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“Anyway, Mariana did her best, but I didn’t make it easy for her,” Caleb admitted He settled his fork on his plate

I didn’t want hietting his didn’t improve with Mav and Eli?”

He shook his head “They tried really hard I know they only asked et into so much trouble—”

“That’s not true,” I interrupted “Yeah, they orried about you, but they love you, Caleb They wanted you to feel like a part of their family because that’s what you are”

Caleb didn’t say anything for a long time When he did, his voice was uneven “I tried, Jace I really did”

He just sounded so lost that I couldn’t stop ers with his on the table and saying, “I know you did, baby”

This time, he noticed the endearment

And I found that I wasn’t particularly upset by that fact

“I went to the therapist, I tried to focus on an “But it wasn’t real I was still that sa freak who let his dad do that shit to him”

“Caleb—”

“Souy prosecuting my dad said that my name wouldn’t be ot out First it was the kids, then the reporters…”

“Did Eli and Mav know?” I asked My heart broke for his the other kids would have said to him

“About the reporters, but I never told the”

I tensed at that “What did they do?”

“It doesn’t matter now”