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“Dad!” The as garbled by my tears as I moved to chase him

“Don’t” Darragh reached across the table and grabbed o”

“Why didn’t you say anything?” Davina shook her head

“Because she rong and she wasn’t wrong And her daughter had just died, and I didn’t … I didn’t want you to hate her”

“Too late for that” Davina curled her lip

Dread filled ht mind”

“Oh? Is she still not? Because since I ca gay doesn’t bother her, but she’s never been to my apartment She’s never invited Astrid andand the whole family was here And let’s put aside her secret homophobia and remind ourselves that she erased you from her life She doesn’t talk about you, she doesn’t let anyone else talk about you, and she acted like it was all your fuckin’ fault!” She pushed away from the table

“Davina,” Darragh admonished

“No!” She sobbed “I hate her, Dar I hate her”

“Come here” He stood up, and I watched as he pulled my sister into his arms as she cried My poor brother I wondered if he’d known he’d spendhis little sisters

I knew that Davina wasn’tabout me My heart was already shredded by my mother, but Davina’s confirut The knife twisted as I realized she’d not only hurtsister too The depth of Davina’s pain was about her relationship with Sorcha McGuire I wasn’t the only daughter my mom couldn’t accept It sounded like she hadn’t fully coay I knehat it was like to feel the harsh chill of Mom’s disapproval You could be five, fifteen, or fifty, and feeling like one of your parents didn’t love you or agree ho you’d become was one of the worst hurts in the world

I wished I’d been there for Davina

Seeing how close she and Darragh still were, however, soothed lanced over my shoulder at the doorway dad had stormed out of I worried my bottom lip between my teeth At once, the separation between Mom and Dad started toWe were his life I had no doubt that Mohters had put a strain on their e

And he hadn’t even known the full of it

Until now