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"We’re in love," Ellie said, and to her credit her sister did look contrite If Sunshine didn’t know her sister better she ht have believed her But Ellie had alanted whatever Sunshine had, and this tiaze "I’ just asking the man she loved this question

Peter re back the tears that burned like sulfur "For the love of heaven, have the decency to at least answer me"

Apparently, Peter didn’t know

The tears came then, and Sunshine swiped them from her face as she turned and walked away

The next time she saw Peter and Ellie she raduate school in California I have an offer … I wasn’t going to accept, but it seeo and seeing him with her sister would have killed her

"No," Peter protested "You have an offer here, too …"

Sunshine shook her head unwilling to even consider his plea "Do you seriously think I could reo It’s for the best," Ellie advised, tightening her grip on Peter’s arreed, as she turned away

Three months later Sunshine was in California She’d left without a word and shunned all contact with the, and after a year had a show in a well-known gallery The first piece that sold, created in a frenzy of pain, anger, and e showed a loving couple walking with their ar closely behind On closer examination the eye would eventually see that the lamb wasn’t so lovely or innocent Cleverly woven into the ere thin lines of trapping around thehi back longingly at the la she did with a picture inside a picture that told a story beyond initial i to thank her sister for, it was inspiring her to try this technique

A few months after she landed in California, Peter wrote, but she returned his letter unopened She didn’t speak to her sister again until her ed her to make peace for the sake of the family

Six months after she was in California, Peter phoned The only way he could have gotten her phone number was from her mother

"You returned my letter"

"Yes"

"If you’d opened it, you would have learned that Ellie and I broke up She’s dating so to do, but Sunshine laughed "I didn’t need to read your letter to figure that out The only reason Ellie wanted you was because I loved you"

"Past tense?"

"Why are you surprised?"

"Your sister--"

"You don’t need to tellabout my sister that I don’t already know, Peter"

Dead air said more than if he had shouted across the line Finally he spoke "I was a fool"

"Yes" He wouldn’t get an argument from her

"I love you, Sunshine"

She bit down on her lip so hard she tasted blood "I love you, too," she whispered, broken, "but it’s too late I’ll never get over what you did You ht as well have stabbed me in the heart I should have known the minute I told Ellie I wanted toIt was useless to continue, useless to relive the pain of her sister’s treachery

"I was huued

"Well, I’m hu soh he found it hard to believe she could have feelings for anyone other than him It seemed he knew her better than she realized

"Do you love him, too?" he asked after another tense silence