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“I don’t have anything to be angry about,” I said I remembered the day I’d come back for her, how pissed I’d been that she would barely look atthat she’dany idea that it was self-preservation That hate had been the only thing that had keptmonths, the only way I’d justified what I’d done At so had faded completely I hadn’t owned up to what I’d done, but I hadn’t been able to blame Cecilia Not for any of it

“I don’t know that I’ll ever forgive you,” she said “But that doesn’tyou just is, it always has been”

I let her words sink in Our relationshipin completely different directions, but in this one ere still the sa Cecilia wasn’t a choice for me either, it just was

Finally, I nodded “You know, you scared me there for a minute”

“I scared uy ca for Olive”

My body tensed until even ainst the floor

“He kept asking where she was,” she said, her aruess he hadn’t seen her on the bed because of the blankets”

“That was sravelly I cleared my throat “I saw the way you’d put the blankets over her”

“I knew if I yelled for help, I’d wake her up,” she said softly “So, I didn’t” Her eyes met mine “I didn’t make a sound”

I closedshe’d taken before I’d gotten to her It had to have been nearly impossible to stay silent I wasn’t sure I’d be able to do the sa

“When it was over—” She shook her head “It was like I couldn’t force myself to speak The words were there, but—”

“Understandable,” I said roughly “If I’d known all it took to get you talking was needing to set the record straight about our past—I would’ve brought it up in the car, even with your mom there”

Her lips tipped up at the corners at my joke “I think it was the lost puppy expression on your face that did it”