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She closed the door to the lady’s roo her eyes shut and willing the churning in her gut to cease Inhaling through her nose, she held the air in her lungs After auntil she couldit on the bathroom floor

“What a hands, she pressed her fingers against her te the pressure in her head

“Oh asped, then reached in her pocket with shaking hands He was supposed to ht if maybe she could convince her there was even a chance Yoel was alive, then they could meet and reconnect

She had to stop hi There was no way Anna Gut with him

Opening her phone, she tried calling hi he’d check the old phone o, but Abby kneas probably no use He always left it at home

Ms Gutone to him in the first place, confronted hi was stupid Instead of risking a dead woer, all the way there, despite her insistence Yoel was dead She used the journal like a bribe And for what?

Hurrying to the sink, she turned the faucet on, cupping water with her hands and splashing it over her face until her hands stopped shaking Suddenly, all the reasons she brought Ms Gutardless, she had to lead with her gut After all, she had nothing else to go off, no roaduide her, and her instincts had told her to keep GG’s letters a secret Her instincts told her to tell no one about her quest for clues until she had everything figured out Her instincts told her Anna rong her grandfather was Yoel For some reason, Ms Gutman just didn’t want to accept the truth

Straightening, Abby squared her shoulders Like it or not, she had to go back out there and face her again, even if she looked like a complete idiot She knehat she needed to do

The fact it scared her so ht Maybe Abby wasn’t so sure of herself after all? Maybe she wasn’t sure of anything

She squared her shoulders and left the bathroom with renewed purpose When she returned to their table and met Ms Gutman’s eye, she reached into the pocket of her jeans and retrieved an old photo of her grandfather and placed it in front of her Shehim, but Abby could show her Make her see

“I believe this is hiaze steady on Anna’s face

Ms Gutman hesitated like she was afraid to deny or confiraze on the picture, the breath caught in her throat Her body stiffened, her gnarly grip curling around the edge of the table for support

“This isher words to sink in as Ms Gutman fell silent “I believe this is your cousin”

Abby waited for her response, her stoed to tear her gaze away, she stood Her knees wobbled as she stu away frootten “Stay away”

Abby frowned “What?”