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She shook her head "No None of them It's me It's always beenhair fell forward, concealing her features He didn't want to know that she cried Despite the pain, despite everything, her tears would tear him apart

"Megan-"

"No!" She raised her head and glared at him Tears trembled on her lower lashes but didn't fall "Do you want to knohy?" She paused as if waiting for hie your "

She drew in a deep breath "When I was almost nine I came home early from school because I didn't feel well I walked into the kitchen, as I always did, and I heard voices co froazed past hio afternoon "It was my father and another man I went down the hall and sawIt was so loud, I couldn't understand what they were saying at first Then I knew Myaith this man She wanted to take Colleen and me with her, but my father wouldn't let her He called her awful names"

Megan started rocking back and forth He wanted to go to her and comfort her More than that, he wanted to stop her words, for they obviously caused her pain But he couldn't Selfishly, he had to knohy she'd acted as she

did He had to knohy she'd been so willing to destroy them both

"I couldn't bear it anyular time to come home from school I made Colleen swear not to tell them I'd left early" She tilted her head back and stared at the ceiling A single tear rolled down her temple and into her hair

"He said she'd died"

Justin straightened in the chair and stared at her "Your mother?"

She nodded "He said it had been very sudden She'd fallen down the stairs At first, I thought he'd killed her When they brought in the coffin, I was sure of it That night, I crept downstairs and looked inside It was eone away Two days later, he buried that empty coffin and from then on spoke of my mother as if she were really dead"

"You never saw her again?"

"No I tried to tell Colleen what had happened, but she wouldn't listen" She turned to look at hi her skin until she looked otherworldly "You asked an to a proper lady It was the day we buried that coffin I think we both knee ever did anything wrong, ould be dead to our father Dead and buried, or sent away We were so young We never forgot the lesson Colleen won't speak of it, but I know she remembers"

He went to her then He didn't re across the roo her close Her sobs sounded loud and harsh in thestillness, her body shook as he wrapped his arms around her

"Hush, Megan No one is ever going to hurt you again," he whispered, then kneould do anything in his power to keep that promise

She raised her damp face to him "Don't you see?" she said intently "I finally understand MyI never knehy he was so concerned about our actions and reputations, but as I

grew up, I finally understood Yet in the end, all his effort went to waste"

He knehat she was about to say, but he couldn't stop her He tried pressing his fingers over her mouth, but she jerked her head away impatiently

"I'm just like her/' Her eyes held his "I've taken a lover, too I know Papa was difficult at ti, don't you think? I'm ruined, just like she was Only I can't be dead to the world I have to face them Everyone Mrs Dobson warned et ht"

Her mouth trembled so hard, she couldn't speak any He cursed her father, the town and most of all, himself

"You're not like her," he said, tucking her head under his chin "I pro hair and her back, trying to corown silent, but he could feel the tears as they continued to drip off her cheeks onto his bare ar him they were both still naked She arhs, but he ignored the feeling This wasn't about hian and what he'd done to her