naked. And yet, thanks to her fair skin, Shannon was still able to wear even the most dreary and outdated of colors without looking drab. Rachel's years of effort only resulted in pe