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Her pause let me know that it was a peaceful time that was stolen from her Noould always be tarnished I hated the Flores fa that look on her face I nuzzled her leg and she gaveBraden in my arms and Kate was asleep in the stroller An older lady joinedan the conversation in Spanish and then she was intrigued that I knew it so fluently I told her about my family in Colombia I reotten ly accent I didn’t even thinkabout people fro countries She asked if I planned on teaching the babies and I told her I would try Definitely Braden would learn, but I didn’t really kno long I would get with Kate"

"She seemed nice, just a little nosy She told me how she never could have children and she was envious of the two pretty babies I didn’t know if she understood that I was just Kate’s nanny, but I didn’t bother to explain ry and fussy at that point and she asked e lecture about hoas best for them I nodded my head and politely excused myself so I could feed him back at your apartment without her advice That…" Her voice cracked and I tensed My hands gripped her legs, and I lifted up and lightly kissed her stomach

"She must have followed me That’s the only way she could have knohere to find us that night I was an idiot, Lane"

I finally climbed back up her body and positioned myself above her "No babe, you weren’t Even I would have fallen for that She was a con-artist"

"If I would have just keptmouth shut, she never would have been so interested Then ould have never…"

"Shhh…" I consoled

"She liked that I spoke Spanish," she continued

"Do you kno many people speak Spanish in New York City, Rae?" When she didn’t answer, I did "Millions, Rae Millions This lady picked you out because she liked you She wanted what you had and she just so happened to have an evil bastard of husband to help her"

"I had nothing! My aunt died so I was on the streets Braden and I bounced between friends’ houses and your house I don’t knohy she chose "

"You had two of the prettiest babies known to mankind"

"She was sick," she said quietly

"That she was"

"No, like terot to Mexico that she passed away I guess Flores had… taken us… for his wife To give her the babies she could never have I was just the convenient caretaker They probably planned on killing me once Braden and Kate didn’t need uys so his wife could have kids?" My te I have ever heard! What about adoption?! Legal fking adoption! What about the fact that one of the babies was mine!?"

I rolled off of her and she followed to faceto determine a possible motive Now that I knew, I felt deflated How the fk does someone take someone else’s child just because they couldn’t have their own?

"I heard one of the guys say that she had been obsessed withrabbed her to hold her close--to co The bitch died and then Flores had no idea what to do with us So he kept us locked in a roorow up and work for hi myself to ask a question I needed to ask, even if I wasn’t sure I could handle the answer "You said they tried to get rid of… Kate?" I was surprised to hear the weakness that bled from my own voice

She cleared her throat uncomfortably "Flores came to hter" I clenched et a hold of that bastard again, he would die a slow death He had no right to even use the word ‘daughter’ Raegan waited for my inner turmoil to cool down

"He said that only Braden would really be of any benefit to hihtly they would have to take me before they would only her So that’s what they did… they took us both Away froht there"

"What? I don’t understand… you never said you were separated frouilty and pulled in a thousand different directions I was thankful she had held on to Kate, but how could I expect any mother to have to leave her own child?

"They couldn’t console Braden… no matter what they tried He was only breastfed so they couldn’t even get him to eat After what felt like a lifetio back to hio Then they just kept us there, locked away fro that their version of solitary confinement would eventually break me They came back every couple of months to collect Kate, but I wouldn’t let theive theame to them; they didn’t really care about Kate any with et through my clenched teeth

"Like cuts On my skin," she whispered

"What the hell?" I asked a bit louder I hadn’t seen any cuts on her

She slowly rolled away from me onto her sto there below me She didn’tso I took her in her whole body It didn’t take h I wished it had