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I sed hard “But I ruined everything I just… I didn’t kno to tell him”

“Tell him what?”

“What it was really like growing up In high school at least, I mean”

“Why don’t you start by telling me?”

I huffed out and swiped at my eyes, but it wasn’t the worst idea I’d ever heard My secret was out anyway Obviously, all the men in the Order knew my circumstances, and they were theso hard to protect with my silence anymore?

“It started right after Daddy died Ma proble—no money, no bonds, and barely any assets to pay it off”

Mrs H’s hand went to her chest “Oh, honey What on earth did you do?”

I shookMo everything on a whi cleaned up by a o, obviously When the first debt collector showed up at the door…”

Well, that night, I’d walked in and found my mother on the floor with the pills sprawled all around her Terrified, I dragged her lier down her throat until she started gagging and then throwing up The pills she spewed into the toilet still looked ht in time

I’d wanted to take Mo no, we didn’t have the ain She’d been weak

“Did things get better?” Mrs H asked after I gave a quick overview of Mom’s first attempt