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"My hteen years old when she came to the United States A music scholarship to a conservatory in New Hampshire The scholarship only covered tuition So she took a position as a nanny in hter"

"Your sister Elizabeth, right?"

"Yes My father’s wife had a difficult pregnancy, a difficult birth After Elizabeth, she could have noher recovery, ht your father’s eye?" Suzanne asked, s

"Unfortunately, yes" Father Stearns did not smile

Suzanne’s smile died as the subtle inflection on the word unfortunately told her all

"Oh, my God," she whispered

"My father was a er over his wife’s inability to give him more children…he took it out on my mother He raped her repeatedly until she conceived She lived as a hostage as he threatened to hurt Elizabeth if she told anyone or ran away"

Suzanne covered her mouth with her hand

"I was born ten months after she came to live with my father The doctor who deliveredlike it…a young wo birth in utter silence She didn’t want to scream My father would have enjoyed that too much"

"He was a sadist?"

Slowly Father Stearns nodded

"I was born shortly after ht on Decerandfather The doctor wrote that on the original birth certificate that he hid from my father The official birth certificate reads Marcus Lennox Stearns Marcus was my father’s na but that"

Suzanne said nothing at first

"Deceht of the year"

"It was the longest night of h I was a child of rape, she loved me She remained in the home of her rast to care for me My father wanted to raise ht never have another son to inherit the fah, he sent land She returned to Den to find me My father had amassed incredible wealth and power by then She told no one of what happened to her"

Suzanne stood up and walked over to the cold fireplace Told no one…

"My brother Adaan and took a deep breath "He loved the Church Altar boy at age ten…he’d already decided he wanted to be a priest"

She turned back and , only nodded for her to go on

"We found out after he shot hiht…the note said he’d been raped by our priest Repeatedly, for years The Catholic Church had amassed such wealth and power…" she quoted Father Stearns "He told no one, either"

Father Stearns caently on her face and she saw her tear trickle over his fingers

"Because he com Catholic Church," she said, shat felt like a rock