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Before she could answer, her eyes darted past hiroaned when he saw Katrina at the corner of the house, watching them

"Go away, loon," Vincent said "I’?" Katrina spat

Maura ju away as she trembled "Sorry, Mistress"

Mistress The moment she said it, he knew the truth

"Well?" Carhts "Why was she there?"

"She was the help"

"The help?" Carmine’s tone was clipped "Like a maid? Was she a waitress? Because the two of you were fifteen, and that’s not old enough to be e"

Vincent sighed "She wasn’t paid"

Car his voice "It’s true? Seriously?"

"Yes"

Car it into Vincent He grabbed the laptop before it hit the floor as his son ra stupid? Never would I have iined she had beenyou’d haveChrist!"

Vincent shifted his desk back into place "You can say the word"

"I know," he snapped, "but can you?"

"Of course It’s just a word"

"Then say it Drop the ‘she was the help’ bullshit and say it"

"Slave," Vincent said "Trafficking victier flared "And the Morettis had her? Is that why Corrado says he owes her?"

"You’d have to ask him That’s not my story to tell"

"Of course it’s not your story to tell," Car his hands down on the desk "The cop-out answer of the year Nobody wants to tell , so they pawn it off on everyone else I can’t believe you kept this fro, how could you not tell me?"

Vincent pushed Carmine’s hands away "It’s in your best interest to settle down If you want an explanation, take a seat If not, get out ofto sit here and let you scoldhis jaw Vincent could tell his son wanted to say soet answers, he’d have to do things Vincent’s way

Sighing, Carhtened so the co his son "When do you suppose I should’ve told you? When you were two and didn’t knohat slavery was? When you were eight and thought your one, when you were already hurting? The tiht to knoho my mother really was?"

The question sent Vincent’s te "That’s not who your irl that that doesn’t define her? How many times, Carmine? And yet you have the audacity to turn it around and use it against ainst your mother?"

"I didn’t mean--"

"It doesn’t matter what you meant," Vincent said "This is why I never wanted you to know Maura wanted people to see a wife and a mother--a woman--not a victim I let her leave the past behind, and maybe it was unfair to you, but it was her life It was her decision I loved your ether I’ve tried to make it as easy as possible on you, so h trial and error I lost my patience with her so many times because I didn’t understand"

Carmine covered his face with his hands as he attempted to rein in his emotions "She always seemed well adjusted"

"That was our intention," he said "We didn’t want to taint your perception of the things she did If you knew the truth, you’d question everything"

Tears pooled in his eyes "And this is why she was desperate to help Haven?"

Vincent was rocking Carmine’s foundation, so he purposely treaded carefully "Maura wasn’t born into it, but she knehat the child had to look forward to Your mother wanted to save her before reality hit The older they are when you pull them out, the less likely they are to adapt"