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“Kevin’s inability to love you had nothing to do with the amount that you were loveable His inability to love you was not due to your worth It was due to his dae It wasn’t personal”

“Maybe not,” she said, shrugging her shoulders as she pushed her purse strap up her arm “But it sure as hell felt like it”

She turned to leave, and I felt a punch in the pit of ut as I went on to ask her the same question I’d asked the other tomen “Catherine?”

“Yes?”

“Are you my mother?”

Her eyes blinked a few times as she tilted her head in surprise by the directness of my words She shook her head and let a small, sad smile slip out “Even if I were, would you really want a wicked mother like me?” she asked “Or like Denise or Rosalina? My advice for you? Stop trying to figure out who is your biological mother Because sure, maybe they have your DNA, but at the end of the day, they’ll never be able to fill that gap in your chest We will never live up to the idea of love that exists in your head Trustelse to fill that spot”

“I already did”

“In Stella?”

“Yes And you knohat?”

“What’s that?”

“She loved you Even though you could only see Sophie when you looked into her eyes, Stella saw you Maybe in a way Kevin could not She loved you”

“How do you know that?”

“Because that’s what Stella does She loves”

I saw it for a second A flash of softness raced past Catherine’s eyes, a realization fell into her “She wasn’t Sophie?”

I shook my head “She wasn’t”

She cleared her throat as more tears streamed down her cheeks “I was cruel to her Every time I was able to be, I was cruel to her”

“And still, she loved you”

She looked away froether

I used that entleness from Catherine “Stella’s on bed rest”

“What?”

“The pregnancy is high risk, and she needs me to be there for her to look after her I’m certain she’s scared, and I can’t respond to her I’ot this far, and it only ive a shit about the et my phone and text her that I’ll be home soon”