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A dull pain lanced ot why she thought I so easily could She thought she knehereto move forward Maya didn’t truly understand, she didn’t have the facts … because she was right about one thing: I hadn’t shared

I hadn’t been honest with her about everything I’d let her believe the false conclusions she’d come to, just as I had everybody else And I knew that the only way she’d allow ave her some honesty

“Ask me a question,” I blurted out “Any question”

“Ryder—”

“Any question I’ll tell you whatever you want to know”

She stared atseconds and then weakly flapped her arms “Why? Why bother?”

“I haven’t held back frorew up around people eren’t interested in who you really were People who, even as they loved you, wanted you to be someone different”

“I don’t understand”

“So ask me to explain” Let me stay

More seconds of staring went by “Explain what you ht I’d be vague as fuck

“Can we sit while we talk? The story isn’t long, but it also ain’t short”

She sighed and then inclined her head

I followed her into the living area, not feeling any triu h she kept a respectable distance between us

“Go on,” she urged