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Chapter Twenty

RANEESHA GOT HERSELF BACK UNDER control, but only barely “I thought Frederik was fine But as soon as he came in the door, he was different Scary He hit s I didn’t understand I was so afraid”

She began to cough then, clearly overwrought Quint limped into the attached bathroom, poured her a cup of water and returned with it and a daainst the side of Raneesha’s head

With a start, Amara realized there was blood on her mother’s head It had to be from where Frederik had hit her All blame for her mother fled with the realization

She jumped up and took the washcloth from Quint to dab at her mother’s wound

Quint half-staggered away and collapsed into the other chair in the room

Raneesha h to calhs, and shakily went on “He was crazy, Amara He was erratic, jerky I didn’t knohat happened to hi about how you’d ruined his career, ruined his life He said everyone thinks he lied about your work”

Raneesha shook her head, her hair, always so immaculately coiffed, stood up on her head in clumps, and so to hi about how huht to do what you did and co He said the dean fired him And he said it was because you took as his”

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A to her lap “The dean fired him? When?”

“I’m not sure Yesterday or today, maybe He didn’t always make sense What does he think you took from him?”

“I can’t say for sure He’s been angry at s,” Amara said “If Frederik was fired, it was because he was unhinged and had been nothing but trouble for months” And there was the run-in with hio Someone may well have reported it to the dean

Her voice hollow and weak, Raneesha said, “He said you didn’t get to have everything and hi toby his rules”

Aainst Haed, to haro crazy

“He dragged me upstairs,” Raneesha said, “and tiedHe kept ranting at ry I was so scared I didn’t knohat he intended to do It seeet back at you By the ti about everything like it was a ga”