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For the first time, Lina would have sworn she saw the sheen of tears in her mother’s eyes But of course, that was impossible She’d never seen her mother cry “Lina—”

“Am I like my father?”

Madelaine stared at her for a long aze softened “You’re exactly like him”

At first the look in her h her in a chilling wave

Herhim

Meht to be stored in Lina’s heart, in that place where there was nothing but a dark hole marked Daddy Lina had tried so hard to fill that void in her life, to conjure io and never looked back And all she had to do was ask a sis about him How he looked, how he s Lina ached to know and could never find out

Lina looked at Madelaine, hating her more in that moment than she’d ever hated anyone “Then I knohy he left you”

Chapter Four

Francis stood frozen, unable to dredge up a coherent thought He was breathing fast, too fast; he sounded like a lanced at Madelaine, who stood rooted in place, her hands fisted at her sides, her spine ramrod-stiff

He couldn’t see her face, but he didn’t need to He’d known her and loved her for al

He moved aardly toward her “Maddy?”

She didn’t seem to hear him

“Madelaine?”

Her voice, when finally she spoke, sounded thin and faraway “Well, that was certainly a bust”

It broke his heart that she still had to pretend she was indestructible “Don’t…”