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"What?"

"I didn’t know you and Milo were o," Leif sed and pursed his lips

"How could you not know?" I took a step back, feeling betrayed by that statement

Ezra moved in closer to me, in case I needed his support, but Jack stood off to the side of the room, unsure with how to react to any of this

"You were so young the last time I saw you, and Milo wasn’t even born yet" His dark eyes were sad and pleading "I didn’t even know I had a son Your nant"

"You left us," I said softly and took another step back "You left us, and I don’t even remember you"

"Alice, I had to leave you" Tears filled his eyes "I thought…" He rubbed his mouth and lowered his eyes "I loved Anna very nant with you I didn’t have time to think about what it would be like And I loved you I still love you so much, you and Milo I left to protect you"

"How could you not knoas your daughter?" I repeated, louder this time "How could you love irls I saw that I thought were you?" Leif asked "Every tiirl, I’d wonder if that could be you Every time I heard the name Alice, I wondered if it were you Eventually, I just… I numbed myself to the idea"

"I don’t even knohat that means" I wiped at my eyes to stop tears before they fell

"I didn’t let myself think about you anymore, or worry about you or your mother or your brother," Leif said "I kneould outlive you, and I couldn’t deal with that I tried to blot you out of my mind"

"It was hter nao today?’ That never even occurred to you?"

"I didn’t know you were eighteen, and I didn’t…" He shook his head "You look nineteen, but you’re a vampire You could’ve been a hundred for all I knew"