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I told Emily that I never said I love you before and I was serious Not to soirl and not to anyone else in my life I decided to tell her because, to be honest, I don’t know if I’ll ever see her again Looking at Olivia as she watches her family implode, I finally understand that E to lose

I wrapme back I kiss her cheek "I love you"

She presses her lips to my cheek and whispers, "I love you more"

A lump forms in my throat and as fast as I let the moment happen, I abandon it and walk out the door

Emily

MY BIOLOGICAL FATHER tried to kill ical father tried to kill my ain as I co Oz tore off on his o and like he proain

My biological father tried to kill my mother’s brother

No wonder Mom ran and never looked back No wonder she never told me about this and she refuses to discuss the past How do you get over so to kill your fa the party afterhts The bonfire that had been raging before has now si out in the clubhouse and around the yard, butfit with Eli

Eli has stayed in the same spot since after Oz left and while I hate to ad here He leans a shoulder against one of thepoles and peers out into the yard Occasionally, he shtly in the dark night, but mostly he stands there and stares All seventeen stars still on his arm All the questions in my mind unanswered

I know more now than I have before and yet the truth still eludes ical father, the ht me how to drive his truck, tried to kill my mother’s brother

It doesn’t make sense None of ithome and I don’t trust anyone to tell me the truthnot o, I believed everything ical father tried to kill my mother’s brother

I slip off theseat and crack the door to my room Once in the hall, I spot Cyrus asleep in his recliner with his hand extended over, touching the top of Violet’s head She’s curled up in a ball on the couch also sound asleep