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"You’re my father? For real?"

He looked at the floor "Yes" His voice was thick "I’ain "Noover everything, you were never supportive ofher You told me she was probably dead That’s what you--you tried to convince , and I had that There were two sets of thumbprints Mom, you told me it was a friend, but I re to bury Ally That’s why I couldn’t reht…" She closed her eyes and shook her head "No And her brother I was convinced he took her from us You told me you knew there was abuse But it wasn’t him; it was our mom You let me think it was hier into her back A tug of syht to, but this was her father He was her flesh and blood I’d give anything to knohojust to have AJ back for fivetoward an sputtering

He shook his head, eyes panicked "No, no I won’t let you look for her"

So she was

She was alive

"Is she still there?"

Andrea’s mom paled even more Her hand went to her chest, and she whirled to her husband "Edward, they cannot--"

He touched her ar lady, you cannot go looking for her Corelea was a spiteful and dangerous ht of what she’d do now, if she could get her hooks in you"

"Or me, you htened the blanket around her "You mean if my mother had her hooks in me? Because we have money, Daddy You have money I have an inheritance Hoould you feel if all of that was squandered away? Everything you worked for, all your life, was ripped away? Hoould that make you feel?"

She lifted her chin, but her lips treled with her words "Would it piss you off if I did that? Gave my mother money that you’d earned, like the truth you took from me? My sister You could’ve--" She started to fall

Her mother rushed forward "Andrea"

"No" She pulled her arain She was so weak The nurse rushed to support her other side, and I reached around her, trying to help It didn’t matter Andrea fell to the floor with a thud as her head ood, hard s to her knees beside her daughter A group of medical staff swarmed around her, and in the rush, I was pushed backward

They hoisted Andrea onto a gurney and wheeled her down the hallway HerAndy’s blanket to her chest

Then the only people left were her father and er there I thought he would’ve blamed me, the way I could tell his wife did There’d been an accusing flash in her eyes But not with hi into lie to Andy," he said quietly "The truth would come out I knew that, especially once she was convinced she had a sister and went to find you The day she told us she was taking a seraduate school to find you--that was the dayto be over It was only a ht I’d have all this ti to say to you But here you are" He took a deep breath "And I still have no idea ords I could utter to ain I am truly sorry, Ally"